4th stage club

Tambo
Tambo Member Posts: 20
in Kidney Cancer #1
It's not as bad as it sounds. So far, my general health is still very good. No chemo, yet!
My RCC was found accidently as most cases are discovered. That was in Feb. of 2010. In March of 2010 I had a radical nephrectomy of the rt. kidney. The pathology report came back 3rd stage RCC as the tumor was large and had protruded into the renal vein. Despite the grim prognosis; I have done very well.
Last month (Feb.) I had a wedge resection on the left lung. Of course, the report came back as the same RCC cell. Hence, the 4th stage club. Both lungs have several very small nodules in them. Treatment for now; is no treatment unless the nodules begin to grow or they re-colonate in another organ. Then, I suppose; I'll consider chemo of some sort. I've had an MRI brain scan (Mar. 21st and that came out clean. My last ct-scan on Mar. 21st showed minimal growth in my lungs. I'm scheduled for a ct-scan and blood work every 3 months now. Also, a brain scan once a year too. Unless their is a radical change in my health; I'll still be kicking up my heels and enjoying life as I have for the past 2 plus years.
I'm not one to worry and I don't have a bucket list to fulfill. What I do have; is a strong will and an abiding faith in God to keep me going.
My prayers go out to all of you who find themselves in this oh-so exclusive RCC club. My wish and prayer is that a positive medical break through will come sometime in our lifetime. Hang in ther everyone and be blessed in each and every day.

Floyd

Comments

  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #2
    Stage 4 club
    Good to see you back Floyd and to hear how you've been getting on with your life.

    However, I'm afraid you're not eligible for entry to the really exclusive club. For that you need to be a serious case I.e. Not just Stage4 and metastatic but, in addition, Grade 4, sarcomatoid, and have one of the rarer underlying cancer cell types.

    But I hope you never get any closer to qualifying!

    You're right that it makes sense to buy time for new treatments to emerge and they are doing so. We may survive to see a silver bullet which sees an end to cancer (Fox is working on that).
  • Fishknees
    Fishknees Member Posts: 73
    #3
    I am so sorry to hear this
    I am so sorry to hear this news Floyd. May peace be with you. You sound like you are in good spirits.

    I will be praying for you.

    Fishie
  • alice124
    alice124 Member Posts: 896 Member
    #4
    Sounds like you have two of
    Sounds like you have two of the necessary components to defeat this -- positive attitude and strong faith. You have many pulling with you!
  • Tambo
    Tambo Member Posts: 20
    #5
    Texas_wedge said:

    Stage 4 club
    Good to see you back Floyd and to hear how you've been getting on with your life.

    However, I'm afraid you're not eligible for entry to the really exclusive club. For that you need to be a serious case I.e. Not just Stage4 and metastatic but, in addition, Grade 4, sarcomatoid, and have one of the rarer underlying cancer cell types.

    But I hope you never get any closer to qualifying!

    You're right that it makes sense to buy time for new treatments to emerge and they are doing so. We may survive to see a silver bullet which sees an end to cancer (Fox is working on that).

    Grade 4 Sarcomatoid
    Good to be back. I had a longer recovery with that wedge resection thing. It was supposed to be surgery one day and home the next. I was in the hospital 4 days.

    I looked up sarcomatoid. Wow... pretty scarery stuff. I pray no one in this network ever gets this nasty stuff.

    That silver bullet is out there somewhere. Someone just needs to find it. "Hope springs eternal".

    I find your responces to be interesting, informational and sometimes pretty funny.

    Be well.
  • Tambo
    Tambo Member Posts: 20
    #6
    Fishknees said:

    I am so sorry to hear this
    I am so sorry to hear this news Floyd. May peace be with you. You sound like you are in good spirits.

    I will be praying for you.

    Fishie

    Be Happy!
    Hey Fishie.... Be happy.... I am. Your prayers as well as many others have brought me along this far and I'm confident they will carry me along for sometime to come. Thanks!

    I hope you are doing well today. My prayers are with you too.

    I think we are all a tough bunch of optomists. All things cosidered; I think I'm a pretty lucky guy.

    Be well and take care.
  • Tambo
    Tambo Member Posts: 20
    #7
    alice124 said:

    Sounds like you have two of
    Sounds like you have two of the necessary components to defeat this -- positive attitude and strong faith. You have many pulling with you!

    Necessary Components
    Alice, after my diagnosis I took the time to take stock of my life. I decided on opting for "quality of life". So.... I checked out of depressive thoughts and checked in to a positive attitude based on my faith. So far it's kept up my spirits and kept the "Boogie Man" away.

    I've acquired a great appreciation for life and a tremendous appreciation for all the blessings I've been given. I'm a very fortunate guy.

    I hope this day finds you well and enjoying all the little things in life. Isn't it funny how we never took the time to appreciate all the good things we've been given? That is; until now.

    Be blessed and be well.
  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #8
    Tambo said:

    Necessary Components
    Alice, after my diagnosis I took the time to take stock of my life. I decided on opting for "quality of life". So.... I checked out of depressive thoughts and checked in to a positive attitude based on my faith. So far it's kept up my spirits and kept the "Boogie Man" away.

    I've acquired a great appreciation for life and a tremendous appreciation for all the blessings I've been given. I'm a very fortunate guy.

    I hope this day finds you well and enjoying all the little things in life. Isn't it funny how we never took the time to appreciate all the good things we've been given? That is; until now.

    Be blessed and be well.

    that's the way Tambo
    Lots of us are stage 4. Some with great promise(like me). Others not so much. But we do keep the positive attitude, don't we?
  • Tambo
    Tambo Member Posts: 20
    #9
    foxhd said:

    that's the way Tambo
    Lots of us are stage 4. Some with great promise(like me). Others not so much. But we do keep the positive attitude, don't we?

    great promises
    Good hearing from you foxhd,

    Also, it's good to hear there are lots of people in stage 4 with great promises (like you). Attitude is definitely a large part of one's well being and keeping it not only helps us; but it helps those around us.

    Be well..... and, be well for a long, long time
  • alice124
    alice124 Member Posts: 896 Member
    #10
    Tambo said:

    Necessary Components
    Alice, after my diagnosis I took the time to take stock of my life. I decided on opting for "quality of life". So.... I checked out of depressive thoughts and checked in to a positive attitude based on my faith. So far it's kept up my spirits and kept the "Boogie Man" away.

    I've acquired a great appreciation for life and a tremendous appreciation for all the blessings I've been given. I'm a very fortunate guy.

    I hope this day finds you well and enjoying all the little things in life. Isn't it funny how we never took the time to appreciate all the good things we've been given? That is; until now.

    Be blessed and be well.

    Right attitude
    Great attitude Tambo. I too have a great appreciation for life and for loved ones. The root of that appreciation came from a tragic loss of my big brother as a teenager (many years ago). But it broke my heart and awakened me to the fact that there are no guarantees in life. So every single day is a gift. My husband has stage IV/grade IV cancer but we keep a positive attitude. We both believe there's a magic bullet richocheting around out there.

    When I get sick with a cold or flu, I remind myself that I have to get sick sometimes to appreciate being well. And while I don't know if you are a golfer or not, my husband is as are a disproportionate number of the kidney cancer contributors to this board. Maybe it's too much sunscreen or too many hats or too hard heads, but I can't help but think that there is some correlation. Maybe the man upstairs had more difficulty getting their attention. A simple cold or stomach flu just didn't do it. So he had to make the diagnosis more severe and the recovery longer. But I believe a cure is in the mix.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #11
    alice124 said:

    Right attitude
    Great attitude Tambo. I too have a great appreciation for life and for loved ones. The root of that appreciation came from a tragic loss of my big brother as a teenager (many years ago). But it broke my heart and awakened me to the fact that there are no guarantees in life. So every single day is a gift. My husband has stage IV/grade IV cancer but we keep a positive attitude. We both believe there's a magic bullet richocheting around out there.

    When I get sick with a cold or flu, I remind myself that I have to get sick sometimes to appreciate being well. And while I don't know if you are a golfer or not, my husband is as are a disproportionate number of the kidney cancer contributors to this board. Maybe it's too much sunscreen or too many hats or too hard heads, but I can't help but think that there is some correlation. Maybe the man upstairs had more difficulty getting their attention. A simple cold or stomach flu just didn't do it. So he had to make the diagnosis more severe and the recovery longer. But I believe a cure is in the mix.

    Golf & cancer...
    Well said Alice! Ya gotta wonder about all those chemicals they use on golf courses. Dandelions get prettier every day to me.
  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #12
    garym said:

    Golf & cancer...
    Well said Alice! Ya gotta wonder about all those chemicals they use on golf courses. Dandelions get prettier every day to me.

    golf
    I haven't heard of any kidney cancer problems in the PGA.

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