Surgery date April 30

The countdown
LD,

I sure did not enjoy my wait. I am glad you finally realized that the surgery is an absokute necessity and hopefully that will be all you need, There are members on this board whose RCC was not caught as early as yours and some of them will have it tougher.

The important thing is to take a positive attitude into the surgery and from it as well.
There are going to be some tough days after the surgery, but being able to say you had cancer rather than you have cancer makes it worth it.

Icemantoo

littledarlin said:

Hey J_rod little darlin here
Nice to hear from you too this morning..I also noticed the family not answering their phones too..I just it is to much for them to deal with..Everyone deals with things in their own way I understand this. I too have found this site and this forum to be a real life saver. Good luck with you surgery on Tuesday..It's going to be fine and you will glad that it is over with.

Little darlin..

surgery date
Now the wait lil'darlin. I didn't have a long wait but others did. But when I was in the early stage of this journey it was stressful. Now it's been a year and seems old hat. You know that you can always come on board to vent and share.
FLY
Fox

garym said:

Waiting...
LD,

Good to hear you decided to go with the surgery and have a date set. I learned something 2-1/2 years ago while I waited between dx and surgery and I'd like to share it with you. The 30th is not a day to fear, but one to celebrate, not a funeral, but a rebirth. My experience was very different than most because I had lost 7 people close to me to RCC before mine was discovered, because of that I looked froward to the surgery with anticipation similar to a kid before Christmas, the date couldn't get here soon enough. The wait will be much easier if you can think of the 30th as a day to celebrate and not to fear, pretend you are getting married again and prepare like a new bride, on the 30th you start a new life with new hopes and dreams and the realization that you beat cancer and you are a survivor.

Godspeed,

Gary

Getting spooked
Thanks Gary for the pep talk on the waiting. I am very anxious to get mine over with. If they could do it tomorrow, I would be thrilled. I figure the longer it is in there the more chance it has to spread.

I imagine you were really anxious with having 7 people close to you with RCC. I don't know anyone that has had it. That is why you all are so special to me here.

LD, we will be done with this before you know it. Mine is 11 days from today. Hopefully I am enough recovered to help you a little with what I went through, before yours.

I love this site because every pays it forward.(alternative giving)

Have a great day!
Fishie

garym said:

Getting spooked...
Fishie,

Oddly enough it was just the opposite for me. Because of my past experience with RCC I was well versed in its progression, I knew the size from the CT, and I knew that I had absolutely no symptoms. That's not to say that it didn't scare the bejesus out of me, it did, but I knew I had a very good shot at an excellent prognosis and that made the waiting much easier. One of the 7 was my father-in-law, about 10 years prior, so I spent most of the wait doing research and trying to convince my wife that things were going to be different this time around, I even predicted what my pathology report was going to say and I was pretty close.

You are right on about paying it forward, I believe everything happens for a reason and that all things work together for good, paying it forward is part of the good.

Remember, nothing is as bad as your imagination makes it out to be, in a couple months you will be able to look back and wonder what all the fuss was about, you might even have a good laugh, hang in there.

A fellow survivor,

Gary

A saying from my brother
My brother always said:
"Nothing is so bad, that it can't get worse". He was a negative nelly.

I have adopted that saying but with a twist, to mean look how good it is now and how lucky I am I caught it so soon.

I also liked someone elses saying: "Expect the worst and hope for the best." That seems to be the way I roll. I am expecting there could be complications but if there aren't that is wonderful. I feel if I think it is all good and then there is a big problem I don't know how I will take it.

My saying is "Some people dance to a different drummer, but I Polka." My daughter and I are the same we are not unsual we are unique. So it is all positive just a different way of looking at it.

About your having no symptoms. I don;t really either. Other than a slight pain in my back and I get tired sooner than I would like. I am 62, but you will never hear that from me again. I always tell people I am 39, and I am sticking to it.

Thanks for the pep talks. I really need these. 11 more days

Have a great day!
Fishie

littledarlin said:

Waiting Gary
Thanks for telling me your story. I am looking forward to getting this surgery over with and putting this behind me hopefully..If not I with deal it as it comes..Right now I am trying not to get to far ahead of myself..My tumor is on the large side 4cm X 5cm and part of it is outside of the kidney so I am a bit worried about the prognosis. I will know more after the surgery and path report come back after surgery. We are going to try to do a partial but there may be a problem because it is very close to some major arteries..But for now it's first thing first. Than we will deal with the rest if need be..

LD

Waiting
LD, your tumour is actually on the small side. For a really large tumour look at Chris who is about to get married after successful removal of a tumour 80 x the size of yours - yes 80 of yours would fit inside his one! (They are 3-dimensional so yours is, say 4 x 5 x 5 = 100, Chris's 20 x 20 x 20 = 8,000.)

Some ops are trickier than others but many present problems so you're not alone in that. Just plod on and keep it together, knowing you're going to do fine.

littledarlin said:

Waiting//Thank you TW
Thank you as always TW for your comforting words..and reminding me that I am going to be fine.
I needed to hear that today..

LD

hey little darlin'
j_rod here. I am taking it easy. I know I am not healed much. So I try not to fool myself. I was told my my doctor to do deep breathing exercises and to walk as much as comfortably possible to expel the anesthesia from my body. I started breathing exercises in the hospital. Deep breathing was a little hard. They give you a little plastic gizmo and you suck on the mouthpiece and there are two plastic thing-eez that have to get to a certain level. I did it everytime I was awake for 10 times like they told me to. At home, I am continuing the deep breathing and this afternoon, I took a walk around the block with the dog. It was slow but fine. That was after my 2 hour nap this morning. I don't remember your particulars, but I'll give you mine. I don't think comparing is a good idea - but there are many here close to my age. I am 53 years old. I am 30 lbs overweight. I am sporadic at best with exercise. I used to drink too much. I haven't had anything for 3 weeks. I was a smoker. I am pretty stout - that is I am hearty and have never been in the hospital for anything until now. I have only taken 3 sick days in the last 15 years until now. When I do exercise, I can go at a pretty good clip for a middle aged woman. I never had the opportunity to have children, so I can't compare my ordeal to that. I did worry - a lot - for three weeks - and then the week before, I calmed down. It could be that I started using this site and got comfortable with it...I don't know. But you will be fine. As I was being wheeled in to surgery, the interns said, "Dr. has done hundreds of these." Your doctor is experienced too. Your in good hands.

littledarlin said:

hey Jan'
So good to hear from you this evening..Sounds like you are doing really well and on the mend.
Which I am so very glad to hear..If you can do it I can do it too.
As for me I am a little older then you not by much. I am 57 and 30 lbs overweight too. I walk off and on..I had worked up to 2 miles before this all came down. I have had some other health problems over the years. As for my upcoming surgery this site and everyone here in the forum has helped me so much to understand it and overcome my fear. I will be forever grateful to everyone here. I don't think I found this site by accident I believe I was lead here and this has all happened for a reason. I have faith in my doctor and surgeon, he has done over 100 of these surgeries. He has been upfront and honest with me and he is very easy to talk to. I have my partner of 7 years and he with be here with me to help me as he always has..So I am really in very good hands and feel very blessed..So as long as I leave it in his hands I should be and do just fine.
Well I better be going for now..I decided there's no time like the present to do a little living. This morning I made some reservations and we have decided to take a little trip to the hotsprings and do a little camping in the desert for Easter..I have lots to do and a travel trailer pack. I'll check in with you all when I get back..

Before I leave I want to wish everyone here a Very Happy Easter!!

LD

Have a great trip
and happy Easter to you, too.