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Beach715
Beach715 Member Posts: 9
in Kidney Cancer #1
Had a biopsy done last week and stent removed Thursday. Had been diagnosed with kidney stones but after CAT and MRI found the tumor. Biopsy confirmed low grade TCC. Doctor removed stent and said bleeding and pain would stop in a couple of days. It hasn't. Is this normal?
I have no idea what to expect with all this and must admit its frightening. Our next appointment with surgeon isn't until October. No one seems to be concerned with length of time but my wife and I.
Any insight is appreciated.

Comments

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #2
    Lucky stones
    Beach,

    Consider those stones lucky as they led to your hopefully early diagnosis of Kidney Cancer. A lot has to do with the size of your tumor which you did not disclose. You did leave 2 hints though. The first is that you could not get an appointment until October. If it was a large tumor and they were concerned about it spreading they would have done the surgery ASAP. The second is that they are considering doing the surgery laproscopically although you used the word endoscopic in your other post. Generally tumors 4 cm or smaller are a piece of cake as far as a full recovery with the surgery alone. Do try and get into see a surgeon earlier as the wait is no picnik. I waited 2 months from diagnosis to surgery. Nor is the surgery fun, but it beats the alternative. All of us in this group have gone thru this surgery or are about to go thru it.Mine was 10 years ago and was just a minor bump in the road in life. All of us are here to help you. If you disclose the size of your tumor we can make a more appropriate response to your questions.


    Icemantoo
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #3
    icemantoo said:

    Lucky stones
    Beach,

    Consider those stones lucky as they led to your hopefully early diagnosis of Kidney Cancer. A lot has to do with the size of your tumor which you did not disclose. You did leave 2 hints though. The first is that you could not get an appointment until October. If it was a large tumor and they were concerned about it spreading they would have done the surgery ASAP. The second is that they are considering doing the surgery laproscopically although you used the word endoscopic in your other post. Generally tumors 4 cm or smaller are a piece of cake as far as a full recovery with the surgery alone. Do try and get into see a surgeon earlier as the wait is no picnik. I waited 2 months from diagnosis to surgery. Nor is the surgery fun, but it beats the alternative. All of us in this group have gone thru this surgery or are about to go thru it.Mine was 10 years ago and was just a minor bump in the road in life. All of us are here to help you. If you disclose the size of your tumor we can make a more appropriate response to your questions.


    Icemantoo

    Normal?
    Ain't no such thing as normal in this game. Iceman has given you a great summary and I believe he's right in the conclusions he's drawn.

    If you need reassurance, you could do worse than read about flatlander in some of the earlier threads. He's a big strong fireman who had a lot of bad breaks and a heroic struggle to get back up and running. He's lately reappeared here and tells us he's about to go hunting bears (or the other way around!).

    It's a very inspiring story. If you want to pick up on it, read the thread called "Emotional time of year to begin with" You can get there quickly if you cut and paste in this url:
    http://csn.cancer.org/node/231512

    [Iceman, don't forget that some here have been through it (and are still going through it) but haven't actually personally undergone the surgery. They are the caregivers for whom we are all so grateful. People like Alice, for instance, who is a regular contributor here on behalf of her Husband John - but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Alice.]
  • dhs1963
    dhs1963 Member Posts: 513
    #4
    Stones are unrelated to the cancer
    The kidney stones result from concentrated minerals crystalizing in the kidney. They are very painful (I am told, never had one). Probably will not kill you, but you may wish that you are dead.

    Renal Cell Carcinoma is typically is painless with no symptoms in early stages. However, the tumor will continue to grow, and will eventually metastases and kill you. (As it gets big is may present symptoms, or it may not).

    Be glad you got the stones. In order to understand the size of the stones (which is needed to properly treat them), they did the scans. The scans saw the cancer, which will be removed from your body. Assuming the tumor is of modest size (less than 7 cm which is stage 1), and fully encapsulated in the kidney, that will be all of the treatment required, which means no chemo. It does, however, take a while to recover from the surgery (I am 2 1/2 months out, and have pain when I try to use my abdominal muscles)

    The five year survival rate is typically better than 90% -- closer to 100% if less than 4 cm. And, they will know what is going on after the biopsy.
  • Beach715
    Beach715 Member Posts: 9
    #5
    icemantoo said:

    Lucky stones
    Beach,

    Consider those stones lucky as they led to your hopefully early diagnosis of Kidney Cancer. A lot has to do with the size of your tumor which you did not disclose. You did leave 2 hints though. The first is that you could not get an appointment until October. If it was a large tumor and they were concerned about it spreading they would have done the surgery ASAP. The second is that they are considering doing the surgery laproscopically although you used the word endoscopic in your other post. Generally tumors 4 cm or smaller are a piece of cake as far as a full recovery with the surgery alone. Do try and get into see a surgeon earlier as the wait is no picnik. I waited 2 months from diagnosis to surgery. Nor is the surgery fun, but it beats the alternative. All of us in this group have gone thru this surgery or are about to go thru it.Mine was 10 years ago and was just a minor bump in the road in life. All of us are here to help you. If you disclose the size of your tumor we can make a more appropriate response to your questions.


    Icemantoo

    MRI indicated size was
    MRI indicated size was around 1.5 x2.. Small compared to some that I've seen in discussions. Biopsy report only indicated low grade and type of cells. Is the continued expelling of clots during urination and pain normal? Stent was removed Thursday.
    Like others say, feedback from docs not that great when this is unfamiliar territory to me. Thank you all for the encouraging words.
  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #6
    dhs1963 said:

    Stones are unrelated to the cancer
    The kidney stones result from concentrated minerals crystalizing in the kidney. They are very painful (I am told, never had one). Probably will not kill you, but you may wish that you are dead.

    Renal Cell Carcinoma is typically is painless with no symptoms in early stages. However, the tumor will continue to grow, and will eventually metastases and kill you. (As it gets big is may present symptoms, or it may not).

    Be glad you got the stones. In order to understand the size of the stones (which is needed to properly treat them), they did the scans. The scans saw the cancer, which will be removed from your body. Assuming the tumor is of modest size (less than 7 cm which is stage 1), and fully encapsulated in the kidney, that will be all of the treatment required, which means no chemo. It does, however, take a while to recover from the surgery (I am 2 1/2 months out, and have pain when I try to use my abdominal muscles)

    The five year survival rate is typically better than 90% -- closer to 100% if less than 4 cm. And, they will know what is going on after the biopsy.

    Pains
    Beach,

    I believe the pains you are referring to have to do with Kidney Stones not Kidney Cancer. Only a few of this group has had both. Some of the symtoms of Kidney Cancer are masked such as back pain and fatigue. Like you many people had there Kidney Cancer discovered when they were looking for something else. The good thing is that your tumor is on the small size and a full recovery from Kidney Cancer for you is in the cards.


    Icemantoo
  • Beach715
    Beach715 Member Posts: 9
    #7
    icemantoo said:

    Pains
    Beach,

    I believe the pains you are referring to have to do with Kidney Stones not Kidney Cancer. Only a few of this group has had both. Some of the symtoms of Kidney Cancer are masked such as back pain and fatigue. Like you many people had there Kidney Cancer discovered when they were looking for something else. The good thing is that your tumor is on the small size and a full recovery from Kidney Cancer for you is in the cards.


    Icemantoo

    Thank you
    Thank you for everyone's concerns and insight. I am glad I found this group, it has really helped me out.
  • dhs1963
    dhs1963 Member Posts: 513
    #8
    Beach715 said:

    Thank you
    Thank you for everyone's concerns and insight. I am glad I found this group, it has really helped me out.

    One thing to consider
    With a small tumor, there may be non-surgical treatments, such as chryo-treatments. Also, if they do surgery, it is small enough that a radical nephectomy should not be required.


    This is not a competition, but you have about the smallest tumor I have seen. That is very good. You should be cured after treatment.

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