Is this a break or not

birdiequeen
birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
in Kidney Cancer #1
Short history since I haven't posted in awhile. My husband had esophageal cancer and then a year later found a mass on each of his kidneys. The doctor said, at the time, it was likely cancer and likely a re-occurrence of the EC cancer, but what is in one will be in the other. They did a partial on the larger of the two masses and found it was “kidney” cancer and not EC. He had his follow-up three month appointment and the doctor is now saying the mass that is still there has not changed and may not even be cancer. I’m skeptical (probably a side effect of a spouse with cancer). Do you think that the Dr. is just giving him a mental break before they talk about another surgery? Of course I have said nothing to my husband about my skepticism.

Comments

  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #2
    A guess
    BQ, just an uneducated guess, really, but I would be inclined to take the doctor's comment at face value. 2 different cancers is unusual and RCC on both kidneys likewise. To have both is pretty improbable, I would think. Do you have any family history grounds for thinking his susceptibility to RCC may be inherited?
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #3
    Another guess...
    Hi BQ,

    I have to agree with Tex, and would only add that since they are keeping a close eye on the other mass and have seen no change, I doubt there would be talk of surgery until/unless it does change, especially if it is small. Skepticism comes with the territory, you might find that deep down your husband feels the same way, in any event a side bar with the doc, if only for peace of mind, isn't a bad idea.

    Godspeed,

    Gary
  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #4
    garym said:

    Another guess...
    Hi BQ,

    I have to agree with Tex, and would only add that since they are keeping a close eye on the other mass and have seen no change, I doubt there would be talk of surgery until/unless it does change, especially if it is small. Skepticism comes with the territory, you might find that deep down your husband feels the same way, in any event a side bar with the doc, if only for peace of mind, isn't a bad idea.

    Godspeed,

    Gary

    Woudn't that be nice
    bq,

    Wouldn't it be nice after a partial in one kidney that the other is not malignant. If it were not for the partial it would be easy to want the other one taken care of. While it is still small can they freeze or do RFA on the other to get rid of the problem. in the end your husband and you have to make the best decision with your doctor as to what he thinks. It does not matter what we think,

    Icemantoo
  • Limelife50
    Limelife50 Member Posts: 476
    #5
    Make sure
    I have no family history of RCC and i got it in both my kidneys,it is not unusual for RCC to grow at a small pace,this is just my thought Birdie your husband has been through alot but at the same time he is almost there so maybe take a short break then have your Doctor order some tests to verify weather or not it is or is not RCC in his other kidney and if it is there are some less invasive procedures to consider in order to eliminate a smaller RCC tumor.
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #6
    Texas_wedge said:

    A guess
    BQ, just an uneducated guess, really, but I would be inclined to take the doctor's comment at face value. 2 different cancers is unusual and RCC on both kidneys likewise. To have both is pretty improbable, I would think. Do you have any family history grounds for thinking his susceptibility to RCC may be inherited?

    Thank you TW
    He does have several family members who have had cancer not RCC. But there was talk in the beginning of having test done to see if (since he had it in both) our children could be at greater risk.
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #7
    garym said:

    Another guess...
    Hi BQ,

    I have to agree with Tex, and would only add that since they are keeping a close eye on the other mass and have seen no change, I doubt there would be talk of surgery until/unless it does change, especially if it is small. Skepticism comes with the territory, you might find that deep down your husband feels the same way, in any event a side bar with the doc, if only for peace of mind, isn't a bad idea.

    Godspeed,

    Gary

    I wish I could do a side bar
    Tried that once, years ago, when my husband had another health issue. It was very clear then that I should not be the one asking questions about his health, to his doctors. I can appreciate his point. So I research on line now. He doesn't mind me going to the Dr appointments with him and asking questions but it is hard sometimes to ask the questions without sounding negative. I prefer to ask a lot of questions, he prefers not to. So like all things it’s a balancing act.
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #8
    icemantoo said:

    Woudn't that be nice
    bq,

    Wouldn't it be nice after a partial in one kidney that the other is not malignant. If it were not for the partial it would be easy to want the other one taken care of. While it is still small can they freeze or do RFA on the other to get rid of the problem. in the end your husband and you have to make the best decision with your doctor as to what he thinks. It does not matter what we think,

    Icemantoo

    It would be a gift
    Icemantoo,

    It would be a gift for the other side to not be malignant. You have given me some more areas to research. But, I think...in the end it's my husband's decision. His doctors and I can give input, I have to let go and support his decisions and hope it is an informed decision. Thanks to this board for being my sounding board when I need one!
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #9
    Limelife50 said:

    Make sure
    I have no family history of RCC and i got it in both my kidneys,it is not unusual for RCC to grow at a small pace,this is just my thought Birdie your husband has been through alot but at the same time he is almost there so maybe take a short break then have your Doctor order some tests to verify weather or not it is or is not RCC in his other kidney and if it is there are some less invasive procedures to consider in order to eliminate a smaller RCC tumor.

    Limelife50
    He is due for more scans/test in December. I'm just holding tight till then, at which point I may talk to him about asking more questions. Have you had surgery on both your kidneys? Thank you for your input. Sometimes it does seem like he is on an island no one else has been.
  • Limelife50
    Limelife50 Member Posts: 476
    #10
    birdiequeen said:

    Limelife50
    He is due for more scans/test in December. I'm just holding tight till then, at which point I may talk to him about asking more questions. Have you had surgery on both your kidneys? Thank you for your input. Sometimes it does seem like he is on an island no one else has been.

    Hi Birdie
    Had a full right Nephrectomy on my right kidney due to size and location of tumor which measured 5cm by 4 cm by 3 cm now six months later a 1.4 cm tumor was found in my left kidney,i elected to go with a procedure called Radio frequency Ablation for 3 reasons 1st one being it preserved more of my remaining kidney tissue verses doing a partial also 2nd reason was that it was not very invasive so i was back at work in a week and the third reason was that i would have prefered to have had a procedure refered to as cryoablation done since i feel it has a higher success rate over RFA but the hospital that was treating me did not offer this option. Good luck Birdie and stay in touch i know how you and your husband feel in that you want this to end since i have had the same feelings,there is a chance i could be wrong but i think your husband has a good chance of getting past all of this.
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #11
    Limelife50 said:

    Hi Birdie
    Had a full right Nephrectomy on my right kidney due to size and location of tumor which measured 5cm by 4 cm by 3 cm now six months later a 1.4 cm tumor was found in my left kidney,i elected to go with a procedure called Radio frequency Ablation for 3 reasons 1st one being it preserved more of my remaining kidney tissue verses doing a partial also 2nd reason was that it was not very invasive so i was back at work in a week and the third reason was that i would have prefered to have had a procedure refered to as cryoablation done since i feel it has a higher success rate over RFA but the hospital that was treating me did not offer this option. Good luck Birdie and stay in touch i know how you and your husband feel in that you want this to end since i have had the same feelings,there is a chance i could be wrong but i think your husband has a good chance of getting past all of this.

    Hello Limelife
    Thank you for sharing your experiance. My husband is building up his sick leave again. Its amazing how he pushes through bad days and gets through work.

    Thank you again. Happy Holloween!
  • Limelife50
    Limelife50 Member Posts: 476
    #12
    birdiequeen said:

    Hello Limelife
    Thank you for sharing your experiance. My husband is building up his sick leave again. Its amazing how he pushes through bad days and gets through work.

    Thank you again. Happy Holloween!

    OK Good luck
    I think the desire to be normal again as in the same person we were before we were dxed helps to give us the ambition we need to get through those tough days,stay in touch with all of us here Birdie also there are people here who are much more knowledgeable than myself and i think your husband will gain more strength as time moves on.

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