Question of the Day!!

Hey Eims,

You are bound to have that sort of concern in the back of your mind. If like me you had a full scan they would have picked up on any other problems at that time. 

Djinnie x

foxhd said:

Aches and pains

all take on a new importance. Probably safer than being in denial. Keeps us vigilant.

Hi Eims.!  Proper pre-op scans will find all kinds of potential issues.  In my case  my first scan was not RCC related, but it sure showed several areas of concern for my Surgeon.  He immediately ordered additional scans to identify what he saw.  I have several spine abnormalites, some caused by falling off my bike and some from all the manual work I did in the past.  And yes the blockage in my Renal Vein was indeed RCC.   As my surgeon clearly stated he was NOT opening me up to find any surprizes..  This dilligence saved me a second surgery, and for that I am grateful.!  So, as long as your scan(s) got a proper look see, then it all should be just fine, for now anyway..

Cheers..!!

Ron

Eims said:

thanks everyone.......ive

thanks everyone.......ive been thinking all sorts and i think i am stressing even though i think im not!!!  i have my big scan in august so i guess i just have to wait til then.....

eims x

Could all of us here on this board have RCC that has spread already but not yet detected on our scan, well the the answer  for a few of us is yes and for a few more of us later on maybe 1 2 3 or 5 or 10 or 20 years later the answer will be yes again,but now is there a chance some of us will grow old and die from another cause,the answre is yes again,i do not mean to be cold hearted but there comes a time when we need to embrace our situations and move forward.Be strong Elms,there are so many people who die months later after being dxed with cancer but for a lot of us here we have been blessed with a chance for many years of quality life.

Galrim said:

Eims

In the end there is no clear answer to your question. Yes there could have been something undetected. Yes there is a lower treshhold to what the scans can pick up. And we are all, despite our prognosis, prone to having mcc circulating...

But you have to let it go, otherwise you will drive yourself insane and worry every day in and out. You have to remind yourself that the risk is small, but also come to terms with the fact that it is actually there. Not an easy process, but its vital to do for the sake of your quality of life. Adress that fear and show it youre the boss.

Be vigilant and have attention to your health and symptoms, but find a balance where it doesnt occupy your mind all the time.

/G

Well said, Mike and Galrim - a message that needs to be voiced here on a regular basis for the benefit of newcomers to this game.

garym said:

Normal...

What you are feeling is normal, as an oldtimer I can tell you that it will lessen over time, but it does not go completely away, at least not yet anyway.  I had perhaps the best pathology a person could hope for and still after nearly 4 years the worry persists, increasing around scan time.  In time it just becomes a part of who you are and I think it helps keep us vigilent over the years.  I'm planning to be a little scared for the next 30 years or so, more like 50 for you.

It seems like such an obvious thing but it is comforting to read that people feel the same way.  I also had great pathology and there is no indication that my tumor spread.  It was removed on June 5th.  I find myself already focusing on my first scan which is scheduled for December.  Heaven help me if I get sick and run a fever or have some other weird symptom.  It would put me in a total panic.  I am suddenly turning into a hypochondriac.

FiatDriver said:

Normal

It seems like such an obvious thing but it is comforting to read that people feel the same way.  I also had great pathology and there is no indication that my tumor spread.  It was removed on June 5th.  I find myself already focusing on my first scan which is scheduled for December.  Heaven help me if I get sick and run a fever or have some other weird symptom.  It would put me in a total panic.  I am suddenly turning into a hypochondriac.

My x-rays come every 90 days. CT scans annually. My first chest x-ray is September. Thats still far enough away that I am

using gallows humor to cope with it!  

I'm sure tensions will rise as September nears.  I know I already lookup every discomfort or pain I feel now, at least in my torse, just being sure.  It hell to wake up one morning and have to face the fact I am neither ten feet tall, NOR bullet proof!

Michael

Eims said:

thanks guys...its nice to

thanks guys...its nice to know i am not the only one xxxx

It gets worse the further away from the last scans you get.

Last April, if something hurt, I knew it was not cancer.  Today, 9 days away from my next scan, I have pain in the lungs (burning and achining), and some other things.  I do not know if it is hypochondria or something real.  I can easily convince myself that it is bad.  The way I deal with it is to not plan for anything after my scan.  On July 17, when I get the results in, I will either plan for treeatment, or plan the next three months. 

And I will eat some bacon, because that makes me happy.

dhs1963 said:

I call it accute hypochondria

It gets worse the further away from the last scans you get.

Last April, if something hurt, I knew it was not cancer.  Today, 9 days away from my next scan, I have pain in the lungs (burning and achining), and some other things.  I do not know if it is hypochondria or something real.  I can easily convince myself that it is bad.  The way I deal with it is to not plan for anything after my scan.  On July 17, when I get the results in, I will either plan for treeatment, or plan the next three months. 

And I will eat some bacon, because that makes me happy.

That's funny. I do similar things too. I have a brain mri this week and it worries me. Oh well, let the fun continue.

foxhd said:

Eat some bacon

That's funny. I do similar things too. I have a brain mri this week and it worries me. Oh well, let the fun continue.

Last winter I made T-shirts that say

    Bacon Cures Cancer*

    *You only die once

on the front, and "what the #$#%, lets get the sports car" on the back.

With the requisite ribbon, orange lettering on maroon.

I did it as a fund raiser for Caringbridge (My jounal helps me a lot).

I have a few extra.  PM me your contact, and size, if you want one (and I have your size).