Overwhelmed

Hi Toni.. Welcome even though you do not want to me here..  OK, relax.. breathe..  ah..  Your tumor is very small... and even if it is Cancer most likely after surgery you will be good to go.  I am not smart enough to say this tiny little tumor is your back issue.. I suspect not, but I could be totally wrong. My tumor was about 8 times the size and I had no idea it was there..  The surgery is not too bad, it is the first few days after that are the worst.  But, you can do this... and if you read some of the stories here I have a hunch it will give you an idea of what to expect.  More folks will reply soon, and it sounds like you are among some of the lucky ones that got their tumor found very early..

Hang in there and keep us posted..!

Ron

tonib said:

Thanks for the

Thanks for the comments...trying to breathe but have my moments when I think the worst. The urologist said they will have to go through my back instead of the front/side.  Have/do you know of anyone that had it done this way?  He said there isn't as much room doing it this way so I am not sure what to expect.

 

Hi Toni, 

I am sorry to hear your news, to be told you may have cancer is such a shock to the system. The main thing for you to hang on to is that if it is cancer they have caught it early. Just keep that thought in your head! The tumour is small so your kidney should make a good recovery:) Will you be having keyhole surgery?

Are you saying that your disc pain has come back coupled with the burning in your abdomen, or you are just experiencing a burning pain in the abdomen?

Djinnie

My name is Terri.  I'm 46, and I had an open radical nephrectomy on Oct. 2.   Like you, my tumor was found completely on accident while my doctor was investigating something unrelated, and mind was also very small (4cm cubed).   I did have my entire left kidney removed through the front -- I was in the hospital for 5 days (on an epidural for 4, which did an awesome job of controlling my pain).   The recovery wasn't easy, but it wasn't as bad as the back surgery I had for a herniated disk in '05.

My tumor was found to be the chromophobe type of renal cell carcinoma (and not the more common clear cell).   While my urologist and the oncologist I see next month will watch me closely in the future, we are pretty sure all of my cancer came out with the kidney, and that I won't need any further treatment.  I'm sure you've been doing a ton of research on kidney cancer, and some of it will undoubtedly confuse and worry you.   I've found that this is an incredible site to come to for information and to ask questions.

Please come back often, and keep us updated on how you're doing (both approaching -- and after -- your surgery!)

Terri

tonib said:

This has been an incredible

This has been an incredible site!  I have been looking around and it is helping with the shock of recent weeks.  Djinnie - I am not sure what keyhole surgery is, they are going to try to do a lap procedure I think if they can. He said something about the Di Vinci but right now I have forgotten all he said about it.  My disc pain is worse than it was a couple of months ago and am also having the abdominal pain as well.  Terri - I am so glad to hear that you have good news and had a good recovery!  I am sure I will be coming back often.  It is really comforting hearing from you all and I really appreciate it!   

hi tonib.....yes lap procedure is keyhole surgery in europe.  i must admit i had shoulder pain before i had my diagnosis and that can sometimes be related to the kidney!!  crazy i know.  your body is probably trying to cope with everything and it is surprising how it reacts!!  you can and will get through this that i can guarantee......truly tonib this is a great place and we are all here to listen and talk......

eims x

tonib said:

Thanks Eims! It's nice to

Thanks Eims! It's nice to talk to people who know exactly how you're feeling!

I very rarely comment here, because it is a little weird given I don't have kidney cancer......but one year ago on Tuesday I was told I had kidney cancer, or rather I was told 90% certainty that my kidney mass was RCC. Four months later I had surgery, an open partial nephrectomy to remove a tumour that was 2.5 x 3.5 cms.  Six weeks later at follow up, my pathology report indicated it was an oncocytoma.  See, even thought 85 or 90 is a big number, there are still those of us who end up in the small percent.  Only 3-7 percent of kidney tumours are oncocytomas, but it does happen.  Until the pathology is in, there is still the possibility.  I know I embraced the big number and really had no thought of anything but having cancer.  I wanted to let you know that there is hope for something other than this dreadful disease.  I still read and keep up with people here, for the six months I believed I had kidney cancer this was such a resource of comfort for me.  The positive attitude and helpfulness of the people here will lift you up no matter what the pathology finally says, but I will personally root for you to be one of us three percenters.  Best of luck.

Toni,

I was diagnosed 10/2011

Partial Nephrectomy on right kidney 11/2011

pathology came back - malignant

I had my cyst found on an abdominal CT that was done because of abdominal and back pain. 

I had a 7.62 cm ?(don't remember exact dimensions) tumor. 

Mine was on the front but I had massive amounts of back pain... probably because our kidneys are located towards the back...

I was lucky to live in the Washington DC metro area and I had my surgery at Johns Hopkins. My surgeon and "Da Vinci" (the robot) performed mine laprascopically from the front. 

I'm brand new to the site myself. I do know that having had a small cyst/tumor makes having it completly removed via surgery very much easier. 

I've not had to do anything except CT scans every 6 months to make sure nothing has come back or spread. 

not sure if you pray or not... or would accept prayers from others... but I found that it helped my state of mind.. no matter what Higher power you have.

-Ross