Tests lead to more tests

donna_lee
donna_lee Member Posts: 1,045 Member
in Kidney Cancer #1

The good news is that I'm still here and it's been nealy 8 years since the first Dx.  But if you've been around after a Dx of Stage IV RCC, you know there are lots of tests done to reach this point.

In mid-January, I had a regular (3 and/or) 6 month CT; but an 8x12mm polyp was found in my stomach.  This led to my PC scheduling a gastroscopy, and "Oh, while you're under anesthesia, I'll do a colonoscopy, since it's been 5 years."  I was handed his doodled diagram as soon as I awakened and some printed photos that looked like overhead shots of pink donuts.  He removed the stomach polyp, found 3 and removed them,in various parts of the colon, and made notations about GERD and Esophagitis.

Yesterday, the letter arrived, and all polyps were benign, and the stomach hyperplastic (benigh) one negative for H. pylori.

I had suspected there might be GERD (for newbies-Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), so I started taking Omeprazole even before having a follow-up appointment next week.

For now, I can push my needs to the back burner and get on with helping deal with my husband's mother.  She had been Dx'd with pancreatic cancer of the body of the organ early last fall.  She fell the first week of Feb., and it turned out it was an acute compression fracture of the sacrum caused by cancer mets.  If you want to hear some freaky hallucination stories, give an almost 98 year old woman in pain some Vicodin. After a week in the hospital, she's in a skilled nursing facility, and hopefully will be back in her assisted living apartment in a few weeks.

And that phrase, "What doesn't kill us, makes is stronger." Suuuuure!  I'll be 71 in two weeks, and I still have a lot I want to do.

Donna

 

Comments

  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #2
    Woman, you amaze me...

    Hi Donna,

    I am in awe of the way you continue to deal with whatever comes your way with dogged determination and spit in the eye attitude, I would pick you to be on my side in a fight over anyone I can think of. Good to hear all was B9, sounds like you've had your hands full with the MIL, I hope things settle down for you soon and you can get back to the business of living. YOU ROCK!!!

    An admirer,

    Gary

  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #3
    garym said:

    Woman, you amaze me...

    Hi Donna,

    I am in awe of the way you continue to deal with whatever comes your way with dogged determination and spit in the eye attitude, I would pick you to be on my side in a fight over anyone I can think of. Good to hear all was B9, sounds like you've had your hands full with the MIL, I hope things settle down for you soon and you can get back to the business of living. YOU ROCK!!!

    An admirer,

    Gary

    I love

    tough old broads. Don't go whining around Donna about how tough life is. Unless you want to be pulling a work boot out of ...well,..you know where. And I don't mean your closet. Love you Donna.

  • donna_lee
    donna_lee Member Posts: 1,045 Member
    #4
    foxhd said:

    I love

    tough old broads. Don't go whining around Donna about how tough life is. Unless you want to be pulling a work boot out of ...well,..you know where. And I don't mean your closet. Love you Donna.

    You Betcha

    Thanks for the encouragement.  My daughter was flicking me sh** the other day about some stuff and it felt like I'd been punched in the gut.  Sure, I was spaced out a couple of times when we talked, since I was so concerned about the nearly 2 month time frame of doing the CT before having results from the biopsies.  But it wasn't like I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs the whole time.

    Her message was tied to the fact that one needs to be living for the future and getting on with it, rather than focusing on the worries of the day.  And coming from her, I really do understand.  Their youngest son goes into anaphalaxis with anything peanut related.  His kindergarten Arabic teacher brought cupcakes to school and didn't think a little bit of peanut on top would hurt him. Two epi-pens, a trip to the regional medical center, and a stay in a hospital ER to bring him back.......that was in Dec. 2005.

    So this weekend, we will have our daughter and the boys here, and of course the house is peanut and nut free.  Also, when they are here I don't cook with other legumes, soy, garlic, mustard, cow dairy, limited citrus and a few other things that are on the list.  Meanwhile, the boy has grown taller than me and grandpa, is a great soccer goalie and wants to play college and maybe professionally.

    She and her husband's job has been difficult.  It's been easier to ensure that the food he eats at home is healthy, nutritions and safe; and some schools have been very compliant with their education programs, cafeteria peanut free tables, and ensuring all staff know how to use an epi-pen.  Some restaurant and server training is just coming out of the dark ages regarding food allergies of any kind.  So from her point of view, keeping her son alive is a daily issue....but she doesn't let it consume her.

    And on that note, it's time to get on with it.  And Fox, thanks for getting rid of the duplicate.  I guess I had hit submit, got busy doing another desk project and because it was still on the screen, hit submit again.

    Hey-we have sunshine on the Oregon coast.  And I know people complain about our rain; but at least we don't have to shovel it!!!!

    Keep on, keeping on.

    Donna

  • danbren2
    danbren2 Member Posts: 311
    #5
    donna_lee said:

    You Betcha

    Thanks for the encouragement.  My daughter was flicking me sh** the other day about some stuff and it felt like I'd been punched in the gut.  Sure, I was spaced out a couple of times when we talked, since I was so concerned about the nearly 2 month time frame of doing the CT before having results from the biopsies.  But it wasn't like I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs the whole time.

    Her message was tied to the fact that one needs to be living for the future and getting on with it, rather than focusing on the worries of the day.  And coming from her, I really do understand.  Their youngest son goes into anaphalaxis with anything peanut related.  His kindergarten Arabic teacher brought cupcakes to school and didn't think a little bit of peanut on top would hurt him. Two epi-pens, a trip to the regional medical center, and a stay in a hospital ER to bring him back.......that was in Dec. 2005.

    So this weekend, we will have our daughter and the boys here, and of course the house is peanut and nut free.  Also, when they are here I don't cook with other legumes, soy, garlic, mustard, cow dairy, limited citrus and a few other things that are on the list.  Meanwhile, the boy has grown taller than me and grandpa, is a great soccer goalie and wants to play college and maybe professionally.

    She and her husband's job has been difficult.  It's been easier to ensure that the food he eats at home is healthy, nutritions and safe; and some schools have been very compliant with their education programs, cafeteria peanut free tables, and ensuring all staff know how to use an epi-pen.  Some restaurant and server training is just coming out of the dark ages regarding food allergies of any kind.  So from her point of view, keeping her son alive is a daily issue....but she doesn't let it consume her.

    And on that note, it's time to get on with it.  And Fox, thanks for getting rid of the duplicate.  I guess I had hit submit, got busy doing another desk project and because it was still on the screen, hit submit again.

    Hey-we have sunshine on the Oregon coast.  And I know people complain about our rain; but at least we don't have to shovel it!!!!

    Keep on, keeping on.

    Donna

    My Hero!

    Donna Lee,

         You should be making the commercials for the "NEW" ever ready battery!  You just keep going and going, and I want to be just like you!

                                             Love and prayers for good health!

                                             Brenda

  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #6
    donna_lee said:

    You Betcha

    Thanks for the encouragement.  My daughter was flicking me sh** the other day about some stuff and it felt like I'd been punched in the gut.  Sure, I was spaced out a couple of times when we talked, since I was so concerned about the nearly 2 month time frame of doing the CT before having results from the biopsies.  But it wasn't like I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs the whole time.

    Her message was tied to the fact that one needs to be living for the future and getting on with it, rather than focusing on the worries of the day.  And coming from her, I really do understand.  Their youngest son goes into anaphalaxis with anything peanut related.  His kindergarten Arabic teacher brought cupcakes to school and didn't think a little bit of peanut on top would hurt him. Two epi-pens, a trip to the regional medical center, and a stay in a hospital ER to bring him back.......that was in Dec. 2005.

    So this weekend, we will have our daughter and the boys here, and of course the house is peanut and nut free.  Also, when they are here I don't cook with other legumes, soy, garlic, mustard, cow dairy, limited citrus and a few other things that are on the list.  Meanwhile, the boy has grown taller than me and grandpa, is a great soccer goalie and wants to play college and maybe professionally.

    She and her husband's job has been difficult.  It's been easier to ensure that the food he eats at home is healthy, nutritions and safe; and some schools have been very compliant with their education programs, cafeteria peanut free tables, and ensuring all staff know how to use an epi-pen.  Some restaurant and server training is just coming out of the dark ages regarding food allergies of any kind.  So from her point of view, keeping her son alive is a daily issue....but she doesn't let it consume her.

    And on that note, it's time to get on with it.  And Fox, thanks for getting rid of the duplicate.  I guess I had hit submit, got busy doing another desk project and because it was still on the screen, hit submit again.

    Hey-we have sunshine on the Oregon coast.  And I know people complain about our rain; but at least we don't have to shovel it!!!!

    Keep on, keeping on.

    Donna

    Sounds like...

    the apple didn't fall too far from the tree to meWink

  • GSRon
    GSRon Member Posts: 1,303 Member
    #7
    garym said:

    Sounds like...

    the apple didn't fall too far from the tree to meWink

    Donna you are amazing...

    Donna you are amazing...  love your stories... and your attitude..!  Looking at your picture, I would of guessed about half your age..!

    Ron Cool

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