Scared & Worried! :(

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Comments

  • kajunnana
    kajunnana Member Posts: 17

    You are not losing it. YOU are awesome!

    So sorry to hear your bad news about your hubby. It is good they are making plans to remove the cancer and glad they found it now. You are not going crazy, it is totally normal to worry about those we love. Your husband is very lucky to have you.

    Hope you are getting some support during this stressful time and that people are rallying around you. Go to talk to a counsellor if you can get the time. Talking to someone helps even when you are so overwhelmed you think you can't say much. I have found this helpful. I get really stressed and my hubby is NED at present! He did end up in the emergency department 2 days ago with unexplained chest pains so I understand being worried! I will be praying for you.

    Hugs Melissa

    thanks Phredswife for the

    thanks Phredswife for the kind words. Hope everything gets better for your husband I will keep y all in my prayers.

  • Phredswife
    Phredswife Member Posts: 162
    kajunnana said:

    thanks Phredswife for the

    thanks Phredswife for the kind words. Hope everything gets better for your husband I will keep y all in my prayers.

    Thank you. He seems fine now

    Thank you. He seems fine now so I probably shouldn't get so worried.  His type of cancer was nasty so everytime he sneezes or does anything different to normal I panic a bit! We have been told to take him back to ER if he does it again. So far so good!! You take care!!Smile

  • Ree_Maryland
    Ree_Maryland Member Posts: 161 Member
    todd121 said:

    Staging and Tumor Size

    I've seen this said a couple of times about size and staging, and it's not accurate. Forgive me, but I think we just have to be really accurate about this. The stages are very well defined.

    Stage 3 refers not to size, but whether the cancer has exited the kidney either outside the kidney, but usually/often by invading veins or arteries inside the kidney. If it has, but is only 1 tumor in the kidney, it's stage 3. If it has not (the tumor is 1 tumor, fully contained but has not grown outside the kidney either outside the kidney proper, or into the veins or arteries in the kidney) then it's divided by size. Stage 1 if the tumor is < 7 cm. Stage 2 if the tumor >= 7 cm.

    Quite often the really large tumors have grown into the veins, so a tumor as large as 11 cm is quite often Stage 3, but not necessarily. And small tumors can be Stage 3, depending on their location.

    My tumor was 6.8 cm, but Stage 3 because it had grown into some of the tiny veins. That's why I paid such close attention to this criteria. At first I was diagnosed Stage 1, but when the pathology came back I was Stage 3 and it was not because my tumor was larger, but because they found it inside some of the tiny veins.

    An 11 cm tumor is definitely NOT stage 1. It's at least stage 2. He might have been eligible for adjuvant therapy drug trials, but none have been proven to be effective so it's doubtful it would have helped.

    Stage and Grade are important for prognosis and follow-up care.

    Todd

    what is b after the 1?I had stage 1b but a big tumor

    I had partial lap done on April 21st . the path said it was a 1b sage 1, just curious . thanks 

  • kajunnana
    kajunnana Member Posts: 17
    Hello everyone its been

    Hello everyone its been awhile since I wrote. It's been a little crazy to say the least! Kennth did well during surgery they did the kidney first then the bladder. That was the longest 2 hours of my life!!! The dr. told me that we may have been able to go home the next day which would've been Thursday, but we ended up staying until Friday. Friday morning the dr came in & checked Kenneth and said he can go home! He also told us that the pathology report came back and the bladder cancer was what he expected, but the kidney was more aggressive than he thought! What a shocker!!! When we first went to this dr. he told me (after I asked a lot of questions) that after he would remove the tumor from the kidney that Kenneth would be cured! Well now he tells us that he has to watch him very closely.

    But I have done every thing I need to do and we will be going to MD Anderson either this coming week or next. Maybe they will give us more information and check the spot on Kenneth lung, which his dr has never mentioned! So we are keeping our fingers crossed! 

  • GSRon
    GSRon Member Posts: 1,303 Member
    kajunnana said:

    Hello everyone its been

    Hello everyone its been awhile since I wrote. It's been a little crazy to say the least! Kennth did well during surgery they did the kidney first then the bladder. That was the longest 2 hours of my life!!! The dr. told me that we may have been able to go home the next day which would've been Thursday, but we ended up staying until Friday. Friday morning the dr came in & checked Kenneth and said he can go home! He also told us that the pathology report came back and the bladder cancer was what he expected, but the kidney was more aggressive than he thought! What a shocker!!! When we first went to this dr. he told me (after I asked a lot of questions) that after he would remove the tumor from the kidney that Kenneth would be cured! Well now he tells us that he has to watch him very closely.

    But I have done every thing I need to do and we will be going to MD Anderson either this coming week or next. Maybe they will give us more information and check the spot on Kenneth lung, which his dr has never mentioned! So we are keeping our fingers crossed! 

    Well, glad the surgery is

    Well, glad the surgery is over and went pretty straight forward.  You should get a copy of the Pathology report, this will explain things a little better. I had been quiet on the one comment you made, but perhaps it is time to tell you that currently there is no cure for Kidney Cancer. I do not know  what doctor said cured, but that sadly is not true.

     However there are some good treatments, should it recur.  Small tumors often never recur, but not always.  This is why regular follow ups are important.  How frequent usually depends on the Pathology report.  Still the future has a very bright light.  MDA is one of the best places to go to.  It is important that you stay with MDA if possible for follow ups.  They are experts.  Most local Oncologists do not have the needed Kidney Cancer experience.

    Good Luck

    Ron

  • sblairc
    sblairc Member Posts: 585 Member
    GSRon said:

    Well, glad the surgery is

    Well, glad the surgery is over and went pretty straight forward.  You should get a copy of the Pathology report, this will explain things a little better. I had been quiet on the one comment you made, but perhaps it is time to tell you that currently there is no cure for Kidney Cancer. I do not know  what doctor said cured, but that sadly is not true.

     However there are some good treatments, should it recur.  Small tumors often never recur, but not always.  This is why regular follow ups are important.  How frequent usually depends on the Pathology report.  Still the future has a very bright light.  MDA is one of the best places to go to.  It is important that you stay with MDA if possible for follow ups.  They are experts.  Most local Oncologists do not have the needed Kidney Cancer experience.

    Good Luck

    Ron

    Isn't surgery curative in SOME instances?

    I was under the impression that surgery can be a cure for kidney cancer. While you may never know for sure (until it comes back as metastic disease or local recurrence). Do you mean that there is no cure for metastic disease? I'm never a fan when surgeons throw the word "cure" around so loosely, but it is possible to be cured from surgery. 

  • kajunnana
    kajunnana Member Posts: 17
    GSRon said:

    Well, glad the surgery is

    Well, glad the surgery is over and went pretty straight forward.  You should get a copy of the Pathology report, this will explain things a little better. I had been quiet on the one comment you made, but perhaps it is time to tell you that currently there is no cure for Kidney Cancer. I do not know  what doctor said cured, but that sadly is not true.

     However there are some good treatments, should it recur.  Small tumors often never recur, but not always.  This is why regular follow ups are important.  How frequent usually depends on the Pathology report.  Still the future has a very bright light.  MDA is one of the best places to go to.  It is important that you stay with MDA if possible for follow ups.  They are experts.  Most local Oncologists do not have the needed Kidney Cancer experience.

    Good Luck

    Ron

    Thanks GSRon we sure will

    Thanks GSRon we sure will stay with MDA! Its only 3 1/2 hours away but if I had to go 24 horus away I would!

  • GSRon
    GSRon Member Posts: 1,303 Member
    sblairc said:

    Isn't surgery curative in SOME instances?

    I was under the impression that surgery can be a cure for kidney cancer. While you may never know for sure (until it comes back as metastic disease or local recurrence). Do you mean that there is no cure for metastic disease? I'm never a fan when surgeons throw the word "cure" around so loosely, but it is possible to be cured from surgery. 

    Sblairc... sorry,  but

    Sblairc... sorry,  but surgery is not considered a cure for RCC, it is a treatment.  I have heard of doctors telling their patients they are cured.  Any doctor that says that needs to be ahem "slapped" on the wrist.  

    However small / low grade tumors usually do not recur.  This is an important distinction of cured Vs no recurrance (or Mets).  And yes, the statistics are in the 90+% range for the low / low tumor Pathology.  But unless it is 100% then a recurrance is possible, which is why the follow up is important, regardless.  There are patients here that were told they were cured only to have a recurrance some time later.  Good follow up is meant to catch such recurrance early and thus make it easier to treat. 

    Cured to many, implies no follow up is needed.  The correct term is either NED or NVED, for No Evidence of Disease, or No Visible Evidence of Disease.  Some lucky folks are NED forever.

    Sorry if this bursts your bubble.. but it is, what it is.. 

    Ron

  • sblairc
    sblairc Member Posts: 585 Member
    GSRon said:

    Sblairc... sorry,  but

    Sblairc... sorry,  but surgery is not considered a cure for RCC, it is a treatment.  I have heard of doctors telling their patients they are cured.  Any doctor that says that needs to be ahem "slapped" on the wrist.  

    However small / low grade tumors usually do not recur.  This is an important distinction of cured Vs no recurrance (or Mets).  And yes, the statistics are in the 90+% range for the low / low tumor Pathology.  But unless it is 100% then a recurrance is possible, which is why the follow up is important, regardless.  There are patients here that were told they were cured only to have a recurrance some time later.  Good follow up is meant to catch such recurrance early and thus make it easier to treat. 

    Cured to many, implies no follow up is needed.  The correct term is either NED or NVED, for No Evidence of Disease, or No Visible Evidence of Disease.  Some lucky folks are NED forever.

    Sorry if this bursts your bubble.. but it is, what it is.. 

    Ron

    Yes. Very important distinction. Thank you.

    Very well put, Ron. Thank! "Cured to many, implies no follow up is needed" This would be a huge mistake, with this sneaky scourge of a cancer that is for sure. We were lucky to have a GREAT surgeon that explained everything to us in realistic terms, and was very direct and forthcoming about the locally advanced nature of a T3a Stage (I hope I used the correct term here). 

  • Jojo61
    Jojo61 Member Posts: 1,309 Member
    Thinking about you and hoping

    Thinking about you and hoping that all goes well for you and your husband.

    Big hugs

    Jojo

  • sblairc
    sblairc Member Posts: 585 Member
    How is it going?

    Hi Amy, 

     

    Just wondering how you and your family are doing. Thinking of you all.