New to group

Hi.  I just joined here too.  Similar story to you, except I have no symptoms.  They just found a 3.7cm mass in my right kidney.  I saw a Urologist last week who told me the same as you.  I was referred to a Kidney Oncologist as the person I saw said that he was not able to perform the surgery.  Anyway, I am a few weeks shy of 41, female, with twin daughters.  I hope all goes well for you.  

Welcome and good luck..!  Lucky it got found so early for sure.  You are likely in the 90%+ group that may never have any further issues.  But I hate to break it to you, but the real info will not happen until the Pathology report is done.  Once you have that info you should know a lot more.  However, if it is Cancer (there are more than one type of Kidney Cancer) depending on type, etc, follow up should happen forever, not just 5 years.  Being you are so young, if it is a low grade and stage then annual follow ups is likely what they will suggest.

Ron

WELCOME! And indeed you are blessed, small tumors are good!!!

The only thing I'd add (for the benefit of any other people reading this site that might be waiting on Robotic surgery for a FULL neprectomy) is that if the tumor is large, you might have a large abdominal incision where they need to remove the actual tumor after the surgery is done.  My husband's tumor and kidney "came out like a football" according to his surgeon hence his larger incision after Robotic surgery was larger. 

He went back to work part time initially, everyone's recovery time is really variable. I highly recommend taking it easy and not rushing it. 

airbornewife34 said:

Different stages????

How and when do I find out what stage I am in? I have seen on the board everyone talking about what stage ppl are in.

Stage I: T1, N0, M0

The tumor is 7 cm across or smaller and is only in the kidney (T1). There is no spread to lymph nodes (N0) or distant organs (M0).

Stage II: T2, N0, M0

The tumor is larger than 7 cm across but is still only in the kidney (T2). There is no spread to lymph nodes (N0) or distant organs (M0).

Stage III: Either of the following:

T3, N0, M0: The tumor is growing into a major vein (like the renal vein or the vena cava) or into tissue around the kidney, but it is not growing into the adrenal gland or beyond Gerota’s fascia (T3). There is no spread to lymph nodes (N0) or distant organs (M0).

T1 to T3, N1, M0: The main tumor can be any size and may be outside the kidney, but it has not spread beyond Gerota’s fascia. The cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes (N1) but has not spread to distant lymph nodes or other organs (M0).

Stage IV: Either of the following:

T4, any N, M0: The main tumor is growing beyond Gerota’s fascia and may be growing into the adrenal gland on top of the kidney (T4). It may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes (any N). It has not spread to distant lymph nodes or other organs (M0).

Any T, Any N, M1: The main tumor can be any size and may have grown outside the kidney (any T). It may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes (any N). It has spread to distant lymph nodes and/or other organs (M1).

i wanted to add something because like you I was told 90% that it was cancer.  My tumour was around the same size as yours.  I waited four months for surgery and believe me, thinking you have cancer is not an easy thing.  Most of the posters here have had kidney cancer.  But there is still the other group, the ten percent who have a tumour that is not cancer.  I was in that group.  So we are out there, just not posting on the board.  Until the pathology comes in, the possibility is still there for a benign tumour such as an oncocytoma.  I had an open procedure and while it was not fun, the people here will support you all the way.  I still look in occasionally to see how everyone is doing, it is such an awesome group of people.  I hope for you that you find yourself in the smaller percentage and no matter how it turns out, you will get through it with the support of others.  Best of luck with your surgery and your recovery. Be good to yourself and rest.

Hi Airborne,

So sorry to hear your news, we all know how you are feeling right now. I know how surreal it seems, it's just so difficult to get your head around. The period up to the operation can be very nerve wracking because you just want this thing to be gone quick smart. You may not feel blessed right now, but because often kidney cancer is not discovered until it's too late, you surely are. Once the operation is overwith it is very likely you can look forward to a long and happy future. Obviously the grade will factor in the outcome, but even with a higher grade there are many people who do not have a reoccurence.

I had a partial robotic nephrectomy last year. I had quite a bit of pain initially, more so than my C Section, but having said that I had a lot of scar tissue from previous ops which complicated things. There have been many people on here who have seemingly breezed through. Many things will factor in it, such as age fitness etc. It is also always wise to keep your body hydrated in the period up to the op, it is easier on the tissue and muscle. After the op sleeping in a recliner is helpful, this causes less strain as laying flat will be difficult for awhile. Getting up out of chairs will be hard and you will probably be doing the soft shoe shuffle for a bit. Once you feel up to it start with gentle walk and build up gradually. Take extra care not to strain yourself in any way or you risk a hernia. Also keep Senna or Prune Juice available.

You are doing the right thing in taking things a day at a time, that is all you can do. When it comes to the op you will find the strength to deal with it, and once it's over with you will feel more positive about things. You can definitely get through this, stay strong, we are all here to support you whenever you need it:)

Djinnie x