May have won the Lottery

hwyltg
hwyltg Member Posts: 1
in Kidney Cancer #1

Good morning, My name is Charlie and I have been diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma. But the way it unfolded may be the luckiest day of my life! I was recovering from a recent Hernia surgery and took a minute to check and see that my gutters were clear because we had heavy rain coming in. I assended the 12 foot ladder and as i stood on the last step, the ladder shifted. Yes I went down.....very hard. I was transported to the hospital in an ambulance and examined for possible fractured ribs. After a series of examinations and tests I was told that I had not broken anything but the tests reveled a mass on my right kidney. Yes it turned out to be a growth that needs to be removed. I am scheduled for the proceedure at the end of this month. I have been searching the internet for information on "partial nephrectomy" and the information you have been providing is fantastic. I will be keeping up viewing the forum and wanted to say thank you for sharing your experiences.

Comments

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #2
    Good attitude

    hw.

     

    Whether or not they do a partial depends in part on the size of the tumor (which you did not give) and its location as well as the training and the inclinations of the Urological surgeon. I would love to call it a procedure, but it is major abdominal surgery. Not fun. Mine was 12 years ago. If you give us the size we can respond more appropriately to your concerns.

     

    Icemantoo

  • APny
    APny Member Posts: 1,995 Member
    #3
    Sorry you have to be here but

    Sorry you have to be here but welcome :)

    I think many, if not most instances of RCC are discovered incidentally. So was mine. I had a partial nephrectomy in March and it wasn’t as awful as I had feared. I recovered fairly quickly and didn’t experience very bad pain. No, it’s not a picnic but it’s definitely manageable with painkillers in the first week or so then with Tylenol. I had an open procedure and from what I hear the lap ones are even less painful. I was out of bed and walking the evening of my surgery and that’s one thing they really encourage: walk as much as possible, as quickly as possible and to drink a ton of water. I went in on Monday and was out by Wednesday. Make sure you find a urologic oncologist, one who is highly experienced in partial procedures which are more complex than complete ones. Best of luck to you!

  • Positive_Mental_Attitude
    Positive_Mental_Attitude Member Posts: 454
    #4
    Excellent way to look at

    Excellent way to look at it--luckiest day of your life!  I had a similar experience.  Massive bowel obstruction at the end of April led to CT scans that discovered my tumor, which was gone by July 10 of this year.  So long cancer, I hardly knew ya!  Sometimes you just have to make lemonade out of the lemons life throws at you.  The way I look at it, if I did not have the bowel obstruction issue, the cancer would have grown and could have caused big problems later on in life.   Find a urologist-oncologist.  Get a second opinion if you are not 100% comfortable with your first opinion.  My first doctor indicated I would need a radical nephrectomy.  I went to Sloan Kettering in NYC and my doctor did a partial, preserving 95% of my affected kidney.  Life is not good--it is outstanding!!!!! 

  • elpasorudy
    elpasorudy Member Posts: 84
    #5
    Quick recovery

    I had a partial nephrectomy Oct. 16 of last year for a small kidney tumor. Spent three days in the hospital. Used pain medicine only one day. Was walking hospital corridors the day after surgery. Some fatigue. That was my experience, but everybody is different. Tumor was benign - it was discovered accidentally during a scan for a possible hernia.

  • donna_lee
    donna_lee Member Posts: 1,045 Member
    #6
    elpasorudy said:

    Quick recovery

    I had a partial nephrectomy Oct. 16 of last year for a small kidney tumor. Spent three days in the hospital. Used pain medicine only one day. Was walking hospital corridors the day after surgery. Some fatigue. That was my experience, but everybody is different. Tumor was benign - it was discovered accidentally during a scan for a possible hernia.

    Everyone's story

    I don't think there's a one of us who goes in to see a Doctor and said, "I think I have kidney cancer.  Let's run some tests."  It's Serendipidy that we happen to go to a medical facility and they think to run a test for another problem.  And here we are today, sharing our weird stories.

    Glad you are looking toward the future and being on the mend.

    Donna

  • avdoty
    avdoty Member Posts: 62
    #7
    donna_lee said:

    Everyone's story

    I don't think there's a one of us who goes in to see a Doctor and said, "I think I have kidney cancer.  Let's run some tests."  It's Serendipidy that we happen to go to a medical facility and they think to run a test for another problem.  And here we are today, sharing our weird stories.

    Glad you are looking toward the future and being on the mend.

    Donna

    Serendipity

    Serendipity is a very apt description. My RCC was found by accident as well. Didn't feel like it at that the time but the day I had my CT Scan for a running injury was the luckiest day of my life.  

  • kuzman60
    kuzman60 Member Posts: 31
    #8
    I've just registered here

    I've just registered here ,found this site accidentally,after searching information regarding kidney cancer.I live in Bulgaria (located in Bolkan peninsula,Europe).My cancer was found out completelly by chance,one day I decided to visit any  urologist without any simptoms..it was an idea which had  arisen accidentally in my head.Whatever,the urologist found a tumor in my left cidney ,size 3,5 -4 sm.One week latelly my kidney was embolised and month after that I had a radical nefrectomya .The mass was shrinked itself to 2 sm.The canser is T1a-stage 1.I have to do a Bone scan in 5 days and CRT on the 29 this month,and will be checked every 3 motnts.Sorry for my spoiled English and many grammatical mistaкes

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #9
    Heal Well!

    hwyltg, that was definately the luckiest fall ever! For many people the tumour is discovered incidentally, I went to A & E for severe back pain and they discovered a free loader on my right kidney.

    I am glad you have found this support system, I am sure you will benefit from it. I hope the op went well, let us know how you are getting on. Take care of yourself and heal well:)

     

    Djinnie x

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #10
    kuzman60 said:

    I've just registered here

    I've just registered here ,found this site accidentally,after searching information regarding kidney cancer.I live in Bulgaria (located in Bolkan peninsula,Europe).My cancer was found out completelly by chance,one day I decided to visit any  urologist without any simptoms..it was an idea which had  arisen accidentally in my head.Whatever,the urologist found a tumor in my left cidney ,size 3,5 -4 sm.One week latelly my kidney was embolised and month after that I had a radical nefrectomya .The mass was shrinked itself to 2 sm.The canser is T1a-stage 1.I have to do a Bone scan in 5 days and CRT on the 29 this month,and will be checked every 3 motnts.Sorry for my spoiled English and many grammatical mistaкes

    Welcome Kuzman:)

    Hi Kuzman, you were lucky to pay attention to that little voice inside you. I am glad they caught your Cancer so quickly and it shrinking before surgery too. How are you doing after your op? It sounds like you are getting good quality of care, something to be valued. I also live in Europe, I come from the UK but now live in France, the quality of care varies a lot. 

    All the best with your scans this month:)

     

    Djinnie

  • kuzman60
    kuzman60 Member Posts: 31
    #11
    Djinnie said:

    Welcome Kuzman:)

    Hi Kuzman, you were lucky to pay attention to that little voice inside you. I am glad they caught your Cancer so quickly and it shrinking before surgery too. How are you doing after your op? It sounds like you are getting good quality of care, something to be valued. I also live in Europe, I come from the UK but now live in France, the quality of care varies a lot. 

    All the best with your scans this month:)

     

    Djinnie

    Hi Djinnie,nice to meet you.I

    Hi Djinnie,nice to meet you.I am very depressed and frustrated after opp,besause I felt completelly fit before surgery,even visited a gym every two days and it was a shock to understand  I am actually ill and the desease is very dangerouse.I went to a psychiatrist two days ago,because I can't get rid from my obsesive thoughts about death and he wrote me a prescription ,medicines for my depression.By the way after embolization I visited Goustave Roasy clinic,for second opinion and french doctor said that they would made me parcial nephrectomy if the operation were there.Unfortunatelly my kidney have allready  been  embolized i.e dead.Never mind I can't return the event's ,all I have to do is to look ahead.Which part of France do you live in ,if I may ask?

     

     

     

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #12
    kuzman60 said:

    Hi Djinnie,nice to meet you.I

    Hi Djinnie,nice to meet you.I am very depressed and frustrated after opp,besause I felt completelly fit before surgery,even visited a gym every two days and it was a shock to understand  I am actually ill and the desease is very dangerouse.I went to a psychiatrist two days ago,because I can't get rid from my obsesive thoughts about death and he wrote me a prescription ,medicines for my depression.By the way after embolization I visited Goustave Roasy clinic,for second opinion and french doctor said that they would made me parcial nephrectomy if the operation were there.Unfortunatelly my kidney have allready  been  embolized i.e dead.Never mind I can't return the event's ,all I have to do is to look ahead.Which part of France do you live in ,if I may ask?

     

     

     

    All the Best Kuzman!

    Hi Kuzman, This is a difficult experience to deal with, your mind and body are still shell shocked. It is not unusual to be frustrated and in particular depressed, the safe familiarity of our lives has changed and in some quite dramatically, it leaves you feeling shaken and uncertain about the future. I gather from your post that your operation was successful with no sign of mets? It will take a little while for you to adjust, but take it slowly and you will soon get back into your fitness routine. Maybe just try to concentrate your mind on becoming super fit and Cancer free, leave little time for it to dwell in dark corners!

    I live right in the centre of Brittany, Morbihan, it's a beautiful area and the coastline is fantastic. Plenty of history and a  beautiful chateau unlike the UK also lots of space. Fortunately we have access to plenty of organic veg, meat, dairy and the best unadulterated water supply in France. So I try to stick to all the healthy food and plenty of water, in fact I have come to appreciate how important  my diet is now. Anyway, take care of yourself and that lone kidney of yours.

     

    All the best:)

     

    Djinnie x

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