Thirteen Years NED

icemantoo
icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
edited July 2015 in Kidney Cancer #1

Reflections of my journey . Six days from today I will be 72 years young. Ten days later I will be a lucky 13 years NED. Back in 2002 I was a clueless newbie trying to learn my way around the bases. It started by doing some heavy yard work that spring and then peeing red. My GP thought I just broke a blood vessel, but sent me to a URO anyway. The URO sent me for a CT as a CYA medical procedure. What me worry? Not a bit.

Almost a week after the CT the URO's nurse called to schedule me for an appointment. Something was blurted out about Kidney Cancer. WTF. This does not sound good. Whoever heard of Kidney Cancer and than this part about major surgery right out of the gate. I tried to remember about getting my tonsils out at age 3.

And than the 2 month wait for the surgery. It was summer and the surgeons had to schedule things around their Tee times. My wife thought we should go to this nice B & B on the Canadian side of Lake Huron for the July 4th weekend. We went to this nice British Pub for dinner. They brought all of the traditional British dishes out on a tray for the diners to view. I did not order the Kidney Pie.

I needed to know more. I connected on something called the Internet with something called dial up. There was no Google nor was there a Divinci. When you searched for Kidney Cancer you came up with 20th century statistics that stated that half the people who get Kidney Cancer, die from it. The last thing I wanted to do was volunteer for this club.

My surgeon was the young guy in the URO office who had just finished a Fellowship in Laproscopic Surgery. I also thought he wanted to be a stand up comedian when he wrote on my Discharge Summary that I was discharged without pain. As a result of the passage of 13 years and the onset of Partsheimers I likewise do not remember any pain from and after the surgery, yeah right.

About 6 years later I thought it would be helpful for myself and the newbies to get on the Internet and teach them things like the secret handshake to get in our club and to otherwise help them with their journeys.

REFLECTIONS:

13 years from now as a result of better tests and surveillance, Stages 2,3 and 4 of RCC will be eliminated.

13 years from now Stage 1 RCC will be dealt with by procedures rather than surgery

Women 50, 60 and 70 look a hell of a lot better than they looked 50, 60 and 70 years ago.

13 years from now my 5 grandchildren, ages 13 thru 19 will all be married with families of their own.

13 weeks from now I am moving with icewoman ( my wife of 49 and 1/2 years) from Michigan to Royal Palm Beach, Florida.

While I may or may not be around for another 13 years my doctors are confident that any checkout will be from something other than RCC.

With that being said a neph. already.

May the best of health and life to everyone.

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Comments

  • Shecka1121
    Shecka1121 Member Posts: 117 Member
    What an inspiration all the

    What an inspiration all the way around. You will be many more years NED and happy birthday. 

  • gthompsonjr
    gthompsonjr Member Posts: 5
    Thirteen years NED

    Congratulations and many more !!!!!!!

  • Allochka
    Allochka Member Posts: 1,060 Member

    Thirteen years NED

    Congratulations and many more !!!!!!!

    Congratulations! I'll raise a

    Congratulations! I'll raise a glass of wine today in your honor (yep, I have a 2 month old daughter, but I'm not breastfeeding, so can afford it :-))

  • That was beautiful and

    That was beautiful and inspirational.  Thank you.  Congratulations on 13 years of NED, and a wonderful life a fantastic sense of humor. 

  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member

    That was beautiful and

    That was beautiful and inspirational.  Thank you.  Congratulations on 13 years of NED, and a wonderful life a fantastic sense of humor. 

    congrats!

    ..and thanks for being here to help so many frieghtened people.

  • Scottie22
    Scottie22 Member Posts: 99 Member
    Congrats and a heartfelt thank you

    Iceman,

    All the very best and continued good health and happiness to you.  You were the first person to reply to my terrified message concerning my diagnosis in May of 2013.  You have no idea just how much it helped as I felt so lost and that this was the end for me.  In 3 weeks time I have my next check up so here's hoping.  All appears to be well, the 'lone ranger' is holding up well - my nephrologist joked that I was catching her up with such good function.

    Enjoy the Florida sunshine!!!

    J.

  • Jan4you
    Jan4you Member Posts: 1,330 Member
    Scottie22 said:

    Congrats and a heartfelt thank you

    Iceman,

    All the very best and continued good health and happiness to you.  You were the first person to reply to my terrified message concerning my diagnosis in May of 2013.  You have no idea just how much it helped as I felt so lost and that this was the end for me.  In 3 weeks time I have my next check up so here's hoping.  All appears to be well, the 'lone ranger' is holding up well - my nephrologist joked that I was catching her up with such good function.

    Enjoy the Florida sunshine!!!

    J.

    YAAAY~and congrats!!!!!!!

    YAAAY~and congrats!!!!!!! Major milestones! to you and your wife!

    Thanks for always coming through for all newcomers!

    Hugs, Jan

  • JoanneNH
    JoanneNH Member Posts: 115
    I would love 13 more

    I would love 13 more years!

    How big was your tumor?

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    JoanneNH said:

    I would love 13 more

    I would love 13 more years!

    How big was your tumor?

    My little bugger

    On the initial scan it was 2.6 cm. On the post op pathology I believe it was 4.3 cm.

     

    Icemantoo

  • Galrim
    Galrim Member Posts: 307
    Thank you for a message...

    ...worth while reading, as always :-)

    /G

  • donna_lee
    donna_lee Member Posts: 1,041 Member
    Galrim said:

    Thank you for a message...

    ...worth while reading, as always :-)

    /G

    Way to go...

    You have me beat in the survivorship "race."  But I still have you in age by a few months and years married (51 years).  And at this age, we are lucky that we can still count that high.

    Hope the move to Florida goes well and you both enjoy getting settled.

    Take care,  Donna

  • jason.2835
    jason.2835 Member Posts: 337 Member
    Ice

    Ice, Baby.

    - Jay

  • Nana4life
    Nana4life Member Posts: 78 Member
    Blessing to me

    i have to say I look for your name on this sight when I feel scared. Your story gives me hope. So happy for you and your family. 

  • brea588
    brea588 Member Posts: 240
    Iceman

    What an inspiration you are to the new ones.  Hope you continue on introducing the newbies and calming their fears.  Hope you enjoy Florida , will be a lot warmer than Mich .  Hubby wants me to move there also,  told him I would try 6 months ky and 6 months florida LOL  we will see.  

  • foroughsh
    foroughsh Member Posts: 779 Member
    You are the first one who

    You are the first one who replied to my first hopeless post,and then i searched your name to see the story,and there were many of your posts celebrationg 7,8,9,10,11,.... Years with NED. Very inspiring. Thanks for being here to helps us all.

    Forough

     

  • adman
    adman Member Posts: 336
    Thank you for all you do....

    Icemantoo,

    Thank you for all you do. 13 years, wow! Continued good health & blessings. Much love. See you around FL.

    God Bless! 

  • Ree_Maryland
    Ree_Maryland Member Posts: 161 Member
    way to go

    Iceman , I really do not know what to say , the peeps on here sums it hope, Happy everything is going great, and enjoy Florida it is beautiful down there . thNnks for all the encourging messages. Have Fun in the Sun,, both of youi and the misses,

  • Jojo61
    Jojo61 Member Posts: 1,309 Member
    Lucky 13

    Wow Iceman, you sure are an inspiration. I remember when I joined a liitle over a year and a half ago, your words were the first to greet me and make me feel better about things.

    And now you are going to move to beautiful Florida! We will no longer be neighbours, but it sounds like a great move for you! Congratulations!

    Hugs,

    Jojo

     

  • marosa
    marosa Member Posts: 334 Member
    Jojo61 said:

    Lucky 13

    Wow Iceman, you sure are an inspiration. I remember when I joined a liitle over a year and a half ago, your words were the first to greet me and make me feel better about things.

    And now you are going to move to beautiful Florida! We will no longer be neighbours, but it sounds like a great move for you! Congratulations!

    Hugs,

    Jojo

     

    Congratulations

      and thank you for the time, energy and care you contine to give to so many of us after so many years!  Enjoy sunny Florida! 

  • JennyDra
    JennyDra Member Posts: 24
    Congratulations

    You are truley an inspiration Iceman!!!! Wishing you many, many, many, many more years of NED to come!! :-)