Just Diagnosed

ClaudiaB
ClaudiaB Member Posts: 5
in Kidney Cancer #1

hi ! I am a 36 years old female with a lovely husband and three beautiful litt girls. I went on Father's Day to the ER because a horrible pain in my upper middle stomach that would go through my back. After a ultrasound and ct scan they found out that I have gallbladder stones and my gallbladder needs to be removed but they also found a mass on my right kidney. I saw the picture of both of my kidneys and the ma on my right kidney looks pretty scary and big.( like a ball on top) . the ER Doctor told be that because they were looking for kidney stones they didn't use contrast and I need to have one ASAP . 

my whole world turned upside down, I am still in shock and cried all the time , today I woke up more optimistic but it's so hard to look at my girls and I think I might no be here for them . 

The urologist of the hospital happened to be there on that day and he passed by and talked to me , he sounded more optimistic and I have schedule an ultrasound for today and he will go over with me on Friday .

i am going crazy surfing the Internet and I aleays feel better after I read your posts, I don't want to keep my hopes up thinking that is just a cyst (since the mass was pretty big) but I want to be ready for the worst.

 

Comments

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #2
    We were all

    Claudia,

     

    We were all scared sh--less when told we had Kidney Cancer and the first thing they want to do is yank out your kidney. I sure was 14 years ago. For those of us with small tumors usually the only thing you need is surgey to remove the Kidney. Not fun but it works. Depending on the size of the tumor and its pathology after surgery other challanges may present themselves. Let us knoe what you are dealing with (size of tumor) so we can respond accordingly and get you thru this.

     

    Icemantoo

  • Footstomper
    Footstomper Member Posts: 1,237 Member
    #3
    You dont mention the size of your lump

    As Iceman says we were all scared when we heard the word Cancer. Its not the death sentence it used to be a few short years ago. It ia slowly becoming a treatable, if not curable, diease. In many respects its rather like AIDS which has gone from a killer to a treatable illness.

    So dont panic, alright try not to panic. One day at a time and deal with whetever problems present themselves.

    You are being treated by highly trained experienced professionals, listen to them.

    DONT surf the net (apart from this site and another called Smart Patients) its either very out of date or crazy

    This is what will happen. They will remove the kidney ( dont worry youve got another). If you youre lucky they might cut a bit out, and then youre done, apart from a few check ups.

    If it has spread you'll have the kidney removed and take a variety of anti cancer drugs until you find one that works. New and better treatments are coming on line weekly.

    So dont fret (ha!), waiting is the worst part, I promise you.

    Good luck on your journey, I ve been travelling this road for over 3 years, I think Iceman  has been fighting it since Theodore Roosevelt was an up and coming young politician.

    Keep in touch

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #4
    Correction

    I am not that old. It was Franklin Roosevelt.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • ClaudiaB
    ClaudiaB Member Posts: 5
    #5
    icemantoo said:

    We were all

    Claudia,

     

    We were all scared sh--less when told we had Kidney Cancer and the first thing they want to do is yank out your kidney. I sure was 14 years ago. For those of us with small tumors usually the only thing you need is surgey to remove the Kidney. Not fun but it works. Depending on the size of the tumor and its pathology after surgery other challanges may present themselves. Let us knoe what you are dealing with (size of tumor) so we can respond accordingly and get you thru this.

     

    Icemantoo

    hi Iceman

    hi Iceman

    just found out that is 7 cm . What do you think about it? 

  • APny
    APny Member Posts: 1,995 Member
    edited June 2016 #6
    So sorry you have to be here.

    So sorry you have to be here. But really, our imagination and fear is the worst part. My surgery was a breeze compared to what I made it out to be in my mind. And if worse comes to worst and they find that it has gone beyond the kidney, then as Footstomper said, there are new meds coming out all the time and no doubt they'll find one that will work for you. Aside from this forum, stay off the Internet and resist the urge to Google. This forum saved my sanity. Wishing you the very best!

  • JerzyGrrl
    JerzyGrrl Member Posts: 760 Member
    #7
    We might have a matched set...

    Claudia, I'm also sorry you have to be here.  Also, as the others have said, definitely do NOT self-refer to "Dr. Google."  The guy's a quack and an alarmist (and that's just for starters). 

    I have a tumor perched on the top of my left kidney (soon to have surgery to remove it), so you and I might even have a matched set.  I remember getting matching outfits with my best friend in elementary school, so if you and I want to continue the matchy-matchy, let's get the same t-shirt, OK?  I'll let you choose. 

    One thing that is SO GOOD is that my surgeon told me, these kinds of tumors don't typically have symptoms on their own, so are usually found when checking out something else.  Your gall bladder attack certainly got your attention and got the medical folks looking.  I got clobbered with kidney stones which got me where the medical types could start checking things out.  So, even though it's seriously freaky to have a diagnosis of a tumor perched on top of our kidneys, I am ever-so-grateful for my kidney stones.  I'm glad your gall bladder got you to a diagnosis, too. 

    All the best.  Keep us posted -- !

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #8
    7 cm

    Claudia b.

     

     

    7 cm is a medium size tumor. After surgery Kidney Cancer rarely spreads when the tumor is small like 4 cm or less and  more often spreads when it is large like 10 cm or more. You are in the middle whers you will be scanned regularly and if anything pops up it will be nipped in the bud. Technically a tumor 7 cm or above is claaified as stage 2 without any further involvment. No  reason you shouln't be here for the long haul.

     

     

    Icemantoo

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