Scared this time

You've been through plenty, that's for sure.  I have gone through only a part of what you have been forced to endure.  I am hardly an expert and you need to have some really good doctors to rely upon.  Your situation is complex and is deserving of the best kidney cancer specialists you can find.  Consider getting second opinions; you main doc shouldn't be bothered by that. 

It sounds to me like chemo is the best bet you have.  Newer drugs are now available which may be of great help to you.  You have to give them a chance to work.  You have a right to be scared, but there are reasons to have hope.  It's true, you need a break.  You may just find it.  According to my surgeon, I should have been dead 2 years ago.  So, by beating the surgeon's prognosis by two years (and running), I know first hand that some good things can come out of the cancer mess that you and I and others on this blog share.  

Also, you need close monitoring.  There are two reasons for that:  First, you need to know whether the cancer is progressing or if it's diminishing.  That will require perhaps quartlery scans.  Second, you have to be monitored as to how your body is handling the drugs.  That might be via weekly or bi-weekly blood work (less frequent once your body is stable as to its relationship with the drugs).  

It's easy to say, but you have to stick with it all .... the drug treatments, the appointments, keeping up a halfway positive mood at home, etc.  All of this with a happy face.  Or at least a bit of a happy face.  Tough to do, but try your best.  Keep yourself physically strong and maintain as healthy of a diet as you can.  It all helps.

Praying for you,

Dutch

may be indicated later on. Now you have to try and stop further progression. Therefore your oncologist needs to determine which drug will be most effective. The goal is to stabilize at this point. It will be an immunological therapy like nivolumab, by infusion, or an antiangiogenic drug like sutent, votrient or cabo. They work by inhibiting blood vessel growth making the tumors unable to grow and hopefully shrink. This is a daily oral medication.

It's more involved than that but I suggest that you ask your doctors to explain your options. Mostly you need to get another opinion because many of us have been living with many tumors for many years. I'm approaching 7 years. And a lot of it has to do with finding the right facility and doctor. I had 4 cancer centers tell me I was probably out of luck. The 5th opinion was promising and has saved my life this far. You have some work to do but I'm sure your personality and training along with a wonderful family will give you all the motivation you need.

Work hard my friend. Believe that you will do this.

Cant begin to understand how are you feeling... the fear is just unimaginable..

Cant understand how after you had your first recurrence you did not receive further treatment from Oncology

I hope you now have a good team who can give you options on the new treatments that available

How are you coping now with the treatment

Your current tumours are all on the smallish side so there is plenty of hope that you will respond to the right treatment

For now you need to fight with everything you have

Ask Ask and demand you get the best treatments they have

I hope  you strength will support you ...you are a strong guy so I know you will be ready to keep kick some.......

Please keep us posted

See your docs at the VA about your side effects.  I've seen stories on this blog and have experience myself with folks being unable to tolerate the full dose of chemo (Sutent or whatever) with the result that the doseage was brought down.  There is no "right" doseage amount which fits every person.  The VA should be monitoring you as to start out on this stuff.  Maybe others on the blog will disagree, but I think it's SOP to haul the patient in quite regularly in those first days/weeks of drug treatment (whether it's initial chemo or a change in drug).  In my case, my liver doesn't get along with Votrient.  If I had been left to go on my own without any monitoring, some serious damage could have been done.  So, for me, close monitoring of my reaction to the drug was very important.

Second opinions are important if at least to help you think through your choices.  Often, it helps to hear another perspective on the situation.  The second doctor could give you some good questions to take back to the VA guys.  If you don't have insurance which will cover the cost of the second opinion, you have to consider that.

Hi. Sorry I cannot help with advice, but I hope you feel better soon. Only thing I have read is that people had some relief of side effects after lowering the dosage.

Sorry, can't help with the sutent side effects. I had some pretty miserable side effects with votrient. Like you, I toughed them out as long as I could to make sure the cancer was being hit as hard as they could hit it. I did, eventually, have to go with a lower dose, but soon after, they decided it wasn't working for me.

I can empathise with you for the most part: stage 4 with bone mets all over the place. They just, this week, discovered more in my lungs. The tunor on your second kidney has got to be frightening.

I salute you for your service. You made it to retirement. I only managed 4 years in the Army. Being realistic, when the cancer takes me, my wife and three kids will no longer receive my company provided insurance, or my paycheck. I have a small pension from a previous employer that, I believe, will just go away when I pass, since I'm only 51 and will likely pass before I begin collecting. I have a 401k that will, hopefully, provide them with abou 10k per year, and they should get something from social security.

I'm happy for you that you made a career out of service to our country. If, God forbid, you lose your battle, you will be leaving your family with a pension and with medical/dental care.

I'm sorry to be so blunt, and to sound so negative, but I understand the fear and wanted to point out some "silver linings".