Treatment Provider Selection

icemantoo said:

You have a very small tumor if that.

I have suggested to many here with complicated diagnosis to go as high up the food chain as possable. That being said you have a relatively simple diagnosis If you are comfortable with your doctor at UC Davis go for it. Others may disagree.

 

 

 

 

icemantoo

Thank you, Icemantoo, for your candor in suggesting that I have options for the both. I appreciate your point that we should go as high up the food chain as possible. Actually, I have read pretty much all of your comments in this forum and really leared a lot. This is a forum that I had never wanted to join but immediately falled in love with since I joined, as it is filled with all the fullness of God. This incredible forum becomes a better place because you are in.

donna_lee said:

Thanks for kind words

I just checked my bio.  It's still on this board, minus the picture.  Since I put it up "years" ago, life has gone on.  Regular checks/tests/labs, etc. that keep me on the healthier side of living.

On a side note: my d-i-l was 7 months pregnant with their second girl at the time of  my Dx.  When I held that new baby, I told her quietly that I wanted to be around for her wedding, but she couldn't get married till she was 50.  She's 12 1/2 now and I'll be 75 next round.  Don't know if she'll wait until she's 50, but I know she'll be into adulthood and making a way for herself.  That's a pretty big long term goal, but I might as well try for it.

At three weeks post the first surgery, I got sick with I didn't know with what.  Sitting on the toilet and throwing up in the bathtup is difficult, so had my hubby take me to the ER.  They did an Xray to rule out any bowel or sm. intestine perforation.  After seeing my history of what had been surgically removed (R. Kidney, half my liver, gall bladder and the main bile duct), hydration and being put on anti-nausea meds, I was told I had pancreatitis.  It's no wonder-since a lot of the removed parts aid in digestion.

So don't hesitate to use your ER or walk in clinics or call your PC.  That's just plain looking after yourself.

Good luck,

donna_lee

Dear Donna_Lee, I read your bios and also found some of your comments in this forum, which are inspirational and influential to people like me.  Your hope and love in your heart, along with taking care of yourself in a regular basis, have awarded you a life full of passion, purpose, and miracles. It is gratful to know that I can take advantage of local medical service during post-surgery. I believe what I heard: one way to feel great about yourself is to love yourself and to take care of yourself. Thanks you again.

jroco said:

My situation similar to yours

 

 

 

First post here. THINGGONE, I personally think you are heading in the right direction. When mine was incidentally found at 1.3 CM,  I was given similar options, partial neph and cryoablation (freezing).  At the time, the cryo sounded like a good option so I went and visited a radiologist that could perform it. He said he couldn’t guarantee an accurate biopsy while doing procedure because it was so small. Not sure how he did it but he talked me into active surveillance.  I had 8 terrifying months to regret my decision and do some research. The conclusion that I came to was that active surveillance was more suited to elderly who it might not be worth cutting out a potentially benign or non-aggressive tumor as they usually claim they mostly are.  I’m now thinking if you are healthy, get the dang thing cut out as its my understanding even benign tumors can grow. Plus, you will get an accurate pathology report and slightly better chances of it not recurring. Not to mention less exposure to radiation potentially.  I suffer from anxiety anyway and you can only imagine what was going through my mind waiting for follow up scan. Radiologist suggested a year, I said are you effin crazy let’s try 6 or 8 months. My mass only grew 2mm in 8 months so I am now at 1.5 CM. I’m scheduled for a robotic partial nephrectomy this Thursday and realize how lucky I am it’s so small but scared to death nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

Hello JROCO, No one likes the feeling of going under doctor’s knives under robotic assistance. Stay strong and go ahead. Best wish for your positive result!  Wishing you a very fast recovery!

I want to thank you for sharing your experience making a right decision. I am glad I have reached the same conclusion as you did for a similar situation. My previous urologic oncologist told me that there is no way to definitely know if the mass is benign or malignant until taking it out of my body. There were several reasons I elected active surveillance for now. First, my doctor told me I do have this option due to its size. Second, I just changed my insurance from Kaiser to Anthem PPO, it always takes some time to get familiar to a new network so as to make a comfortable decision. Third, this period of time waiting may be a good opportunity for me to prepare my body for a treatment.  I am 57 and believe I am still young and strong enough to have this kind of treatment.

eug91 said:

welcome thingone & jroco

This is a great forum and was a huge help to me when I was first diagnosed. If you have any questions or concerns, share them here - we're here for you. 

thingone- one minor tip I learned here. If you do end up doing the drive to Stanford or UCSF, you'll want to bring a pillow with you for the car ride. Just so you can have the seat belt across you without causing you discomfort. 

 

Thank you, eug91, for your warm welcome. I will definitly bring a pillow or two on the way home after surgery. To learn more in this forum, I will dig into it more. Take care!