[alan5060]

I thought I had kidney stones in my left kidney so my Dr ordered a CT scan. The left kidney was fine but a lesion was found on my right kidney. I'm told that it's 2.9 cm and that we've caught it early and that it has an 80% probility of being cancer. I had a biospy yesterday and should have the results by monday. I'm beginning to wish I had foregone the biospy because of the posibility of it seeding the path of the needle. Is 2.9cm small and what should I expect to happen next? I know I have to wait for the results of the biospy but I'm going on the assumption that it is cancer.

[gibsonk]

2.9 cm is relatively small and considered Stage 1 if it has not spead to lymph nodes. If the biopsy comes back malignant they will remove it by laproscope because it is small and will only need to remove part of the kidney. Waiting for those results is the hardest part! I would also recommend a 2nd opinion no matter what. They may recommend a low protien diet. I started eating more healthy and organic when possible. I also swithched to green tea. Watch your blood pressure. Low salt, moderate exercise to increase oxygen absorbtion in blood stream. Take care of yourself now since you will need strength mentally and physically in order to fight this. I had a 12 cm. tumor in my left kidney removed along with the entire kidney 2 years ago. That is considered large and doctors were surprised that it hadn't spread. I'm a 48 yr. old female with a 17 yr old daughter. At first I was devestated and found myself in the fetal position in bed and couldn't eat or sleep, but then I realized that I needed to be strong for her sake. Think of this as going in to the ring of a fight. The eye of the tiger so to speak. Face it head on and be strong. I think you're going to be just fine! After that you will start with CT scans as well as lab work to monitor creatine levels every 6 months then will go to scans once a year to check for reoccurance. Chemo is not needed or effective even in cancer that has spread although there are promising results with immunotherapy.

Love and Live life now! Best Wishes!

[alan5060]

gibsonk,

Thank you for the info. The biopsy results have come back and it is cancer, it is growing into the kidney and there is also a cyst on the kidney. The Dr is talking about taking the whole kidney because he's afraid the cyst might prove to be cancerous. A near by lymph node also has a cyst and if that is cancerous, I guess I'm in trouble. Surgery is going to take place on Jan 21. The doctor that is going to perform the surgery teaches the laparoscopic technique at a medical school in Salt Lake City so I have confidence that I'm in good hands. Thank you again for your information, I am going to follow your advice about my eating habits.
alan5060

[gibsonk]

Please keep me posted after surgery. Remember keep your immune system strong, thats something proactive you can do and have control of.

[Tony F]

This is very similar to what happened to me, I went in for kidney stones on Nov 12 2007. They found a 5 inch mass on my left kidney , the one that didn't have the stones. After getting a bone scan and some x rays they determined that the cancer had not spread so I had my kidney removed on Dec 15. I recovered very quickly and I was back top work by Jan 7 2008. I actually could have went back sooner but, I had the time available so I took it.
I'm back to eating a normal diet and pretty much living like normal. I have a little tenderness where my scars are but other that that, I'm doing great. I really thought it woulf take me longer to recover. Oh by the way I'm a 39 year old male .
I even started going on the treadmill at my gym on the 7th for a 1/2 hour a night and it feels pretty good.

[gibsonk]

Was it 5 inches or 5 cm. ? Also, how did you have it removed and what have your doctors told you about future prognosis and any future monitoring? Take Care!

[Tony F]

5 inches...initially it was thought to be 10 cm which would be roughly 4 inches but it ended up being larger than they thought. It was pushed up against my spleen pretty good , my surgeon said he removed some surrounding tissue just to be on the safe side, but my pathology report came back pretty positive and he said he really didn't expect that I would get it back. But I understand how cancer is and that there is no guarantees. I will be going in every 3 months for a CT scan and Xrays to monitor in hopes that it's the last I see of it.

[gborin]

I believe mine was about 2.6 cm. Read my post "5 years and counting" and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. Two or three days in the hospital, two weeks in bed. a month at less than full activity and then you can gradually do everything. Six weeks after my surgery I flew out to see family in Seattle and walked ( not ran) to the bottom of Sequhame? Falls and than back up to where the historic hotel is by the falls. I was 59 then. Hopefully if your a little younger you can get to full speed in about a month. gborin

[Tony F]

I'm just a couple days away from my 1 month "anniversary" and I feel almost 100%. I still have some tenderness where the incisions are but othere than that I feel terrific. The cancer actually was an eye opener for me, I've started going back to the gym, and going on the treadmill and plan to start working out with weights in the next couple of weeks. I used to play baseball in the minors when I was younger and even though I'm still in pretty good shape, I'm no where near the athlete I was "back in the day". I'm looking to take this second chance to whip my body back into shape.
I've decided to take the mindset that the cancer didn't even happen, in that I'm not going to let it bring me down and affect me. I'm only going to let it improve my standard of living.
I know it sounds optimistic but I have 3 young kids at home ages 3, 9 and 12 and if I walked around an emotional wreck because of the cancer I fear it would only have a bigger impact on them. I figure my strength will only make them stronger.

[gibsonk]

No one really knows how they are going to die. Having been diagnosed has made me realize that I need to cherish every moment and that tomorrow is truly a gift. I also don't want my daughter remembering me as being sad and crying all of the time. There are times when I'm getting my check-ups that those feelings of overwhelming saddness come over me but as time goes on I realize that this is not a death sentence and that when my time is up it may not be from cancer.