Hi my name is Graham Falconer I live near Brighton in the UK & in November 2014 i was diagnosed with having a 13.2cm tumour on my left kidney & I would need very difficult surgery to remove it .my local urologist from the hospital said I would need to go to Guys hospital at London Bridge because they dealt with large difficult cancer tumours. After meeting I met up with a MacMillan nurse who explained to me support & financial support they deal with I was also given a prescription free card because I was diagnosed with cancer I would of rathered to be cancer free & pay prescription costs
On October 29th 2014 on my birthday I travelled by train with my wife to London Bridge station where we attended my urologist appointment with Mr O Brien. Here it was explained to me very clearly that I had a large tumour on my left kidney & with most tumours it may of spread to my lymph nodes & I would need an up to date CT scan to verify this .i was confused I did not know what lymph nodes were when I returned to see the urologist he explained to me what the surgery procedure entailed it would begin with removing tumour then kidney & then very carefully cutting away the cancer in lymph nodes closely to spine but not too close to paralyse or kill me but to try & remove as much cancer as possible . Mr O Brien discussed he may be able to do the operation in 2 weeks & would contact me to let me know .i came away very numb in my mind but nervous we got on the train in rush hour I had forgotten what chaos trains were .my wife is disabled so we got a guard to help with a ramp to assist the scooter & my wife aboard the train .we arrived home worse for wear & had a cup of coffee then bed to reflect on my day
A letter arrived a week later telling me on November the 24th at 4 to arrive at Guys hospital for a thing called a Radical Renal Nephrectomy which means tumour & whole kidney removed.i arrived at 3 with my wife & step son who were staying nearby to the hospitaal due to the difficulty of operation & I may not make it
I am a heavy smoker & promised myself my last cigarette before entering hospital then we entered hospital & went to the Urolgy ward it was clean & tidy & I was given a bed & was given gown toothpaste & brush etc I had a chat with my wife about the next day & I told her how much I loved her .i spoke to genetics & allowed them to look at my tumour when removed to help assist them in future studies we also spoke to urologist & a doctor & nurses about operation
The next day I was first on the list so I showered & I was very nervous I remember looking in the mirror & thinking I hope I see my reflection again later
I got to theatre & was given an epidural so they could administer pain relief during & after op which was a weird feeling
the next thing I knew was a nurse asking me what day it was & who was I ???? I replied with correct answers & added I will be glad after op she replied you have had op already .my wife & stepson arrived & delicately cuddled me . I was in intensive care where I stayed for 2 days I later found out my op was 6 & half hours long.........gulp
when I placed back onward I got pneumonia & had to have oxygen to help oxygen levels which meant for 3 days being examined & blood checked every hour I even started to recite my hospital number to nurses it happened so many times....i am hard of hearing so I had to keep taking it out & putting it in every hour my hearing aid but the nurses were lovely & understood I could not hear them unless I was wearing it
all I remember was being visited everyday by my wife & chatting to family by phone & being very tired & hot & sicky..
after 9 days I left hospital with a new bald patch on the back of my head from the op table. A small side effect from what I had done
a week later I had staples out all 84 of them & Mr O Brien told me he removed tumour kidney & 3 tumours which were 5cm each from my lymph nodes
when I got settled at home I had every day a district nurse come & dress my wound which later I found out was called a Mercedes because of its shape i came back as a car manufacturer......
A week after coming home I fell over my dog in doorway then the next week after that I fell down the bottom 4 stairs which caused me to go to A&E where I was told I had broke a rib
I remember having to sleep on my right side because it was too painful to lay on my left
the strange numb & sharp pains in my kidney bed & area & around my ribs latest a long time they even ache now & its now October 2015
I joined a group called Kidney Cancer Network Support on Facebook whom I learnt a lot about my symptoms & empathy they are very caring
I started work again part time after 4 months off . I still had feelings of sickness so I had to start a anti acid tablet Omneparazole & Metroclopramide for anti sickness which helped .
My mood In early days after the op was dull & I never really realised what I had been through so I started to see counsellor for help .i began by writing a thank you card to my surgeon nurses gps & counsellor for helping me through a difficult time in my life
I now have a CT scan every 3 months to see if my cancer has metastasis to other parts of my body
a year on it thankfully still has not
I have done some voluntary work for Macmillan to give something back to people that help others with cancer
people who have been affected by cancer are like me will realise how I feel when I say scanxiety every 3 months & I personally feel its hard to be over excited about being clear because I never know when it will return
when I saw my GP the other week they said that they chat about my operation because it is such a rare thing to have done so they are learning from me which is nice
my local hospice St Peter & James I cannot thank enough for their support on this difficult journey
I am writing this to share my experience & a big thanks to people who read this & to my surgeon gp nurses counsellor family friends who have made my life a happy existence to be here
I will keep fighting this horrible disease x
