Hi
im the sister of a kidney cancer & failure patient, we are heading to see the consultant 8 wks post op… we are scared and anxious and thinking of questions!
We don’t want to come away with not knowing.. but simply don’t know what to ask??
I’m sure he will tells us everything and we hope for the best, he’s had kidney and ureter removal and his other kidney at 36% functionality… I really need help I’m actually stuck for once. 
Hi Kayzie23ff11
Welcome to the online community.
My name is Kathryn and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. I can see you have joined the cancer chat forum. I hope you’re finding it helpful to share your experience with us.
You may also be interested in joining the kidney cancer forum and the family and friends forum.
As a charity we don’t have access to medical records and can’t give specific advice about your brother’s diagnosis or care, but we can certainly give you some general information that may help.
I am sure that your brother’s consultant will go through in detail all the information that you need to know at his appointment, but it is good to have some questions prepared to ask at the appointment. You may find the questions to ask your healthcare team page helpful.
Your brother’s consultant will discuss whether your brother requires further treatment and what those options are if this is needed. They should also outline what your brother’s follow-up schedule will be. You can find further information about follow-up care after cancer treatment on our website.
There are no guidelines for follow-up examinations following surgery. The frequency of the follow-up and the tests this will include will depend on whether your brother experiences any complications following surgery, the function of his remaining kidney and the risk of recurrence or spread to other parts of the body.
Generally speaking, people usually have follow-ups at 6 months and one year after surgery then annually for at least 5 years.
For low-risk patients this usually includes an ultrasound scan or chest x-ray and blood tests to monitor kidney function. For those at an intermediate or high-risk of recurrence or spread should have CT scan and blood tests and may be seen more frequently.
It is important that if your brother has any new symptoms or problems between appointments he reports them to his specialist nurse or consultant straight away.
A healthy lifestyle can help your brother recover from surgery and reduce the risk of other illnesses. You can find information about eating well and keeping active on our website. Your brother may be interested in the We Are Undefeatable App which can help support people to become more active. He should check with his treatment team before starting any new exercise.
When receiving a cancer diagnosis and going through treatment people experience many different emotions. Some people find talking to friends and family is all the support they need. For others talking, counselling and support groups help them to cope with the stress, anxiety and difficult feelings. Encourage your brother to ask for help if he needs it. Kidney Cancer UK have many resources to support including counselling and an online community.
It's great that you are able to support your brother, Kayzie23ff11 but it is important that you look after yourself too and reach out for support if you need to.
I hope this information has been useful, please contact us whenever we can help.
Take care.
Kathryn
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. Ref: KR/IY
