BOB JK My diary of kidney cancer (to be continued)
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Hi, My name is Bob and I live in Cambridgeshire. I am married with an 8 yr old daughter and three older step sons. Up untill the end of last year everything was tickety boo having recently moved to a new house which we love. Work was busy but enjoyable. I am Manager of an electrical companys maintenance department and my Wife, Linda was enjoying her job as a Nurse. The three boys are buying there own house nearby and all work locally. In November I went to my Doctors with a small "cyst" on my chest. After a couple of referals and many Xrays, pet scans, bone scans and CT scans I was told the news everybody dreads. My lump on the chest was a secondary cancer of which the primary was in my left Kidney. I was fast tracked to the Royal Brompton, under the expert care of Mr Laddas who informed a long and complicated operation would need to be carried out to remove the bone tumor and surrounding bone which involved two ribs,my collar bone and chest bone. I did not have time to panic, the operation was carried out the next day over 10 hrs. After nearly two weeks in the Brompton I am recovering well from this op but I have since been told that the Cancer is in both kidneys as well as small mets in both lungs. It seems at the moment further ops are out the question and i have been put on the drug Sutent. I am one week into this and so far so good. I do not know what the future holds but I have to remain positive.
Wedding day went without a hitch and it was truly an enjoyable and emotional event. The day began when I cooked a breakfast for Linda, tom and justin before justin went to pick up his gran and Tom and I started to get ready. We sat around for a bit watching the discovery Chanel while Linda went off for her hair doo. myself and tom then showered and got fogged up in our traditional wedding suits. By then Linda was back and she was attended to for her makeup ,she looked beautiful ,whilst the photographer took lots of pictures of all of us. Soon it was time to head to the church and we were all seated awaiting the traditional late arrival of the bride. Soon she arrived along with our Katie and all the other bridesmades and what a beautiful sight it was. I was already sobbing quietly at this point. The service went without a hitch and was filled with pure emotion and happyness. Then more pictures before making our way tobthe reception dinner. The food was exellent and was followed by our speeches, the first one being the brides mother, how we laughed at the sllip when she thanked tom for mateing Katie instead of making her happy. Thenas the best man it was my turn and I slowly read through it with laughs and tears before thanking them both for their help through a difficult year.Then |Tom did his speech, again very emotional and beutifull and I was so proud how he handled it. later it was the evening reception which went equally well and during this Kate managed to get over one hundred pounds of sponsorship for "race for life". So it was a brilliant day filled with many happy memories and we collapsed in bed at 12.30. Needless to say I'm a bit tired but not too bad and have even managed to cut all the grass today.
Bob, I'm so very glad the day went so well, you are bound to feel tired, just give yourself time to recover now its over.....hugs from me (any chance of a piccie on here?)
Hi Bob, Sooooooooh glad you had a brilliant day at your sons wedding, i can imagine how emotional it must have been and heart wrenching to do your speach,its over now and time to concentrate on your self and your next op, to get over and like last time you will and be all the better for it. Ill keep my fingers crossed it will be sooner rather than later and then you can get back on Sutant the great drug were so lucky to have. I had my 3 units of blod today so im beginning to feel better, im looking forward to wednesday to my appointment with the surgeon although im a bit nervous also. The husband of Jean Murphy phoned me tonight, i dont know if you have heard about her and her fight to get Sutant and going to the courts in London ect, well she finally got it but died last week from heart failier, its so sad. Hope a you and yours are fine take care love Fay.XX
You all looked VERY smart.....isn't it lovely to see pictures of such a special day? thanks so much for posting those, Bob.....now you can spend time getting that op and recovering again....(((((((((hugs))))))))
Wedding behind us and we spent yesterday at home relaxing and had a great day. Sunday we came home, picked up Mollie then went back to Tom and Kates for a while to relax with them. Yesterday I took Mollie for two long walks and managed a bit of weeding and watering in the garden. The weather was lovely again and it was good to spend time in the garden before im back in Hospital next Thursday. Today is Kates birthday so its her turn for attention. We bought her a new camera so lots of posing. Im so glad my operation is after wedding and birthday. I probably could have gone in last Friday but I was having none of that. ive started back on all my pills that I stoped so I didnt suffer at the wedding and could drink. Of course im still off the Sutent and not sure what the plan will be after the op. I assume I will be scanned and see what has occured whilst being off the sutent. Its been over two months now so should be a very interesting scan.
Kate had a reall good birthday and has already got the hang of the new camere we bought her. Im a bit jealous as its probably better than the little one I have. Never mind I have dropped strong hints for fathers day. we took Kate and 2 friends to a place called spymasters yesterday and they had good fun before we went for a meal out and then returned home. Kaye managed to sprain her ankle during spymasters so it was a bit of an ordeal getting her home. Her two friends slept over and they all awoke in fine form and ankle was a lot better. I think Linda was glad for the two girls to go home this morning. I have been to work today and am also planning on going in tomorrow morning. I feel ok but do seem to get a bit of backache. I am counting the days down to next Thursday and my next operation. Its hard to believe im going under the knife again already. apart from the sutent im back on all my normal pills. We are beginning to talk holidays as we both feel we thoroughly deserve one. Hope you are all ok
Tom, Katie and Kate
Linda, tom, Katie and me
