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.
My daughter Kate aged 9 is again taking part in this years "Race for Life" to raise much needed funds for Cancer research uk. If anyone could sponsor her both cancer research and I would be extremely gratefull. her link to sponsor online is http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/katejakubiak
Beginning to feel better in myself although my get up and go has once again got up and gone. I spent last night emailing all my contacts to try and get Kates race for life sponsorship going and after a fair nights sleep have been out to get ribbon for the wedding car and also got a hair cut. Then popped to se my mum and also my sister beforenjust returning home. spoke to my gp who told me my blood count was 11.5 which is good and means it is going up. Time to get tea on the go for the old girlie so a sheps pie is in order and hopefully turns out better than the korma I did yesterday. I put the rice on, then came on here and forgot all about it and the rice was ruined, batch two wasn't much better, ooops.
spoke to the docdtors at the marsden tonight and at the moment their thinking is to keep me off the sutent and carry out the second kidney operation sooner rather than later. I need to get my head round this as im very unsure in my own mind of the best option. It was explained to me that the right kidney tumour is still at an operable size and basically they didnt wish to "miss the boat". This makes me think that they think the sutent will not shrink the tumour again and they do not want to leave it to chance. Im nervous as mets could be growing , or new mets formed. I will sleep on it.
Well both Linda and I had a restless nights sleep as we pondered over the options. I spoke to a member of my team at the marsden and he re-iterated the reasons for going in again so soon.
Basically
The tumour is still at an operable size
No guarantees Sutent would stop further growth or give further reduction
As far as they know (apart from small lung mets) no further spread of cancer.
As I am off sutent, recovery would be better and healing would be quicker.
Also they think the kidney left is the more aggressive of the two and want to get rid of it.
The only against would be if I were not up to another operation which is not the case so what is my excuse for not going ahead.
The only ones I can think of are Tommys wedding and Kates birthday.
Hi Bob Sounds like you have some decisions to make. How soon are they talking about you having to go in and have the second op? When is Tommys wedding? It didnt take you to long to recover from the first op so maybe you can get the op done as soon as and still be able to go to the wedding as I know how much you have been looking forward to it. Maybe they could do the op after the wedding and Kates birthday? I think its good news they can now do the other kidney but its a thought having the op so soon after the first.
Hope you and Linda can decide whats best. Good luck and I am thinking of you all.
Bob, its a tough decision to make but I'm sure that in your heart of hearts you have probably made it, really......you have picked up so fast after the last one, that you shouldn't have too many doubts about recovery after the next. Yes, the dates do need to work out for you, if possible, lets hope they can! another ((((((((hug)))))) sounds needed while you decide.
Thinking of you and Linda as you try to decide what option is best for you. I know that it is not easy. I am sure though that you will make the right decision for you and that Linda will support you in your decision. If you do decide to have the operation i hope that they can do it in a different hospital so that you are better taken care of than last time. Take care.
I feel so much better in myself and actually managed a stint at work today. Although now I do feel tired at least discomfort is minimal. I am going back in tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how I am at the weekend.
As far as the operation goes we are waiting for a date which will not be released until next week at the earliest. I hope its done on monday for some time soon after Tommys wedding and Kates birthday, and as you say Lorraine, ideally at a different hospital. If thats the only hospital available I think I would take it as at least we are for warned of their pitfalls and surely I cannot be unlucky twice!!!. My wound has healed really well and is ready to go back on the sutent should I need to. As things stand we are going for the operation but if things are delayed too long I will be putting myself back on the Sutent.
