BOB JK My diary of kidney cancer (to be continued)
FormerMember
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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.
Bob, I do hope that toe of yours is ok, 'R-I-C-E'....rest, ice, compression and elevation for sprains and things, certainly ice will do good, even if a day or so goes by without you doing it!
Toe is ok today thanks both of you, I Helen I see you have done the first aid bit, I rember that from my old St John Ambulance days, I could tell you a tale or two about that, Like the time I drove a rather high ambulance under a rather low bridge and luckilly only lost both of the blue lights. I also remember driving a automatic ambulance down a hill and going for the "clutch" as I reached the bottom of the hill and screeching to a halt and the nurse who was in the back, slid along the floor and ended up between the two front seats, her glasses bent and twisted all over the place. We still laugh about it now
We set of nice and early to London today and what a good job we did, we left our house at soon after six and did not get their until nine. once there I went to dracula to have my blood taken and checked before going to see my Oncologist. He said I looked really well and was very interested to see how I was coping with the Sutent as it is a bit of an unknown to be off it for as long as was and then to go back on it. I told him that I was generally ok and coping well apart from off days, which we all get. I also said about my cough going which he was also very interested in, hopefully this means the sutent is working as they think the cough was linked to the tumours on my lymph glands in my chest and irritating the lungs. We also spoke about the possibility of more gamma knife surgery on brain and I suggested we worked my brain scans just before my next two week break so that , if i need further gamma knife, it could be done, if possible, during my two week break. He thought it was a good idea and he electronically sent a letter th my man at the Crompton. and suggested we rang them, We did one better than that and called in at the Crompton on the way home and arranged it ourselves so it was dealt with. On the way home we had a meal at a very nice pub we know (and a pint) and then home to sleep for a bit. So my brain scan will be in just over three weeks time and all my other scans will follow shortly after, I can't wait.
Hope the toe is better Bob, level 28 wow my grandson built a waterfall the info is on youtube, too complicated for me but may give it a go when I can buy rivers. But then again may just fish all day.
Another early start to the day as Kate has a school trip. We had to get her to her school at half past seven and she will be out all day and home soon after six. She has been a bit under the weather for the last few days and I think we all are a bit coldy or fluey. She could not sleep last night and so I ended up sleeping with her in her double bed but all night she kept nicking all of the quilt so I woke up freezing. We have dosed her up with everything as she really wanted to go and she does seem a lot better.
I have one more day off the Sutent before starting my second cycle. I still feel pretty good apart from this cold and sore throat which im sure will clear up soon. Appertite is really good and in fact my weight has gained a few pounds.
Soon we are taking the car to the garage as the engine managment light has come on, then im off for a short day at work.
Bob, I hope you shake that cold off very soon, its the last thing you want! A duvet day has to help.....I'm sure you are being well dosed with Vitamins!
I feel much better for my lazy day and in fact have now got up and been with Linda to pick up Kate. She is a bit tired after her long day yesterday at the black country museum near Birmingham. She had a great time, we had dosed her up with calpol and that saw her through the day. We thought she would be really off school today through feeling tired and a bit fluey but she has been fine. We have just had a ten minute consultation with Kates teacher and she is really pleased with how Kate is doing at school. I asked her questions about the preperation for moving up to her big school just in case im not around when it happens, which was hard but necessary. Now im ready for my Liver and onions tea and then a nice relaxing evening. Im hoping to get into work tomorrow afternoon after we have been to a group councelling session tomorrow.
Again Im feeling a lot better today. I have a head cold which made my night a bit uncomfortable and I ended up comming downstairs and using a vick steam to clear my head a bit and that did seem to make it better. I seem to be experiencing a lot of whooshing sounds in my head and im not really sure if its down to the cold, as I had it a bit before the cold, or to the mets or the gamma knife treatment of them. Already I have just taken the dog for a walk and also gave the lawns what I vainly hope might be their last cut. I have taken my pills which Linda has adjusted to suit the way im feeling and I have also taken my sutent, second day, second cycle, second phase. Last night when I was at Kates consultation, two people said to me "dont you look well" so Thats really good as sometimes I look in the mirror and hate what I see. We have a video and photos from when Linda did my suporise party and I hardly recognise myself. I would put a picture or two on here but I cannot even try to work out how to do it. I do hope the people that were following my progress have managed to find me again and I sincerely hope it still helps others trying to come to terms with this illness. I am, as I have said before, positive but also a realist and continue to make the best of the situation I find myself in. We as a family are very close and strong and together we make a great team.
