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.
I am glad you had an enjoyable evening with long lost friends. It is so important to have quality time out and enjoy yourself, by meeting people you haven't seen for years does give that short escape.
Well, despite my thinking I would be in for a rough night that was probably the best nights sleep I have had in ages. going out last night was exellent and really does give you time out from the situation we all find ourselves in. Kate took one of her friends last night and between the two of them they kept all of us occupied for the evening. On the way home we dropped Kate and Georgie off round Georgie's house and Kate has just rung to say she wont be home untill middayish. A while ago Kate would not have left my side even for a short time so it is really good that she now has the confidence to sleep out round her friends. I hope some of you have found the time to look at www.bobjk.com. This is my other ongoing diary with exerts from this diary as well as other extra snippetts. . I have set up this diary as a tribute to my love for my family and in it you will find lots of pictures from when we went on our cruise, Kates race for life and other events. I will be adding to the pictures and bringing the diary up to date over a period of thime. Some of my family who find it difficult to cope with this diary find it easier to look at. This week we have a photoshoot with cancer research to do with Kates "race for life" achievements and I hope this will put the debate of postcode lottery drugs firmly back in the headlines as we must not let the media attention falter.
Today I awoke with grandier thoughts about "right lets hit the decorating". After playing on the computer I am now going out to play, Blow the decorating, it can wait.
Last night I went to bed with a dull back ache which was probably my kidneys having a bit of a moan so I took extra co-codamol and although still there it is a lot better this morning. so " hi ho hi ho, its off to work I go.
dont bother with the decorating, i am currently at home recovering from having my kidney removed because of cancer and thought as i was feeling better i would do a little bit of painting, big mistake i couldnt quite reach one bit so used a plastic crate which broke ( must of put on a little weight being at home! ) and twisted my ankle and knee. now feel like a complete numpty. so if you do bob be careful!!!!
The crate I stand on is a reenforced old tried and tested to take my weight and beyond. Im sure your crate must have been faulty. I hope your ankle and knee recoverws soon and of course good luck with your Cancer treatment.
Another really goods nights sleep for all of us. Kate was off school yesterday and Monday with a bug but seems a lot better today. I will be dropping her off soon and then im off to work for a bit. My back ache seems a lot better than it was and I am back to my normal lesser dose of pills which always pleases me. I hope your day goes well and positive thoughts to you all.
Hi Bob, All went well at the hospital yesterday and i got my months supply of Sutant which i started today. Ive not beeen to good this past week i think i must have eaten something or caught a bug as ive had toilet problems, it seem to really take it out of me, i just felt so weak. In answer to your question about Scotland we covered the majoritry of the coast and across country also, it was all beautiful but we were there in the summer months so maybe its not so pretty now but the scenary will still be as stunning. We got about so easily because we had the motor home, are you based in Edinborough and travelling to and fro?The places ill always remember are Loch Ness and Inverness, Ben Nevis at Fort William, Culloden and travelling across country through the Trussock mountains and the Cairngorms is stunning oh and watching the seals at Cromety Firth, there is also a seal sanctary at Inverness. We also found a lovely beach about 5 miles past John o Groats called Dunnet Bay and the caravan site was right next to the beach which suits me as i dont have far to walk. Its a long drive to John o Groats and the further up you go the less scenic it becomes but then after there we drove to a place going towards the west called Altnaharra which was also lovely. Its a big place with so much to see but we loved all of it.I hope you Linda and Kate enjoy it just as much. Take care Fay.
Well another good nights sleep although I have been awake for an hour. Yesterday I had a really busy day at work although it nearly started of with a bit of a disaster. I awoke yesterday and got dressed and feeling rather lazy, slipped my shirt over my head , rather than unbutton it. I was about to walk out the door and I picked up my mobile phone, as usual and went to put it in my top pocket, as usual." What the hells going on" I thought, "I could have sworn this shirt had a top pocket" I thought. It did, I had the bloody thing on inside out. That would have been good at the office. I remember once going into work with odd shoes on, luckily both black, and having to keep my feet firmly under my desk but an inside out shirt would have been a lot harder to hide. After all that I had an enjoyable and busy day. Once home, after picking up Kate and her friend Emily from school, wee took molls the dog for a walk before I collapsed on the settee for an hour or two. Last night I settled down meaning to watch silent witnes but dont remember too much about it. I suspect a little snooze occured which is probably why I ended up awaking so early this morning. My back pain is pretty much gone, I have lost a bit of weight which is a bit worrying so I guess ill have to pig out next timeI feel like eating. What a bummer!! Today we will be spending most of the day at our local hospital with Linda's dad who is going in to day surgery for an op, so it will be a bit like home from home. Tomorrow we have the photoshoot with a scientist from cancer research whioch Kate is really looking foreward too.
