Diagnosed yesterday over phone - shell-shocked!

Exactly how I was diagnosed. First things first, don't assume the worse.....we all do it but it doesn't help. Secondly, speak to the helpline here. I did and got so much comfort and reassurance from it. And finally, don't try to go it alone. There's alot of support available so make sure you use it. 

Best of luck

Me too but mine was 29th march and I'm still waiting for surgery, and it's mine and my husvands mental health that suffers the most 

I had one of those. Just as the Jubilee started a chap rang and said my CT scan had shown "a bit of a lump on my kidney". Just like that.

Have seen Urology surgeon who was really frank but in a caring way. Large tumour on left kidney, which has spread to adrenal gland and part of a vein. Feel like I’m in the middle of the worst nightmare. The plan is to remove the kidney, adrenal gland and cancerous part of vein. It’s more difficult because I feel perfectly normal, and trying to carry on as normal till the operation. Thanks for listening.

There are plenty of people here who have had radical nephrectomies. There is nothing to it ! Hope you get a date soon. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Hi Freed,

Like you, I found out on the telephone, the only symptoms I had was passing blood (once) which I assumed was a stone or something. I felt like a fraud as I was walking around like normal. This isn’t uncommon. I found reading the stories here helped a lot, also asking questions - there is so much experience on this site. I’m six weeks on from saying goodbye to righty and apart from problems with an infection in a wound, gradually getting back to living my life. Back to work next week. Stay strong and see your operation as the start of the next stage. Take little steps and focus on those. 
good luck, Don

Freed, I hope you're as well as can be. I had a radical nephrectomy of the left kidney last September. The operation was really straightforward. Yours sounds a little more complicated but hopefully not much more in reality to the surgeon. At the time, I was told that I had cancer over a very broken mobile phone call (bad signal & kept cutting out). But they didn't know whether it had spread, I had to wait until the CT scan. I was initially devastated, but had a good call with my GP the next morning to put things in better context. Then the CT scan & operation followed very quickly on, within weeks. You'll be sore for the first few days, up to a week maybe, you'll hopefully see improvement day by day but definitely week by week. I was still a bit out of breath Walking after 3 weeks. Don't worry if you feel more tired one particular day. For me, I was able to believe I was getting the best care, the quickest it could be, which was very reassuring. I actually enjoyed the time off work 7 weeks or so. It was a very good time, time for myself & my own personal development. Walking to parks, coffees with friends etc. Best wishes for it & take care. 

not the best way to give results

face to face is the ideal way

i was told and got to see my CT scan with the urologist pointing the position of the tumour

then next door with the specialist nurse who went over things again

Hi Freed.... snap! I had an identical diagnosis to you ( with the addition of various lymph nodes removed) April 22 and surgery June 22. It's alot to take on (understatment ) but stay positive and you will get through it all.  I wasn't surprised to get the news over the phone based on the amount of effort it takes to try to see a doctor at my local GP. In fact I never saw the doctor in person from start to finish , just a nurse practioner in the first instance who wasn't concerned and put me on an 8 week wait for initial ultrasound investigation. I paid to go private, had scan within 4 days! and then finally got the phone call from the doctor!