Presumed kidney cancer

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Hi, 32 year old male, had a dull ache in left testicle just over 4 weeks ago. Was referred for an ultrasound just as a precaution. Pain seemed to get worse later that week so saw GP again and he did a urine sample which showed microscopic blood, sent off to lab and came back all normal. I moved my ultrasound to an earlier date because I suffer with the waiting once something has worried me and luckily they had a date available sooner (original date was 1st December). Had the ultrasound and about an hour later the GP called and said they’d found a 4cm mass on my left kidney so he was urgently referring for a CT scan of the full upper body which panicked the life out of me. Had the CT and a urology appointment around 6 days after the ultrasound and the urologist had the images but no report but he said the mass was 3-4cm and didn’t seem overly worried. I was checking the NHS app for the CT results and 2 days later they got uploaded so I copied them to Chat GPT so it could translate into normal wording for me, I had some relief as I’d convinced myself If it’s cancer it will have spread and I’d even started feeling pains which I think were in my head because after the results said that there were no signs of spread my anxiety eased and the pains weren’t there anymore. 8 days after the results I had a phone call for another urology appointment because they’d discussed my case in the MDT meeting the day before, so my appointment was the next day. They said presumed cancer and the next step is to have my kidney/ the tumour removed, I’m hoping it can be a partial as I’m worried about the future if I’ve only got 1 kidney and something else happens. The measurements from the CT were 3.7 x 3.8 x 4.1 and it’s mid-upper pole. They said the Ache in my testicle was unrelated which I’m glad I pursued as the ache only lasted 1 week and I could have probably ignored it. I feel strange now because I haven’t got any symptoms but I’ve potentially got cancer. I’m trying to be positive but today has been an on and off day where I find myself googling/ looking through forums etc. My appointment yesterday didn’t tell me anything more than I knew from the CT report I’d read but hearing presumed cancer come out of a doctors mouth and then being given the folder and being spoken to by the uro-oncology nurse was a bit overwhelming and has brought me back into the dark cloud thinking I was in while I was in limbo waiting for scans etc. I’ve got a girlfriend I’ve been with for over 13 years, 2 daughters and a big supportive family and good friends but I think it would be good to speak to people in a similar situation if possible. Sorry for the long post. 

  • Hi

     sorry to hear your news. I think we have all regardless of age gone through a similar thinking process at first diagnosis. Your key people are your named nurses. I also have a hospital app and it can be a bit of a mixed blessing in every result goes there and I find myself looking up the medical term still (5 years later). Each journey is unique so can only speak for myself. 

    my diagnosis we like most people related to tests for a different condition. Like you the good thing is it’s not painful and to the rest of the world you will look in good health no different than before diagnosis. It’s great that like me it’s just in the kidney. I had a full nephrectomy on left kidney and also lost the adrenaline gland at the same time (it was a surgery decision) and apart from the recovery time having one kidney made no difference to my lifestyle ( well I guess I eat a lot cleaner avoiding salts etc) 

    you get monitored for 5 years,  the fact that they said remove the tumour looks like they may be looking at a part nephrectomy which I wasn’t offered tome because of positioning of my cancer. So it’s will be preparing your family for the recovery period which again is individual but it really is worth listening to the guidance and although you may feel you can do more care in recovery means so much for later well-being. 

    Things will start to move quickly now you have had your MDT and kidney cancer I’m told grows slowly. I’m currently I’m functioning on half a kidney and again doing everything I did before and gfr ( glomerular filtration) rate has varied little. 

    take good care 

    1. Bad luck.. it's all a bit of a blur of worry when these things suddenly hit you. I had zero symptoms, suddenly rushed into A&E with extreme pain, violent vomiting, thick red blood in the pee. They thought it was kidney stones but it turned out to be a big tumour in the kidney. Felt fine after the initial explosion. Whole kidney removed a few weeks later. That was a year ago. I feel no different, my one kidney is functioning fine. The operation and recovery time are not minor but perfectly manageable. I did need strong painkillers for a couple of weeks but after that paracetamol for a few days then nothing. My scars healed really well. Energy levels took a while to be restored. But I was 73, and we are all different! A friend of my son had her kidney removed aged 30 and 8 years on is super fit and well. 
  • Thanks for the reply, hopefully whatever it turns out to be the operation sorts it out. Glad you’re feeling back to normal.

  • Thanks for the reply, where was yours located if you don’t mind me asking? And was it a similar size to mine? I feel lucky that it’s been found on the one hand but then I’m gutted it’s there on the other hand. I’ve not cried yet but keep finding myself tearing up thinking about it, maybe I need a good cry to release some of the feelings around it and then hopefully have the operation and can move past it and start being fully happy again. Since they found it I’m also eating clean, I’ve ditched sugar and as much crappy food as possible, I don’t drink pop or alcohol anymore. I wasn’t a big alcohol drinker anyway but I’m just really paranoid now, struggling to find the balance of enjoying food and drinks and being healthy. I’ve lost a lot of weight since through the worry and cutting the crap out. I wasn’t fat or anything before but I can tell I’ve lost weight in my face/clothing etc. Glad to hear you’re back to good health even on half a kidney.

  • Hi my first one  was at the opening of the ureter hence the need for total removal.the cancer itself was I’m told only stage 2. Once the partial or full nephrectomy has been done you have annual scans. In retrospect my advice would be to ask question about any shadows or inconsistencies from the previous scan when you get the feedback from your post operative scans.  

    it dosent stop the big emotions of a diagnosis it takes time to process and it’s ok! Sound like you have a good support group of family and friend around you. Sometime they need permission to talk about anything around you - just cuts the fear they will also have for you. 


    keep us updated once you know your plan 

    take good care 

  • Hi, ahhh right. Still learning about it but finding it hard to be positive still at the moment. Hope your second is getting sorted for you! I don’t mind people talking about it but I don’t want to be treat like I’m ill if that makes sense even though I know it’s a serious thing if it turns out to be cancerous which they’re leaning towards until proven otherwise. I just don’t want family and friends thinking of me any different. Yes I’ll definitely take your advice and question everything, as soon as they said presumed cancer I asked what has been scanned and if everything else was normal etc and they’ve said everything is as it should be other than the mass. My other kidney and the rest of my left kidney tissue all looks as it should be thankfully. I just need to start doing some of the more practical things now like talking to my life insurance to see what I can get financially because my work is heavy manual work and I’m self employed so I need to make sure I’m covered whilst I’m recovering from whatever operation they decide to do.

    likewise about the updates. Thanks again for the replies, it’s appreciated Thumbsup tone2