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, truly inspiring. I first visited your blog back in November last year, when my mum was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer. Some of your recomendations certainly helped her, allthough unfortunately she was never well enough to start on the Sutent, and passed away in January, less than 3 months from her first showing the signs of poor health.
I hadn't visited this site for a while, so have caught up with your diary. It is an amazing story and I wish you every luck in your continued battle with this illness. It offers great hopes to both carers and those affected by this horrible predicament.
Just had another session withy nurse Linda and wound is still leaking from three points. I seem to have pockets of fluid under the scar which needs to be drained off. My hols have been packed and dressed and im ready for the day ahead. The wouns site itself is not megger painfull but once again im beginning to react to every type of dressing tried and am getting sores all around the wound site. I can face all the prodding and all that goes with the wound but the bit I dread the most is pealing off the old dressing as the surrounding area is so sore. hopefully a few more days wil see a change in all this. Tuesday I go back to London for a bone scan and then its back to see proffesor Gore the following Monday for the results.
Awwww, Bob, so sorry your skin is so raw, hope that soon you can have no dressings at all, but I guess that'll be a while yet. Will be thinking of you with the coming investigations, just hope they are by now all reacted to the Sutent and are all better than they were.
After popping into cambridge this morning, I managed a short walk around town before feeling not so good. I was very glad to get back to the car and for Linda to get me back home. I have spent the rest of the day in bed and hopefully will benefit from that tomorrow.I have had a good tea and nurse Linda has just changed my dressing. The skin is so raw I was swearing and screaming as the old dressing came off but I know there is no alternative to it. Linda has tried something a bit different but the fear is it will not stay on. I am getting a bit tired of watching grand designs although would love to stay at the last property which was a castle being run as a B and B ( yes you were right Linda ( she said we had seen it before). We need to pick up a new digital thermometer as our one says my temp is only 32.6. I did start to panic until linda tried it on herself. Never mind heres to tomorrow. Happy fathers day all you dads out there. I intent to be waited on hand and foot (no change there then.)
Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time with the dressings. Trevor had the same trouble after his operation ie reactions to dressings and he ended up with the most enormous blisters, when i was changing the dressings for Trevor i always tried to put them in a slightly different position than the time before which ran the risk of more areas becoming inflamed but it helped manage the pain when the dressings were coming off. At times i put dressings on that were a lot bigger than needed and at 1 point Trevor looked like a reject teletubbie lol. I hope that the wounds dry up soon as then you will be able to do without the dressings and your skin will start to feel better. Take care and have a great Father's Day.
I think its fair to say I had a pretty uncomfortable day yesterday but on the bright side feel better today. All our boys are popping over today which is great news. Kate and Linda presented me with a new Camera and wallet which is great. 12 point .something megapixels, amaizing. Im trying to resist the urge to get up and go as I know ill be no good for nothing if I do. so im sitting here , quietly conforming to my nurses Linda wishes.
