Cancer Survivors

[matchframe]

How many cancer survivors are here?

I am a cancer survivor! Last July I woke up in tremendous pain. My wife took me to the ER where they did a CT Scan to confirm my first kidney stone. The Doc came in the room and said, yes, you have a kidney stone in your right kidney, and oh by the way, your left kidney has a mass that you might want to get checked out.

Much longer story shorter, I ended up at MD Anderson to have part of my left kidney removed. It took me about 6 weeks to recover enough to go back to work, but since I lost so much blood during surgery, they said that it would probably be about a year before I feel like I did before all of this started to happen. Everyday I do feel a little better, but other days are tough to get through.

I never thought I would have cancer..... that always happened to someone else. Now it's personal. Interesting how other cancer patients find you and there is an instant bond. I call that one and only kidney stone I had that day last July my "God's Gift". If not for that stone, I would have found out about the mass only when it was too late to save the kidney, or worse, when it started to spread to other organs.

I am now cancer free, but I have to go back next May for a routine CT Scan and then every year after that to make sure it does not return.


Any other cancer survivors here?

[4.3LXJ]

I am not a cancer survivor, but my mother and sister died from it. So we are very conscious of things like diet, smoking and drinking in this house. So far, I have outlived them both.

[Mudderoy]

How many cancer survivors are here?

I am a cancer survivor! Last July I woke up in tremendous pain. My wife took me to the ER where they did a CT Scan to confirm my first kidney stone. The Doc came in the room and said, yes, you have a kidney stone in your right kidney, and oh by the way, your left kidney has a mass that you might want to get checked out.

Much longer story shorter, I ended up at MD Anderson to have part of my left kidney removed. It took me about 6 weeks to recover enough to go back to work, but since I lost so much blood during surgery, they said that it would probably be about a year before I feel like I did before all of this started to happen. Everyday I do feel a little better, but other days are tough to get through.

I never thought I would have cancer..... that always happened to someone else. Now it's personal. Interesting how other cancer patients find you and there is an instant bond. I call that one and only kidney stone I had that day last July my "God's Gift". If not for that stone, I would have found out about the mass only when it was too late to save the kidney, or worse, when it started to spread to other organs.

I am now cancer free, but I have to go back next May for a routine CT Scan and then every year after that to make sure it does not return.


Any other cancer survivors here?

Well very glad to hear it was found and removed. Scary stuff. My Dad had a mild heart attack and during the double bypass they found cancer in the tip of one lung. They removed that part and he survived another five years. He was a smoker from the age of 16. He died very young, I was only 24.

I have never liked smoking and even less after this.

Recently I had a Jeep repair injury that was taking a long time to heal. I mentioned it to my doctor and she said things don't take months to heal. She had me go to a dermatologist. He looked thought it was the fairly common and easily curable basil cell carcinoma. The did a biopsy on it and to my surprise it was cancerous. Even thought it's really simple and nearly 100% cure rate I still felt a little less sure of my health. I've accepted it now but some of that feeling of invincibility is gone.

They cut it out then cauterized it. It's about mid fore arm right side. So technically I guess I'm a cancer survivor but I think I'd fall under cancer for wussies! :D

[OrangeXJ]

I had skin cancer and my wife is a breast cancer surviver so I know what its like to have a major cancer

[matchframe]

Well very glad to hear it was found and removed. Scary stuff. My Dad had a mild heart attack and during the double bypass they found cancer in the tip of one lung. They removed that part and he survived another five years. He was a smoker from the age of 16. He died very young, I was only 24.

I have never liked smoking and even less after this.

Recently I had a Jeep repair injury that was taking a long time to heal. I mentioned it to my doctor and she said things don't take months to heal. She had me go to a dermatologist. He looked thought it was the fairly common and easily curable basil cell carcinoma. The did a biopsy on it and to my surprise it was cancerous. Even thought it's really simple and nearly 100% cure rate I still felt a little less sure of my health. I've accepted it now but some of that feeling of invincibility is gone.

They cut it out then cauterized it. It's about mid fore arm right side. So technically I guess I'm a cancer survivor but I think I'd fall under cancer for wussies! :D

:) I don't think there is cancer for wussies. Good to hear they got it taken care of. :thumbsup:

[KH96XJ]

Always good to hear when others make a full recovery.

My Dad had a growth on one of his kidneys two years ago and they recommended having the kidney removed because they thought it was cancerous. After the surgery they gave him the good news and bad news. The bad news was the growth wasn't cancerous. The good news was there was a smaller cancerous growth right behind it they never saw on the scans.

[matchframe]

I had skin cancer and my wife is a breast cancer surviver so I know what its like to have a major cancer

Good to hear that it is history! :thumbsup:

[matchframe]

Always good to hear when others make a full recovery.

My Dad had a growth on one of his kidneys two years ago and they recommended having the kidney removed because they thought it was cancerous. After the surgery they gave him the good news and bad news. The bad news was the growth wasn't cancerous. The good news was there was a smaller cancerous growth right behind it they never saw on the scans.

It is amazing that sometimes cancer is found "by chance". Great to hear that they found it!

[matchframe]

I had a CT Scan done last week and went to back to MD Anderson last Wednesday to talk with the Dr. about the results. They were concerned about something they saw in my post op CT Scan last Fall which could have been a small mass on my left lung. Anyway the news I got last Wednesday is I am Cancer Free!! The spots they were concerned about ended up being a result of some previous virus and pose no threat.

[Mudderoy]

I had a CT Scan done last week and went to back to MD Anderson last Wednesday to talk with the Dr. about the results. They were concerned about something they saw in my post op CT Scan last Fall which could have been a small mass on my left lung. Anyway the news I got last Wednesday is I am Cancer Free!! The spots they were concerned about ended up being a result of some previous virus and pose no threat.

Excellent. Sounds like exactly what happened to my Dad. The saw something after a mild heart attack and while doing a double bypass. Unfortunately his was cancer. He smoked from the age of 16 until the day of his heart attack.

[LizardRunner]

Yes indeed, cancer is not always found by looking for it specificly. I've had three skin cancers so far, all removed completely. I have a partial new nose, a nice eye to hair line scar and a nick out of one ear. Get to go in next month for my checkup. So far, every trip has been a whittling event.

[Mudderoy]

Yes indeed, cancer is not always found by looking for it specificly. I've had three skin cancers so far, all removed completely. I have a partial new nose, a nice eye to hair line scar and a nick out of one ear. Get to go in next month for my checkup. So far, every trip has been a whittling event.

Too many years in the Sun my friend.