please tell me thats not the norm

I just read the post below about the girl that lost her dad.  I am so sorry for her loss, but now I am scared.  My husband had his right kidney taken a year ago in March and is doing well.  He didn't have to go on any meds or have any other treatments.  He has had numerous cat scans since and they say everything looks good.  Is it common for kidney cancer patients to have further problems later on?  I know anything can happen to anyone believe me I found that out the last 2 years.  He was in a car accident that almost took his life, and thats when we found out he also had cancer.  Then they found a spot on his lung, but they say it is not to worry about, he has had numerous cat scans of the lung also.  He has 1 more in Feb. and if it is the same he dosen't have to see the lung dr anymore.  He still sees the urologist and the cancer dr., but they say all looks good.  I can't help but worry now that this may start all over again  I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm whineing, when there are so many people that are dealing with this disease, but seriously that post scares me.

 

On 6/19/2009 sher3 wrote:

I just read the post below about the girl that lost her dad.  I am so sorry for her loss, but now I am scared.  My husband had his right kidney taken a year ago in March and is doing well.  He didn't have to go on any meds or have any other treatments.  He has had numerous cat scans since and they say everything looks good.  Is it common for kidney cancer patients to have further problems later on?  I know anything can happen to anyone believe me I found that out the last 2 years.  He was in a car accident that almost took his life, and thats when we found out he also had cancer.  Then they found a spot on his lung, but they say it is not to worry about, he has had numerous cat scans of the lung also.  He has 1 more in Feb. and if it is the same he dosen't have to see the lung dr anymore.  He still sees the urologist and the cancer dr., but they say all looks good.  I can't help but worry now that this may start all over again  I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm whineing, when there are so many people that are dealing with this disease, but seriously that post scares me.

Don't be afraid.  That post did bring out a lot of responses.  Some negative, some positive.  You have to be strong & believe & do not give up hope.  I was cancer free for 11 years before my RCC returned & my oncologist is looking at this cancer now as a chronic disease & feels I will be around for a long, long time.  That gives me a lot of hope & so far so good.  My treatment is going very well & I am feeling very good.  My life has not changed one bit.  And more & more drugs are coming out for treating this.  11 years ago there wasn't any treatment.  Take care.

Joanne

There are many kidney cancer patients who have their kidney removed and never have to deal with kidney cancer again.  It's been 14 years since my sister had her nephrectomy for kidney cancer and she has not had a recurrence.  However, kidney cancer has a nasty habit of occasionally returning many years after a nephrectomy.  When it does it is frequently just in one or two places and can be successfully treated if found soon enough, so it is important to continue regular checks for life.  The risk of the cancer returning increases with the size of the tumor removed, and most people who have a nephrectomy for a small tumor that has not spread need no further treatment.

 My sister had a nephrectomy for kidney cancer 14 years ago and it has never recurred. 

 On email lists, you will hear more bad stories than good because people whose cancer has not returned put it out of their mind and rarely mention it.  Those who need help are more visible but not necessarily more numerous. 

There are no guarantees for any of us, but there is always hope.  Everyday, there is something new that is discovered in the quest to find cures for cancer.  I once asked my husband's onc., "What do we do if this doesn't work?" He told me that he didn't know and we would cross that bridge when we came.  He said he couldn't speculate because there was so much research being done that by the time he had to answer my question, there could be something completely different to do.  I took a deep breath and then relaxed. I realized that there were no pat answers for me and that each day was a precious gift.  I spend little time worrying and only feel real solid concern if my husband has a bad day, which happens ever once in awhile, but not often.  He has lived with cancer for 7 years, going through various treatments.  He is a person who considers this cancer an imposition in his life, but not the controller of his life.  I stay positive and offer positive thoughts to him.  If I feel sad or negative, I have other people to tell those things to and I pray a lot. My husband tells me that I am what keeps him going.  God is what keeps me going.  When we first started this, three drugs that are now available were not. Sometimes the cancer comes back and sometimes it doesn't.  Please, please, please, don't spend your time worrying.  Be grateful that your husband survived the car accident and now the cancer and live life with vigor.  None of us knows if we will be here another day anyway.

 

Keep your head up and try to keep positive!

Wynette

I am now 18 months cancer-free after a right nephrectomy in January 2008, and have had 6 month ct scans all along with no recurrence.  Mine was limited to within the kidney capsule and so I have been told that there is a good chance I will never have to worry about it again.  Nevertheless, I keep going to an oncologist and having regular tests just in case.  This is not a cancer to play with because it is hard to treat by other than surgical means and wherever it pops up it is still renal cancer - even in the lungs, liver, or whatever - so regular treatment for those types of cancers will not kill it.  Your husband should just keep having his regular check ups when the onc. requests him to, and in between, put it out of both your minds like my husband and I do, and live your lives and enjoy.  No one has a lease on life and we have to make the best of every day.  I remember that my Mom quoted a saying that she liked that goes something like this "yesterday is a memory, tomorrow a dream, today is all we have and so we must make the best of it."  Good luck to both you and your husband and may we all live to a ripe old age.