I know you don’t know me but I went to school with both your mom and your dad. For starters, as you know, you have been blessed with incredible Godly parents, with unshakable faith-even in the face of great loss so early in their lives. You have an awesome support system!
I know what you mean when you say that it happened so fast. My husband and I were minding our own business, lol, when he came home from OTR truck driving on a Tuesday afternoon in 2019. He felt fine until that Tuesday night when he started passing pure blood and was in horrific pain. He decided no ER when it slacked off slightly. I had a urologist in Oxford whom I contacted as soon as they opened the next morning which was July 17. They did a CT and found that his R kidney was totally covered in, what they thought, was kidney cancer-but they would confer with their specialist in that area and let us know. “Excuse me...WHAT??!”
That was the first, “Ok, WHAT just happened??”
Thursday July 18, we were asked to come back to Oxford (from Grenada) to meet with them. Well, as you know by now, that’s almost never a good sign. And we were right. It wasn’t good. It was “Stage 4 metastatic, clear cell renal cell carcinoma”, and they would need to operate to remove the kidney the next morning to stop the hemorrhaging.
(Head spinning-almost literally)
“...Excuse us..how...what..when?!”
We left in a daze. Not much talk on the way back. I began looking on the internet. Yeah, a little goes a long way. Lol. But there really is a wealth of information out there. A site you might want to check out is called Smart Patients. It’s a patient forum (all types of diseases, not just cancers). Very organized and easily searchable.
So, on July 19, 2019 in the early am, my husband said farewell to his right kidney, and part of the right adrenal gland (clear margins and all that..you know)
But there was a mass on his L adrenal gland, and a month later, after biopsy, it was found to be the same. (It was at that time, I discovered MyChart. A very valuable tool, once you learn to stop reading imaginary things between the lines. Lol!!)
Yes, heads still spinning. Truly dazed and confused.
We met with an oncologist and Bc of the nature of the specific type of kidney cancer, and the stage, they painted a very grim picture.
But here we are! 3 1/2 years later! Praising the Lord for every day, for each one is truly a gift.
It sounds like you have excellent doctors and that they have a plan of action to rid you of this terrible thing, once and for all! You are young and strong, and with your sweet Katie as your helpmate, and your beautiful kids cheering you on each day, I know that you’re gonna beat this thing.
Funny note: I got a 3 ring binder and printed out all the labs, CT’s, path reports, etc and kept them together. I just feel better if I can see it on paper. (A generational thing, I suppose. Lol) I took that book to every appointment with whatever dr we went to. If they didn’t have it, well here it is, right? So, my husband and I had decided early on we were gonna fight to “kill” this awful thing inside of him. So...consequently, that book became known as “The Murder Book” lol! I know it’s a bit hard for some folks to understand. But I bet you get it, right away. 😄
Adam, all my life I always thought the “f” word was the most terrible word that could come out of someone’s mouth.
Now, people like you and I know it’s not.
It’s really the “c” word.
I (we) will be praying each day for you and your precious family, and we’ll be following your progress.
I didn’t mean to write a book here. (Sorry) I just felt led to let you know that in our experience, the head spinning, tornado feeling does get better.
Renee, thank you so much for this, I just got a chance to read your comment and it was very timely and helpful! I'm glad to hear that your husband is a fighter and so am I. The unknown is scary but so is the known!
I don't have a binder, but I do have a notebook full of notes and thoughts and questions and all of that stuff. There's a lot that we just don't know about cancer. I can identify with "The Murder Book" because that's what I want to do...kill it, and kill it fast. It's why I wanted to jump straight into chemo, even if it's not the best plan for me right now. I'm thankful for doctors who can set me straight on things like that.
Thank you again for your comment, I really appreciate your prayers.
I’ve had that goo myself! It definitely feels like you’re peeing yourself! I hate that y’all are going through this but i am sending every positive thought, prayer, good energy y’all’s way! I wish nothing but healing and love for you and your family!
Gosh I hate this for you. John said the same thing about the CT he had last month and yes, ALL records are on the myhealth site/app and for people like me who know the medical terms, it is even scarier to read! Praying for you and your family! Vanderbilt is a great facility!
Adam…with the love of Katie, your boys and all your other family and friends you will get through this. We will continue to pray for you! Stay strong my friend!
Hi Adam,
I know you don’t know me but I went to school with both your mom and your dad. For starters, as you know, you have been blessed with incredible Godly parents, with unshakable faith-even in the face of great loss so early in their lives. You have an awesome support system!
I know what you mean when you say that it happened so fast. My husband and I were minding our own business, lol, when he came home from OTR truck driving on a Tuesday afternoon in 2019. He felt fine until that Tuesday night when he started passing pure blood and was in horrific pain. He decided no ER when it slacked off slightly. I had a urologist in Oxford whom I contacted as soon as they opened the next morning which was July 17. They did a CT and found that his R kidney was totally covered in, what they thought, was kidney cancer-but they would confer with their specialist in that area and let us know. “Excuse me...WHAT??!”
That was the first, “Ok, WHAT just happened??”
Thursday July 18, we were asked to come back to Oxford (from Grenada) to meet with them. Well, as you know by now, that’s almost never a good sign. And we were right. It wasn’t good. It was “Stage 4 metastatic, clear cell renal cell carcinoma”, and they would need to operate to remove the kidney the next morning to stop the hemorrhaging.
(Head spinning-almost literally)
“...Excuse us..how...what..when?!”
We left in a daze. Not much talk on the way back. I began looking on the internet. Yeah, a little goes a long way. Lol. But there really is a wealth of information out there. A site you might want to check out is called Smart Patients. It’s a patient forum (all types of diseases, not just cancers). Very organized and easily searchable.
So, on July 19, 2019 in the early am, my husband said farewell to his right kidney, and part of the right adrenal gland (clear margins and all that..you know)
But there was a mass on his L adrenal gland, and a month later, after biopsy, it was found to be the same. (It was at that time, I discovered MyChart. A very valuable tool, once you learn to stop reading imaginary things between the lines. Lol!!)
Yes, heads still spinning. Truly dazed and confused.
We met with an oncologist and Bc of the nature of the specific type of kidney cancer, and the stage, they painted a very grim picture.
But here we are! 3 1/2 years later! Praising the Lord for every day, for each one is truly a gift.
It sounds like you have excellent doctors and that they have a plan of action to rid you of this terrible thing, once and for all! You are young and strong, and with your sweet Katie as your helpmate, and your beautiful kids cheering you on each day, I know that you’re gonna beat this thing.
Funny note: I got a 3 ring binder and printed out all the labs, CT’s, path reports, etc and kept them together. I just feel better if I can see it on paper. (A generational thing, I suppose. Lol) I took that book to every appointment with whatever dr we went to. If they didn’t have it, well here it is, right? So, my husband and I had decided early on we were gonna fight to “kill” this awful thing inside of him. So...consequently, that book became known as “The Murder Book” lol! I know it’s a bit hard for some folks to understand. But I bet you get it, right away. 😄
Adam, all my life I always thought the “f” word was the most terrible word that could come out of someone’s mouth.
Now, people like you and I know it’s not.
It’s really the “c” word.
I (we) will be praying each day for you and your precious family, and we’ll be following your progress.
I didn’t mean to write a book here. (Sorry) I just felt led to let you know that in our experience, the head spinning, tornado feeling does get better.
Renee, thank you so much for this, I just got a chance to read your comment and it was very timely and helpful! I'm glad to hear that your husband is a fighter and so am I. The unknown is scary but so is the known!
I don't have a binder, but I do have a notebook full of notes and thoughts and questions and all of that stuff. There's a lot that we just don't know about cancer. I can identify with "The Murder Book" because that's what I want to do...kill it, and kill it fast. It's why I wanted to jump straight into chemo, even if it's not the best plan for me right now. I'm thankful for doctors who can set me straight on things like that.
Thank you again for your comment, I really appreciate your prayers.
I’ve had that goo myself! It definitely feels like you’re peeing yourself! I hate that y’all are going through this but i am sending every positive thought, prayer, good energy y’all’s way! I wish nothing but healing and love for you and your family!
-kayla
It truly is an awkward, weird experience! Thank you for your words!
Gosh I hate this for you. John said the same thing about the CT he had last month and yes, ALL records are on the myhealth site/app and for people like me who know the medical terms, it is even scarier to read! Praying for you and your family! Vanderbilt is a great facility!
Thank you Christina! I appreciate that. I feel well taken care of, and I'm learning not to Google everything...haha.
Adam…with the love of Katie, your boys and all your other family and friends you will get through this. We will continue to pray for you! Stay strong my friend!
Thank you Jim, I appreciate you! I'm fighting as hard as I can!