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My dad died of kidney cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. It is not as common, as kidney cancer is generally relatively slow-growing, but when it happens there isn't much that can be done.
OP, my dad had likely had his kidney tumor for more than 7 years before it was finally discovered (and it was discovered during an ultrasound looking for something else), and he had been having other issues (like blood in the urine) that doctors had attributed to other causes. His tumor, on discovery, was the size of a softball; what your doctor saw is many times smaller than that.
He had the CT scan, and then they chose to remove the kidney and its tumor. He recovered fairly well from that surgery, despite complications (the tumor had attached itself to a major blood vessel, and was positioned so that the attachment was hidden on the C scan).
At this point in time, try not to worry. Good luck today!
If your doctor will not speak to you than I suggest getting one that will. It's not acceptable for him to give you this test result & not explain what it means & what the next steps are to figure out exactly what's going on.
She didn't say or indicate he does not speak to her. She simply said he isn't the kind you just call up and expect him to talk to you. Most busy doctors do not have a lot of time to talk to patience while they are busy with appointments. She did say, she was so shocked she doesn't remember what he said. I am sure after the CT which would have been yesterday he will give her the results and take it from there.
Good news, the CT scan showed that I don't have any tumors or masses, it appears that something like my intestine was in the way of my kidney during the ultrasound.
But the radiologist who looked at the CT scan is concerned about possible septic arthritis in my hip....this all started with elevated liver enzymes and my liver is 100% fine....now I have some new blood tests to get!!!
Good news, the CT scan showed that I don't have any tumors or masses, it appears that something like my intestine was in the way of my kidney during the ultrasound.
But the radiologist who looked at the CT scan is concerned about possible septic arthritis in my hip....this all started with elevated liver enzymes and my liver is 100% fine....now I have some new blood tests to get!!!
Very comprehensive link. It does tell that kidney cancer can spread, though, in the selection about staging.
Quote:
Originally Posted by adventuregurl
Good news, the CT scan showed that I don't have any tumors or masses, it appears that something like my intestine was in the way of my kidney during the ultrasound.
But the radiologist who looked at the CT scan is concerned about possible septic arthritis in my hip....this all started with elevated liver enzymes and my liver is 100% fine....now I have some new blood tests to get!!!
It never ends!
Good news about the kidney; hope the hip turns out OK, too.
In May 2013, I ended up in the ER with severe pain in my right side. I was vomiting and Tylenol wouldn't touch the pain. An ultrasound of my right side showed nothing. I agreed to a CT scan with contrast of my abdomen. What they found shocked me...Nothing on the right side! On the left side...that was another story. They discovered that I had a 4.5 centimeter solid mass on my left kidney and a 1.7 centimeter kidney stone. They were extremely concerned about the mass. I was in horrible pain and the medication they gave me just made me sicker by causing more vomiting. Within less than two weeks I had seen a urologist and a kidney biopsy was ordered. Two weeks later I was told that the solid mass was a renal oncocytoma. These masses can actually mask cancer. I was recovering from rotator cuff surgery at this time and really didn't want to have another surgery. My urologist told me that we would take the watchful waiting approach and closely monitor the mass. If it started to grow at a quick rate, another biopsy would be done and then possible removal. Why not remove it to begin with...because I'm a diabetic and although my urologist told me I would go to a larger hospital in the area that did this type of surgery all the time and were better equipped to handle it, there is always the chance that the kidney may not work after the surgery. I have asked all types of questions and I'm fortunate that my urologist will take the time to answer every single one. I have had a few CT scans with contrast and the mass has grown very little. In just under two years it has changed from 4.5 to 4.9 centimeters in size. My next check will be in June 2015.
The stone was a different story. It caused a complete kidney blockage just after getting the news about not having cancer. I had to be transferred by ambulance to a larger hospital in our area to have a kidney stent inserted to push the stone back into the kidney and allow the kidney to drain because the blockage had caused the kidney to swell and urine to back up. I dealt with the other urologist in the practice who did the first lithotripsy to break up the stone. He decided to cancel the second procedure and because I questioned his reasons, he turned me over to the urologist I have today and is no longer with the practice. I believe everything happens for a reason, but when the first doctor told me that the reason I ended up with the stent was because I apparently couldn't handle the pain and it must have happened on a Sunday, because their patients didn't have to deal with things like this. It actually happened on a Thursday morning. The urologist I have now was on vacation and the other couldn't be reached and our local hospital didn't have another urologist on duty. He claimed I wanted him to assure me that I would not have to deal with that type of pain again, then went on to tell me that he couldn't do that and the chances of me having another blockage were very slim. This from a doctor that never showed his face before the first procedure was done or after the procedure was over. No chance to ask questions, never even spoke to me the day of the procedure. Then he told me at the follow up appointment as I'm half dressed (draped in a sheet over my lower body sitting on the exam table), that he was removing the stent. I thought perhaps the stones were crushed enough to pass, but he told me that they were smaller, just not small enough to pass on their own. I asked why he cancelled a second procedure if they weren't small enough to pass and he told me that he didn't feel that I needed it. At that point I told him he wasn't removing the stent. I wanted to plant my toe up his butt. He agreed to schedule me for another lithotripsy, but told me it wouldn't be done by him, but by his partner. Well guess what? Even after a second procedure, I ended up with another blockage (this after my current urologist removed the stone encrusted stent after the second procedure). A third procedure was done and after several weeks I passed several more stones and then passed the others last spring. I remain stone free...Thank God! I followed a low oxalate diet for over a year and drink lots of lemonade and take a supplement called Theralith XR, that is recommended by my urologist.
Kidney cancer does spread to other organs and bones. The problem is that sometimes it's not found until it's advanced. Any kidney mass used to be removed and then tested. Some urologists still follow that practice and removed the whole kidney, but what they don't tell you is that there is always a risk of something happening with the lone kidney and with diabetes, it just adds another complication!
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Kidney Mass...Renal Oncocytoma!
