Yesterday (6-3-19) I waited at home while Lindsay went to see her orthopedic surgeon to have the 28 staples removed from her amputation incision. I was hoping all went well and waited anxiously. She returned and the first thing out of her mouth was that she needed surgery on her left knee. The meniscus in her knee had torn once again from compensating due to pain. We knew this was inevitable but still cringed at the prospect of yet another surgery. Her staples did come out without any incidence. The knee surgery has been scheduled for this Friday, June 7th. It should be a routine procedure with a comparatively easy recovery. Performing the surgery now will allow for her left knee to be fully healed and strong for when the time comes to get her prosthetic leg.
We still had an appointment today, on June 4th, with Lindsay's urologist regarding the mass found accidentally on her kidney. This mass was discovered after she had a bad reaction to the hyperbaric oxygen pressure chamber treatments and they did a CT scan of her torso (followed by an MRI to further investigate the kidney mass). Finding this mass was a blessing in disguise, if you will.
Lindsay and I waited in the examination room of her urologist ready to take in whatever news he had. He entered and gave his greetings and we got down to business. The doctor pulled up the MRI scan that was taken two months ago and showed us the mass that was sitting right on the top of her kidney. He spoke a little bit about it in terms of its size and location. He then gave us three choices:
We still had an appointment today, on June 4th, with Lindsay's urologist regarding the mass found accidentally on her kidney. This mass was discovered after she had a bad reaction to the hyperbaric oxygen pressure chamber treatments and they did a CT scan of her torso (followed by an MRI to further investigate the kidney mass). Finding this mass was a blessing in disguise, if you will.
Lindsay and I waited in the examination room of her urologist ready to take in whatever news he had. He entered and gave his greetings and we got down to business. The doctor pulled up the MRI scan that was taken two months ago and showed us the mass that was sitting right on the top of her kidney. He spoke a little bit about it in terms of its size and location. He then gave us three choices:
- We could wait and watch it to see what it does.
- We could have a biopsy done to see if it is malignant or benign.
- We could have the mass removed in its entirety.
Lindsay grabbed my hand as we went through each option. Waiting to see what it does didn't really appeal to any of us. Since the scan was two months old we don't really know what it has done since and waiting would cause unnecessary worry. We considered a biopsy for a moment until the doctor told us that even a biopsy could be diagnostically inconclusive. And furthermore, whether it is malignant or benign, it would still need to be removed. The last option seemed like the most logical choice. The doctor recommended to remove the mass in its entirety.
Upon further conversation the doctor let us know that he felt it had a 75-80% chance of being Stage 1 Renal Cell Carcinoma (cancer) based on its location and presentation. Lindsay squeezed my hand tighter and tears started welling up in her eyes, as well as in mine. I squeezed her hand, rubbed her back, and offered her a reassuring look. The doctor told us that it would be a relatively easy arthroscopic procedure.
We left the doctor's office with our fears confirmed. Earlier, we entertained the thought of a cancerous tumor but didn't really want to believe it. We opened the papers that explained Renal Cell Carcinoma and stared at the drawings of her case on the printed picture of a healthy kidney. The doctor's plan is to remove the tumor and about 5% of her kidney at the site.
Another surgery to go through. Another recovery to endure; about 4 weeks.
After the surgery, assuming the pathology reports are negative around the border of the mass, Lindsay will have annual MRI scans to monitor surrounding systems for any signs of malignancies.
After the surgery, assuming the pathology reports are negative around the border of the mass, Lindsay will have annual MRI scans to monitor surrounding systems for any signs of malignancies.
The kidney surgery has been scheduled for Monday, July 8th, while the kids are at camp for the week. Lindsay will have to stay overnight at the hospital for a night or two.
Our plates are full and yet another serving has been added---our plates overflow.
To help offset medical expenses please follow this link to our GoFundMe Page
