Hello Ian, 

You've been through so much in just a few months, being admitted in hospital in May for heart failure followed by the fall that caused a stroke and the surprise to find out later during a visit to your GP that the fatty lump on your kidney was in fact renal cell cancer. How frustrating that you had to be the one contacting everybody to sort this out but it's good that you now have a bit more of an idea as to when the surgery might be and you won't have to wait too long. Just so as to give you a bit more of an idea as to what to expect, there is information on our website on surgery for kidney cancer. I can completely understand why you are worried about miscommunications and about having the surgery and taking any risks in relation to your other health issues given that you had heart failure and a stroke recently. That's why it is really important before you have the op, that you are reassured that your medical team dealing with the renal cell cancer and the surgery are aware of all this. It should all be in your medical notes but it's best to double check that everyone is well aware of your recent heart and stroke issues as well as the Type 2 diabetes and the medication you are taking for every single condition. You would normally have a pre-op assessment too prior to the surgery as you can read in our information on before your operation for kidney cancer which will be the perfect opportunity to bring all this up and make sure they are well aware of everything. You might also get to meet the surgeon or anaesthetist who will make sure you are fit for surgery and again don't hesitate to fill them in on everything that happened to you in recent months and all your medical conditions. 

It might also help to talk things through with one of our cancer nurses who will be able to give you further advice and point you in the right direction - the number to ring is 0808 800 4040 and you can call them Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and other bank holidays). 

Keep strong Ian even if it's not always easy and you have certainly been through a lot this year. I hope that the surgery goes well in January and you make a quick and full recovery. Hopefully you will meet others here who have had a similar diagnosis and who had the surgery before and it helps sometimes to others here who understand how you are feeling at the moment. 

Best seasonal wishes,

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator