Hello. I can't quite believe I'm joining this forum. I kind of hope that it will be a short visit and that there won't be a need to stick around. But we'll see.
I'm a 58 year old female. I had cervical cancer 18 years ago that was treated successfully. I have had various other operations - gallbladder out, cataracts etc. Four and a years ago I lost my daughter (mental illness/suicide). Last year I lost my mother and brother, also sudden deaths. So it's been some traumatic years and I've got some theories about this profound emotional stress and the impact that this has had on me. I don't smoke, don't drink much, eat a super healthy diet, have exercise, etc., etc. Still, my blood pressure went high and my arthritis got worse. I was in pain and felt pretty ill. Then my knee deteriorated to the point that it needed surgical fixing, and so in mid-September I had a total knee replacement. Operation went well. I was recovering happily at home when I got an acute urine infection, went to GP, got antibiotics that cleared it up, but also got a referral to the hospital as I had blood in my urine. Long story short - an ultrasound, then a CAT scan, showed a 2-3 cm tumour in my kidney. Renal cell carcinoma is one of the possibilities, although thankfully there is no sign of it spreading. (at least as well as I can understand from the CAT report that the GP printed for me).
I got that result on Tuesday. Next Monday I'm back at the hospital for a (cystoscopy?) and will finally meet the consultant. The conclusion of the CAT result was that an "excision biopsy" is recommended.
Now I look back at all the feeling ill over the past months, hot flushes, getting up to pee at night, back pain, and I'm starting to reinterpret everything I had put down to menopause, arthritis, etc... In other words, how much of it - if anything - was from the kidney tumour? Who can say? All of a sudden my back hurts worse. I know it's because I'm afraid it's a sign of the tumour.
It's a confusing time. Stressful. This is a journey I have been on before, and I didn't expect to be here again.
