It was the day after Christmas, and I had to work. Was feeling good and having a good day at work until early afternoon. I went to the restroom and I could tell my urine had blood in it. Or may I ate too much of my wife’s blueberry salad for Christmas dinner and it was staining my pee. At mid-afternoon, I went back to the bathroom, and what I saw coming out of me sent me straight to the E.R. It looked more like it should have been coming out of my backside, not my front side. I’ll spare you any more details. Then the pain slowly started to kick in. “Kidney stone” is what I figured. Didn’t have to wait terribly long in the waiting room, and I got to go back to a treatment room. My wife was there by now.
I kept trying to pee, thinking I was going to pee buckets and all I could deliver was a few drops of blood. The nurses agreed that it was a kidney stone and sent me to get a CT scan for confirmation. When the results came back, the N.P. said, “The scan showed a large mass on your right kidney and it is probably renal cancer.” Uh-oh. She explained that it had spread to my liver, spleen, bladder, and lymph nodes. Of course, all this will need to be confirmed with further testing at a urological oncologist. Three of my close friends are physicians, and they helped me locate “the guy they’d go to” in Atlanta.
That was just four days ago, and now my whole focus on life just got changed for me. I still have many. many doctor visits ahead of me. Based on the current information, at the very least I have a long, hard fight ahead of me. I hate what this is putting my wife through, but I wouldn’t want to walk through this with anyone else. One nice thing, is that we took out a supplemental cancer policy for both of us this past summer.
Enjoy your days, and love the people in your life to the best of your ability. I knew I’d die someday, but it just got a lot more realistic. I’m not going to give up, but I’m also being realistic and having tough (and good) conversations with my wife. I’m not one bit wiser than I was a fe
Praying for you and your family!
“There is nothing better we can do for our future than to teach our children well”
Cracker Larry
I am so sorry to hear this. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
So sorry to hear this Steve. Have you found out if it is centralized in your kidney or spread? The medical breakthroughs on Curing Cancer have really made some progress, I have all the hope in the World on your quick recovery and early retirement to the Lowcountry! That dream is very realistic and will happen! Positive thinking!
Godspeed on your recovery. Prayers sent!
Man, I hate to hear this. God Bless, and stay strong! Also, don’t discount a holistic approach to beating cancer.
Really sorry to hear this.
quote:
Originally posted by Mixed NutzMan, I hate to hear this. God Bless, and stay strong! Also, don’t discount a holistic approach to beating cancer.
that and cannabis, some really positive results on it stopping blood to tumors. Discovery or History channel had a really good show on it with lot’s of promise. And don’t rule it out if you have to go through Chemo, good for the appetite and at reducing pain.
Very hard to read. Prayers for you and your family. Keep the faith man.
Prayers for you and your family!
Sea Pro sv2100/ Yamaha 150
the successes happening here are amazing, have a 22-yer old friend given 3-4 months to live with an inoperable brain tumor, lost the ability to walk, talk and basically anything normal, that was 18 months ago, she’s still alive, re-enrolled in college and almost back to normal
after treatment she returned to the US, her doctors did tests and found no tumor, they were amazed
my oncologist said I needed 18 weeks of chemo, I said NO, work done in Europe showed that radiation worked on my specific cancer, did 15 days of radiation with great success, that was 2.5 years ago
I’m not against American medicine but we are so far behind the rest of the world, only thing I can think of is the bureaucratic FDA, big pharmacy, and the money made from drugs and chemo
the current thinking is to put your immune system into hyper drive to attack the tumor while starving it of what it needs to thrive
go after this and beat it
Pioneer 197SF
Good luck surf,we are pulling for you.
Giving up is not an option. You fight this, you beat this, you keep us informed and we’ll give you prayers.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
You have our prayers. Fight with all of your being.
F cancer.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
Thanks everyone. I’ve had a few days of improvement in my energy level. I just went and mowed leaves for two hours in 32 degree weather, so I’m either improving or I’ve lost my bleeping mind.
Fred, keep in mind that the only diagnostic I’ve had so far is a CT scan. Based on that, the cancer is renal cancer that has spread to my liver, lymph nodes, spleen, and maybe my bladder. Losing the spleen and one kidney is no problem. The others are a bit more problematic.
Once I get in to see the oncologist, further diagnostics are sure to follow. I plan to be a compliant patient. No sense in going to the best urological oncologist in Atlanta if I don’t listen to him.
Happy New Year to all of you. One positive of all this (and there are many), is that I am more in love with my wife than ever. We have become a real team. She needs to learn things that I’ve taken care of for years and I’m slowly teaching her. We are praying for the best, preparing for the worst. There is no one I’d rather spend time with these days. She’s a pharmacist, so she knows how to ask questions I would never think of. She wicked smart, tenacious, and a Godly woman. I am blessed to have her.
quote:
Originally posted by Fred67So sorry to hear this Steve. Have you found out if it is centralized in your kidney or spread? The medical breakthroughs on Curing Cancer have really made some progress, I have all the hope in the World on your quick recovery and early retirement to the Lowcountry! That dream is very realistic and will happen! Positive thinking!
Godspeed on your recovery. Prayers sent!
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” - C.S. Lewis
quote:
One positive of all this (and there are many), is that I am more in love with my wife than ever. We have become a real team.
There is nothing like the love and friendship of a good woman. I guess I am getting old but not a day goes by that I don’t wonder why she is with me. I am also learning to count my blessings. I may not be much, but she made me far better than I was before her. We’ll all keep praying for you surf. You do what the doctors say and fight.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Prayer for you surf…
George McDonald ; MAD Charleston
[http://www.militaryappreciationday.org
When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
author unknown
Steve, you will be in my prayers. When I went thru all this with my heart I found that a good talk with GOD made me better both in mind and body! I will never be what I was but I can still get around and get about 1/2 of what I want done. Keep your faith, don’t give up, and GOD bless! Good luck with the doctors. Try to talk to someone that has been thru what you are, as many as you can find!
Sorry to hear the news, but hoping you have a great recovery. I am planning on going to Athens a couple times this year, if there is anything I can rbing ya in Milledgeville on the way let me know.
I can’t quit shaking my head as I read this. News like this both infuriates me and saddens me. We’ve lost and we lose too many people to cancer. Sadly, I never paid much attention to it until I lost my mom to cancer eleven years ago.
I believe in the power of prayer and you can believe you and your family will be in mine, SFL.
“…be a man and PM me.”
quote:
Originally posted by DFreedomquote:
One positive of all this (and there are many), is that I am more in love with my wife than ever. We have become a real team.
There is nothing like the love and friendship of a good woman. I guess I am getting old but not a day goes by that I don’t wonder why she is with me. I am also learning to count my blessings. I may not be much, but she made me far better than I was before her. We’ll all keep praying for you surf. You do what the doctors say and fight.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Just keep the heathen out of your garage, and she’ll stick around a lot longer 
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” - C.S. Lewis