Cancer is like a brick being thrown into a pond …

Welcome to our guest blogger section! 

We are still looking for people who would like to share their kidney cancer experience with others. If you want to send us your story please email Sylwia here.

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The first thing I was going to put on this blog was “where do I start?”
The answer I found is, well I don’t know. I will begin with the basics, my name is Michael (phew startedJ) 42 years young. Diagnosed at 34 with kidney cancer, right kidney removed. All was good for 5 years then bang, it was back, put on Sutent. That’s the story in short. Through time I may put some meat on the bones of this part off my journey.

The only thing I would really like to get it out there is how much cancer affects others, your family, friends, work colleges and anyone else that has crossed your path. Cancer is like a brick being thrown into a pond the main splash being yourself, but the ripples go so far out that it affects people you may never have met. For example, through forums people passing on has affected me, and what their families go through. Their families are the ones on the site(s) and going through the pain.
            What I would like to talk about is the here and now. At this time I have been hit with a bit of a below the belt blow. My pancreas metastasis has decided to go from 15mm to 25mm. On the positive side other mets. have stayed stable, which has mudded the water when it comes to future treatment. At this time staying on Sutent. I have asked to be referred to a surgeon to see if there could be a surgical option. If not I still have Axitinib (Inlyta) as an option. One of the things I forgot to ask was to go back up to 37.5mg Sunitinib, as I made the decision to go down to 25mg grrrr. It was frustrating for me, as when I got home the questions that I tell everyone to ask I didn’t, I just froze AGAIN. I thought with 3 years of going along to clinics and asking the small questions, everything being straight forward I could deal with anything. On different forums I always said write down the questions and what do I do, forget!.
I had become blasé about my condition, so the little blighter thought it would teach me a lesson, well lesson learnt.
Made a phone call and looks like this may happen but if I was at clinic I could have come away with a cycle worth of Sutent. As it is, I have one, 6 week cycle from when I cut down in the house and have been given the all clear to use this. My worry is, as I was the one that made the decision to cut down, I get the feeling that the Dr. takes this as me not coping with the side effects which is not true. All I wanted was as little, to no side effects as possible. I also feel that the Dr. has already decided that surgery is not going to happen. 1 it’s not his area of expertise, 2 it’s not his decision. I am hoping this surgery can go ahead. So it’s that old game of wait and see. The “wait and see” game has been a game that every 6 months I play on CT scan results, your life is broken down to lets wait and see and then plan the next 6 months once we have the results.