A Thanksgiving Morning

Well, my past week has seen another health adventure, but this morning I have much to be thankful for. Here’s the story…

May 19, 2004 – A surgeon in Texas removes my left kidney that’s attached to a fist-sized cancerous tumor. Being an aggressive cancer, I have about a 75% to 80% chance of it coming back within three years.

April 4, 2007 – Nearly three years later, a C.T. scan reveals a small marble-sized nodule growing on the exact spot where my previous tumor had been removed.

July 11, 2007 – A follow up C.T. scan shows the nodule hasn’t grown. The oncologist concludes that it is a benign post-surgical cyst. Because of radiation exposure from the scans and because of my length of time being cancer free (so we thought), we agree to discontinue C.T. scans and go with safer ultrasound imaging for my check ups.

October 29, 2008 – A pain in my left lower abdomen prompts me to go early for my check up. The ultrasound doesn’t pick up anything abnormal. But the pain persists.

October 31 – I make a last second decision to leave the house early in the morning for the hospital emergency room and request a C.T. scan. Hours later, with the pain in my abdomen diminishing (I think it was diverticulitus – colon inflammation), I sit next to the radiologist looking over his computerized images of my C.T. scan. My colon looks fine, but we see that the “benign” nodule has more than doubled in size. I knew then that it was probably cancerous and had to come out.

November 4 – The radiologist’s written report shows that the nodule is bigger than we first thought. The following week I meet with an oncologist and we agree that it’s probably cancerous and needs to be surgically removed.

November 13 – I consult over the telephone with a urologist/surgeon in Manila and he agrees to do the surgery the following week. Jonathan, Martha, and I fly to Manila on Monday, the 17th, and I meet the surgeon in the afternoon.

November 19 – I check into the hospital in the morning and the surgery lasts 4 hours. He has to break off part of my 11th rib in order to access and remove the golf ball sized nodule. I also have a chest C.T. scan done the next day to check for lesions in my lungs – the prime location for kidney cancer to spread.

November 22 – The reports come in. My lungs are clear; no cancer there. The nodule completely incased a small, grape sized cancerous tumor. The nodule’s margins are wide and clear, meaning all of the cancer from inside this nodule was removed. The surgeon took the liberty to remove some nearby lymph nodes and these are clear of any metastasis.

So, this nodule was likely a tiny remnant of my original tumor, or possibly an overlooked lymph node from my original surgery. This is far better than a cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. With no other evidence of cancer, I’m most likely cancer free, with about a 20% chance of recurrence. Still, I’ll need to do periodic imaging to be sure.

Now it’s Thanksgiving Day, November 27, and I’ve much to be thankful for. We’re back in Iloilo where I’m nursing a 9-inch long incision across my back and experimenting with different sleeping positions. I’m excited for our training tomorrow, a Bible Study on Saturdays, preaching on Sunday, and more baptisms planned. I’ll rest in the afternoons as I heal. Thank you for your prayers.