Kidney Cancer Paranoia

While at a business dinner this week a nice lady  asked me this question: "Does (the cancer) make you paranoid? Seems to me every little ache and pain would scare you to death."

Well, maybe I am just a scardy cat, but yes, I do get a little paranoid about the feelings in my body. Sometimes a lot scared. But like most paranoias, few of those little aches and pains have anything to do with cancer. Like right now. I have this mild discomfort in my left side. Never felt anything quite like it before. First came on while I was on that business trip. It seems to be coming from the area where they did the kidney surgery and if connected with my cancer at all is most likely some scar discomfort, about which I was warned. Could also be from walking too much the last three or four days? Could also be just an ache from getting older. Hell, could be anything. Regardless, when it popped up I thought for a moment "Oh, my goodness, what is that?" I contemplated calling the oncologist, but took an Ibuprophen instead. Voila! With in a few minutes the discomfort was gone. And the feeling is if you can get rid of such things with an aspirin (or whatever) you are probably OK, unless it goes on for a week or so.

Ditto for a little headaches. A person with a brain tumor can turn a simple allergy headache into a regular crisis.

For almost a year I had a lower back paint that I was sure was killing me. The result of some tumor the doctors could not see, regardless of what they said.  Turns out a physical therapist worked it out in a few minutes, no problems since.

But it is difficult, when you have cancer,  not to worry about things other folks would consider minor. This is, I believe, is especially true for kidney cancer since so many warriors had so few symptoms before it was discovered. Over the past two years I have had more than a few experiences with little things that, for a moment or a while, made me think things might be getting worse and each passed just fine. And the side effects of the medicines don't help much either.

So I have learned just be a little paranoid, but don't over do it. TOO MUCH PARANOIA CAN WRECK YOUR ATTITUDE. But a little might have helped me avoid this whole business just a few years ago. On the other hand I have learned that while we have cancer we are just as susceptible as anybody else to other diseases and dysfunctions. Good reason to keep an Internist close at hand.

However, if you find yourself at the oncologist complaining of some mystery pain and he finds nothing, don't be embarrassed. It is just part of the whole experience and like they say, just because you are paranoid it doesn't mean they aren't talking about you.

Comments

[Stan Timperley]

Dear David
I have two large renal masses( tennis ball and egg) in my pancreas and a couple of lympth nodes in the same area that are involved. My original kidney cancer was in 96 when my left one was removed and it took all this time for it to reappear in my pancreas. They are talking about the whipple procedure to remove pancreas, spleen, galbladder and part of my intestines. Or perhaps try some of the oral medicines I imagine you have used.

Question: It looks like initally you were successfully treated with chemo that reduced some of the sites. What chemo did they use as I've been told Renal cancer is resistant to chemo and doesn't respond to any. Then if the chemo was working why did they take you from that to the two oral drug you mention as it sounds like thats when your decline again took over.

Any info would be appreciated

Stan Timperley
PS the missing "e" between the "l" and the "y" is correct in my e-mail.

[Flo]

Thanks David, it was good to read someone else's take on this. I had breast cancer last year and have completed treatment but now feel like I'm a pain in my doctors' a... when I go to get lumps or pain checked out. I used to be the type of person who, when any ache or anything occured, would say "I'm fine, that'll go away" and could count on one hand how many times I'd been to the doctor in my lifetime. Now when something niggles at me, I believe I have to be responsible and get it checked but I feel like I'm becoming a hypochondriac!