My Kidney - all 80 percent of it

Here is an update – my version

This has all happened so fast and I had so many unanswered questions I was not sure what to say along the way…so I didn’t say much. March 26 I went in for an abdominal scan – why? Good question. Over the past couple years a few subtle things have popped up but not one of them really added up…to this.

I will spare you all the little details but know little details are things we can not ignore in life and in this case my constant looking into the little things led to the discovery of a mass in my rght kidney.

For some reason my GP, Dr. Shoup, ordered an abdominal scan. First, I need to mention Dr .Shoup was full and not accepting new patients. I had Katrina write and ask if he would take on another patient a few years ago. I am lucky to even have this man as my doctor.

I went in for a scan at 9 am March 26. The gal doing the scan was all talkative until she got to my kidney (right). I thought nothing of it as I had to roll to one side for this part of the scan. Once the scan was over, a radiologist came in and said, “We need an MRI.” (I did not know at the time he had called Dr. Shoup). So I stayed for an MRI. I saw the radiologist again and he said, “You need to get to Dr. Shoup’s office right away. “ I pulled the doc over and asked him to sit down. I said, “Look – I know something is not right. I came in for a scan and now I have also had an MRI. What is up?” I had to tell him I would not hold him accountable but tell me what you saw. He explained I had a mass in my right kidney and it would need to be removed. It looked like a 3 out of 4 on the worrisome scale for cancer. The mass was about 5cm.

I called my wife and we headed to Shoup’s office. They immediately march me into a room. Now I am beginning wonder like something is really wrong but I feel fine. Shoup comes in and says I have a mass in my right kidney and it needs to be removed. I asked, “The mass?” and he said, “No, the entire kidney. Can you get a chest x-ray today because you need to get this going? I am calling a urologist to get you in ASAP.”

The following week I saw the urologist, Dr Wahl, who answered almost all my questions in his review and synopsis of the situation with me. I know I am headed for surgery. He however feels I am a candidate for a partial removal and not necessarily the entire kidney. So off to another doctor that does this kind of surgery. Dr Wahl asks me why did they look at my kidney……I explain and he says, “You are one lucky man. You will have this removed and live a long healthy life. If not found, your life would be much different down the road.”

The next visit is to Virginia Mason to see Dr. Koslowski and he told me the same story. I have a mass in my right kidney and it needs to be removed. They upgrade it to grade 4 of 4 on the worrisome scale. He explains my option – entire kidney or partial. I opt for the partial which requires a much larger incision and more invasive surgery. The doc asks me how is that they came about looking at my kidneys. He tells me, “You are a lucky man and you will live a long and healthy life. Kudos for your doctor to even think about looking at this. “ Dr Koslowski’s colleague, Dr Hefty, performed the surgery with him. I found out that my doctors are the famous Starbuck doctors who performed a kidney transplant from a Starbuck barista who donated a kidney to a customer.

Surgery was on April 16 (3 weeks after my scan) and was two hours. A successful partial nephrectomy was performed at Virginia Mason Hospital. I stayed for 4 days (three nights).

This past Monday, I finally got the pathology report. What was inside of me? The mass was 3.8cm in size. It was a renal cell carcinoma and was a Grade 2 cancer. (I am guessing that is out of 4).It is a “clear cell” which I guess is a fairly common type of kidney cancer. The margins were negative so all is clear there – nothing was left as far as they can tell. They only removed 20 percent of my kidney.

So were any of the signs related? No one has committed to a relationship. However, anyone can find documention about each sign I had and a relationship to the kidenys. So who knows if there is a relationship but there was just enough attention brought up to my doctor to trigger his thought to have a look.

I see the Doctors at Virginia Mason today for my first follow up. I will be on watch for several years. First cat scan is in 6 months, then 6 months again and so on. Recovery is going well but tougher than I imagined. No chemo, no radiation.

I guess I am considered a cancer survivor but I think I will just go with, “I am a living, thriving, striving human being. I do more than just survive!”

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

God allowed us to find this now and give me a chance in life. I am going to TAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Paul