Mr. Toad's Most EXCELLENT Adventure

[Toad]

Right now, the news is "no news". I had the chest, abdomen and pelvic scan yesterday and finished up at 3PM Central.

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

[Mini D]

You're quoting Tom Petty.  This may be worse than I thought.

[Toad]

Well, it fit. However, I do like some of Petty's stuff... so there.

[Mini D]

You should probably see if the Doc can give you something for that problem too.  It's for your own good.  Before long you'll be fantasizing about a 3-way with you, tom and chrissy hinds... then it will be too late to help you.  I've seen it happen before toad... it was horrible.

[Toad]

OK, got the results. Not particularly encouraging.

The good news is the chest and pelvis appeared to be clear.

The bad news is the kidney tumor is as big as they thought and takes up almost half my kidney. The really bad news is that there's three solid masses on my liver.

I get a bone scan CAT today, a liver biopsy soon and a PET scan soon.

Then they'll probably be able to give me an accurate situation report.

I thank you all for your support. I believe Mr. Toad's Wild Ride has begun. It sure is holding MY interest but I think it's in the best interest to just let this drop for now.

Now, as Forrest Gump once said, "That's all I have to say about that".

Let's shut down this thread and see how things turn out. It's Gametime.

[FUNKED1]

Well, crap.
Good luck man, I will pray for you.

[GtoRA2]

Wow Toad
 Keep us in the loop.

 Good luck.

[Toad]

I know I said we ought to shut this one down, but I can't help posting this. I've finally had a bit of good news: I passed the bone scan, it was reported "clean".

The "big" test for me is Friday 0630 Central. I get a PET scan to definitively answer the question of what those things are on my liver.

I'd like to thank all of you believers and encourage you to keep up the good work.

You heathens can still put out some positive waves, eh?  Wish me luck.  

I'll let you know how it turns out.

There's just about no doubt that I have kidney cancer. Right now, believe it or not, that's only a minor problem.
 

Ain't life funny?




You know, this Inet BBS stuff is incomprehensible. It really does help having the encouragement. I thank you all.

[slimm50]

Humor is a good thing to have. Try to keep it up. G/L.

[Charon]

Well, we're there for you as best we can be here. Let us know how we can be of assistance in the months to come if you need more than moral support.

It's easy for me to say, obviously, but keep positive. Science and medicine are pretty amazing these days. I have one relative that has been living on a borrowed liver for the better part of a decade now, and you wouldn't know the difference.

Charon

[beet1e]

Positive waves coming your way...

[Maverick]

Toad,

You may have noticed that there are a few folks who care here. Please do not shut the thread down. We are pulling for you and want to keep updated. Now either cooperate or we'll bug you until you give in!

[Nash]

Toad said:

"I know I said we ought to shut this one down, but I can't help posting this."

Please - KEEP posting to this. We want to know what's going on with you Toad.

Toad said:

"It really does help having the encouragement."

Yup - it sure does.

[Toad]

I studied real hard and got an "A" on my PET scan!

I had the PET scan at KC Cancer Center. They're supposed to have the newest, mostest-bestest, whizbang PET scanner around the Midwest.

The scan did not find ANY cancer from my forehead to below my pelvis. Good news, eh? Of course, this comes with the doctors caveat that not all kidney cancers "light up"; it seems 90+ % of them DO, but a some stay hidden "below the radar".

However, it appears I "passed" this test as well as anyone can pass it. I'll take it, for sure.  For that I am thankful.... VERY thankful.

That still leaves the question of "what are those things on my liver and what is that big jobber on my right kidney"?

So, more tests, of course! Somebody has to buy the Doc's wife a new Lexus and I'm more than happy to chip in at this point!

Tuesday will probably be a needle biopsy of the liver lesions; they tried to get that set up earlier but there was a hitch in the paperwork so they couldn't get Monday.

Another bit of good news here is that the PET scan radiologist put in his vote for "hemangiomas on the liver" after comparing the PET and the CT scan. That gives me 3 hemangioma votes vs only 1 renal cell cancer vote.

Anyway I'm hoping they can definitively show the liver lesions to be hemangioma. The other two possibilities are that it's a "below radar" kidney cancer that has spread or carcinoids. I really don't find either of those two very appealing. Neither one is a good thing.

Wednesday and Thursday I get a 123mIBG scan. This one is supposed to nail down the carcinoid issue. 123mIBG is a mildly radioactive drug that is absorbed by carcinoid cells. The scan takes place over two consecutive days in the nuclear medicine department. On the first day, in the morning I get an injection in the arm and go back to the department in the afternoon to have a scan with a gamma camera lasting for about an hour. The following morning I get further pictures taken for about one and a quarter hours.

After that, they hope to be through with the diagnostics. It would seem that in any event the tumor in the kidney has got to go. It's so big it's a problem, even if it is  benign. So there's surgery in this without doubt.

Keep me in your thoughts. You believers are doing an EXCELLENT job so far I think. Keep up the prayers, I do appreciate it.

Or is it you heathens? Keep up the positive energy flow!

I'll let you know the results of these new tests as I get them.

Man, this has definitely been Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and it's way more exciting, scarey and longer than the Disneyland version.

[Dinger]

Well, that's good news to hear. I've had my share of both cancer scares and the real deal, and wouldn't wish either of them on anybody.
We're pulling for you.