Sooooo. . . . .

The never ending wait

We have had a few more appointments and phone calls but. . .

What I mean is we are still kind of waiting in a sense. Here’s a rundown:

Nephrologist

The goal with my kidney doctor is to maintain the function of my remaining kidney and to help prevent the formation of kidney stones. I do however have three stones in my remaining kidney that hopefully pass before growing further. Part of the process is a 24 hour urine test. I get to pee in a jug for a full 24 hours and send it in for testing. So look for me, the cool guy with a jug of urine sometime in the next few weeks. Additionally there will be more blood tests- those will never end.

Surgeon

I got the nearly 90 staples removed on Wednesday. Aside from only the first staple the pain was non-existent. So you know if you’re on the fence on getting some elective staples in your body, go for it. I will be off of work a few more weeks as well. I do feel a little better everyday but the fatigue and exhaustion is real and understated. Stairs, showering, and even talking can take immense amounts energy. So not working for a bit longer makes some sense. Additionally I can only lift about 15 pounds maximum for at least 6 weeks. So there goes my Olympic weightlifting dreams.

Oncologist/Pathology

We have had a few conversations with the Oncologist regarding the cancer and the pathology report. Where are we right now? Well we are awaiting a second review to be sure. We have a tentative plan in place if the pathology report is confirmed but I’ll share that in a later post. The pathology did seem to show that the surgery was a success and that the “visible” cancer was removed with minimal spread. I say visible because there could be microscopic cancer cells that we do not know about still floating around. I do have more follow up appointments that will not end for the foreseeable future- that is what they call active surveillance. Some of the “fringe” appointments are with a dietitian to get my diet on track in regards to living with one kidney and preventing cancer recurrence as well as a sleep study. The sleep study arose after my family witnessed me gasping for air in recovery as I tried to sleep. To be honest I do snore so I am sure this is long over due.

As I said earlier, I get a little better everyday. I did try to sleep in a bed this past week but that lasted all of 10 minutes before I went back to the trusty recliner. I am a side sleeper and the discomfort was a little too much to handle. I am able to get around better and can sit on the couch now, drive (if needed), and can sit upright longer too. Basically I can sit really good.

That’s it for today. I have to go for my daily walk shortly. They help regain my strength and prevent muscle loss- you know, all those muscles I had before that I clearly have lost. Rather than going back to the six pack I definitely, clearly, no doubt had- maybe I’ll just try for one super unified muscle you know?