Things have really been going pretty great here recently. I go to Crossfit 5-6 times a week and truly love each and every workout. I love working part-time and spending the majority of my time with Thomas. He is so sweet and it is easy to have fun with him. Work has been great too! I am looking forward to our holiday party at the end of this month and in February, I will be going to a "Camp for All," with some of our patients and a bunch of our staff. Our holiday break was wonderful with lots of family, food, gifts, and good times.
In December, I had my routine MRI that I have every six months. They had been watching a spot on my kidney for the past two years that was small and had not grown or changed. Well, my December MRI showed some growth and they referred me to a urologist for further evaluation. I had an ultrasound that was inconclusive, so they sent me have a CT scan with contrast, drinking that stuff is seriously so disgusting, but I did it like a champ. This past Thursday, the doctor called and confirmed that it met all the requirements for being malignant and since 95% of all solid masses on the kidney that "light-up" on a scan are malignant. The good news is that they are going to remove it. I would prefer they remove it laproscopically, but of course I am always special and it is in a hard to reach place on the front of my kidney. So, currently, my doctor is consulting another doctor to try and come up with a plan of attack. I will find out soon the date to have a partial nephrectomy, which means they are going to remove part of my left kidney.
There are lots of positives in this situation. They found it very early, I trust and love the doctors taking care of me. Because of my Nana having to need a urologist, I met the doctor taking care of me, he is a class act, honest, and has excellent bedside manner. My only fear is the pain, which I know sounds wimpy, but I hate being in pain and not being able to do all the stuff I do everyday. My first question is about recovery time and how long until I can crossfit again. Kidney cancer is one of the best to get as far as low chances of spreading once it is removed.
Besides this little bump in the road, all else is wonderful. My niece Karina got engaged on New Year's Eve and we have been busy wedding planning and getting excited about the future. I love her fiance Daniel and he has already felt like family for a while now.
On a side note, I saw the movie American Sniper and I recommend all adults see this film if they are able. It is rated R for war violence and it has some cursing in the movie, but it is so moving. It really made me think about my freedom and how expensive it truly is. I hope 2015 has been awesome for you already and that it will only improve each day. Thanks for reading.
