Kidney Cancer....Wow (Part 1 Of Many in drknlvly6781's update series)

Tweet

I haven't done many personal posts in a long time, but now it becomes evident that I must. For my friends, this is part one of what has been going on in my life since I last was talking, around the time of me moving into my own apartment and away from my grandmother. I'm going to work it kinda from the ends to the part where I left off, because right now its the only way it makes sense to me. At 4:07 this morning, after probably 2 hours of sleep, I get a text from my mom. Know right then it's important because she's never up that late/early. She tells me that "mama" (my grandmother) went to the hospital and she would get back to me with further details when she got them. Already I'm up. I lay there for the next three hours but not really sleep. For 61, a smoker, and high blood pressure she is really healthy. Keeps up with her meds, drinks plenty of water, goes to the doctor when she is supposed to. She hadn't been to the hospital for anything major since my uncle was born (he's 43). I would expect her husband to be in the hospital before her. Yet and still the text was what it was. I lay there for the next three hours til the kids get up, waiting for more info. Finally, my cousin tells me that she woke up in the middle of the night with pain, and after tests they found that there was a mass on her left kidney that they were 90% sure was cancerous off rip, and the internal bleeding and clots were so bad that the entire left one had to go (The right was fine by ultrasound. I got the kids off to school and hooked up with the family as soon as possible, thanks to a wonderful friend *wink*. My mind is reeling by this point. When I was coming up, There were 5 generations in the family. I saw my great great and great grandmother; got to know both, then watched them pass. My children are blessed to have great and grandmother; but I'm not ready to have to move up that notch just yet. I get to the hospital with the rest of the family. She's in ICU and I'm already fearing the worst. I've been through this twice before. Within a span of two years no less. Just the other day she was laying on the couch in front of her big flat screen TV watching Cartoon Network in her favorite house t-shirt (I am so dead serious lol). Hours before I had called the house and she sounded just fine. How is my grandmother in the hospital??? But when I saw her, she didn't look bad at all. Mama Gwen was just a little tired, and had a pain every now and again (dang tight blood pressure cuff going off didn't help either lol) I just got the general feeling that she would be fine. She too stubborn to go right now. I know I have to let go of her at some point, but its way too soon now. So more of the family showed up, and she went under the knife at 2:30 this afternoon. That's the funny thing about Geminis, dual personalities period. Part of me knows she will be fine, but of course I'm scared too. Doctors said the procedure would take 4 hours, and she may need a transfusion. I swear I couldn't stop eating today, even after we figured out amongst ourselves that I couldn't be a donor. Now I see where I get my impatience from. Swear Mama Gwen was back there telling the doctors to hurry up lmao. The procedure actually lasted about 2 1/2 maybe 3 hours, she didn't need a transfusion, and was doing better than even the doctors thought she would initially. They're keeping her sedated and on a respirator for 24hrs just in case; and she may not even need dialysis. We'll find out for sure about the cancer next week. I have faith, but the wait is torture. My mom isn't trying to talk about too much. But I understand it. Mama Gwen only had two, and she is the first born just like I am to her. As you can see from me venting here, I need to talk, but I can't really form all this to them at the moment. The world to me is literally on pause until I get to talk to Mama Gwen again. So, if you made it all the way down here and still need a topic to discuss. Kidney Cancer from smoking....wow. Seriously thinking about quitting the cigarettes at least altogether. Like within the next month or so. Knowing she was a smoker; Mama Gwen always had breathing checks and lung scans, and was always told that she had very healthy lungs for a smoker. She has had kidney infections in the past, but drinks plenty of water. The rupture that had been bleeding for God knows how long never got in the urine stream, so no blood to show up in tests. Now when you think of smokers can get Cancer; know that it is not only where the smoke touches. If this mass is actually cancer, the only place she could have gotten it is from smoking. It doesn't run in our family on either side. How does this information strike you Mylot?