Remember that MRI in September? (197.3)
I wanted to confirm I was still cancer-free a year after my second tumor resection surgery in August 2022.
I was not still cancer-free.
It was a bit of a process, including some skepticism as to what the MRI and followup CT scan showed, but I did have tumors on and in my right kidney, in spots that were inconvenient enough that all of the kidney surgeons I consulted agreed meant the kidney had to go. I visited Roswell Park in Buffalo in early October and Dana-Farber in Boston on Halloween, and had followups including a ureteroscopy in November to take a look and get a sample to biopsy.
I am now living with one kidney. The right kidney was removed three weeks ago today, and the left one seems to be doing fine. My surgeon doesn't think I need to particularly worry about dietary changes, since one healthy kidney is enough, but I want to err on the side of keeping it that way! There are lots of sites with lots of advice, but the general approach I'm following is to reduce salt intake, reduce alcohol and caffeine, and reduce protein. (Not just meat, but protein.)
For the last several weeks I've been exploring NA beers, and now it's not just an intellectual exercise. I'm drinking a lot less actual beer, and I'm finding to myt surprise that some of the non-alcohol beers these days are terrific! Athletic has a good reputation for good reason, and a friend recommended I try GO Brewing's Dry January sampler pack. Great stuff! Guinness 0 is also excellent. Even Old Milwaukee NA and Stella Artois 0.0 are good. Heineken 0.0? Not so much.
I was not still cancer-free.
It was a bit of a process, including some skepticism as to what the MRI and followup CT scan showed, but I did have tumors on and in my right kidney, in spots that were inconvenient enough that all of the kidney surgeons I consulted agreed meant the kidney had to go. I visited Roswell Park in Buffalo in early October and Dana-Farber in Boston on Halloween, and had followups including a ureteroscopy in November to take a look and get a sample to biopsy.
I am now living with one kidney. The right kidney was removed three weeks ago today, and the left one seems to be doing fine. My surgeon doesn't think I need to particularly worry about dietary changes, since one healthy kidney is enough, but I want to err on the side of keeping it that way! There are lots of sites with lots of advice, but the general approach I'm following is to reduce salt intake, reduce alcohol and caffeine, and reduce protein. (Not just meat, but protein.)
For the last several weeks I've been exploring NA beers, and now it's not just an intellectual exercise. I'm drinking a lot less actual beer, and I'm finding to myt surprise that some of the non-alcohol beers these days are terrific! Athletic has a good reputation for good reason, and a friend recommended I try GO Brewing's Dry January sampler pack. Great stuff! Guinness 0 is also excellent. Even Old Milwaukee NA and Stella Artois 0.0 are good. Heineken 0.0? Not so much.