Help Diana & Michael with Medical & Travel

Update 10/28/23

Muscled through recovery. My surgeon Dr Chow made it a point that I walk a much as possible after surgery. Woke up every 2 hours through the night and walked for 5-10 mins. Very painful and hard at first but got discharged today due to the great progress. Have several weeks recovery moving forward but looking forward to full recovery. I did get confirmation that it was definitely cancer, waiting to hear back more. I am due to come back for further testing end of January to make sure I am in the clear. The cancer was fully encapsulated within the kidney, but we will soon know how high is the likelihood of it spreading. I had the best care at Mayo, I highly recommend them.

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Update! 10/26/23

Surgery date today ❤️ never had surgery in my life and just going to go with the flow. I will update everyone when I am feeling better ❤️❤️❤️

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Hi all! I love you all very much and would really wish not to have to ask for help but things kind of suck right now.

I recently got my annual test and physical exams under a new PA because my doctor had moved away. After getting a bunch of my blood work, she asked me a few questions regarding a few readings that were off and I told her they had always been off and that nobody really wanted to look into it. They just said to eat better and exercise more. I had been suffering from back pain and constant exhaustion for well over a year which now I at least have an explanation for in retrospect. My PA thought that was odd because we should at least confirm that it’s nothing more serious so she sent me to get an ultrasound and during my ultrasound of my liver they found a huge potentially cancerous growth on my kidney. She immediately called me and set me up with a local renal doctor and gastroenterologist. I went to see the renal doctor and she immediately sent a referral for me to get a CT scan on my kidney. I had to wait 2 weeks which was scary. It’s been a bit rough waiting because Missoula medical care has a lot of backing up of appointments and not a lot of availability so I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety due to all waiting. I finally got my CT scan and unfortunately what they found, they are considering cancer and wanted to operate right away which due to availability was over a month out but could not talk to the surgeon prior to the surgery or any other people on the care team before the surgery. Additionally, if I did want to talk to the doctor before the surgery, my surgery day would be even further down the road. My renal doctor let me know that she does not have experience with kidney cancer and she could not answer any of my questions. I felt very uncomfortable with all that and that they weren’t gonna do any other testing. One thing led to another, and after lots of conversations with a local friend who had just gone through cancer diagnosis, a biopsy, and other medical care, she advised that I immediately reach out to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, because what I have going on needs faster attention and deeper understanding. I did reach out to the Mayo clinic and The Mayo Clinic accepted me as a patient immediately. I have been here for a little over week doing tests and speaking to my surgeon, his team, and my surgery is scheduled for in a few days, with additional tests and meeting with the surgery team before my surgery. I feel like I am getting the care I need and the Mayo Clinic Drs have made sure the cancer has not spread anywhere with additional ct scans as kidney cancer spreads to the lungs and lymph nodes. Thankfully, the ct scan came back as the cancer having not spread anywhere, thank goodness. I’m fortunate that things are looking good so far. Unfortunately, due to Michael, my husband, & I’s current financial situation, we are in need of help to cover cost of travel & medical care. Anything helps and we appreciate it, please share if you can. ❤️❤️❤️ Will update on how the surgery goes!