My September CT report confirmed that a lymph node in my abdomen is affected by the cancer. The recommended treatment is radiation. However, any growth or tissue changes in the lymph node due to the treatment or the disease could interfere with the flow of urine from the right kidney to the bladder. This could cause inflammation and infection in the kidney.
After a consultation with the urologist at the hospital, the oncology team recommended that I get a stent put into the urinary tract. This is important to ensure that the urinary tract remains open during the radiation and after.
Early Monday morning, I met up at the hospital for this surgery. Since I would need anesthesia, I needed to fast from the night before and avoid drinking any liquids including water from around 2 hours before the planned surgery.
It ended up being a long day of waiting. Finally, around 14:00, I was taken into the operation room. Luckily, the anesthesia knocked me out completely, so I was unaware of everything that was happening and woke up around an hour later when I was taken back to my room. About one hour later I was heading home. The pain and sensitivity in my abdomen became worse as the evening passed, and the painkillers I had been given wore off.
I did not sleep too well that night, due to a constant need to use the bathroom and a soreness that followed every trip to the toilet. Thankfully, this pain and discomfort is now over and I slept well last night.
Tomorrow I go in for my blood tests and then on Friday I have a planning session at the hospital for the radiation. Treatment will probably start in 10 days. Looking forward to the next steps. Hoping this works as planned and the growth in the lymph node is contained.
One thing that I have learned over the last years is that disease progression and metastasis are part of this lung cancer journey. Some people have targeted therapies available, while others do not. There is no guarantee for how the treatment works or for how long it will work.
What I can do is be aware of the options and stay hopeful and positive, keep active and healthy and keep doing what I can to ensure earlier diagnosis and better treatments for the future. Living with lung cancer!! 🫁
A good visual of how a stent works in the urinary tract https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/ureteral-stent-placement
