Jennifer Lehman is a mother of four and a kidney cancer survivor. Read her story about how things went wrong when she was initially diagnosed with kidney cancer, but how she’s free of cancer today!
As a 40-year-old mother of four kids, it was easy to be so busy working as a high school science teacher and taking care of my family that warning signs regarding my own health were ignored. Luckily it was summertime so life was less hectic when a health concern presented itself. It was a quiet weekend afternoon, and for the second day in a row, I observed some blood in my urine. I was not too concerned as I had no pain or discomfort, but I decided since this had happened a few other random times, I could at least run over to the walk-in clinic to be checked. I drove myself to the Urgent Med clinic, and they told me their machine could register nothing other than blood in my urine sample. They recommended I go to the emergency room for further evaluation. My diagnoses from the ER was that I had a urinary tract infection because white blood cells were found in my sample despite my insistence I had no other symptoms. The ER doctor assured me that my test results would be sent to a local urologist to see if he agreed with the diagnosis. I felt my concerns were falling on deaf ears, and I was shuffled on through with my token prescription for antibiotics.
It would have been so easy to assume the doctor was right and return to my normal routine as I was experiencing no pain, but I knew this could not be ignored as the previous incidences were. I called the urologist first thing on Monday morning intending to schedule an appointment only to be told the doctor examined my test results and agreed with the UTI diagnosis. Fortunately, I didn’t accept the urologist’s and ER’s conclusions as being accurate, and I called my general practitioner. By that afternoon I was seen at her office, and she took the time to truly listen to me. My doctor ordered a CT scan for the next day, and within 24 hours my life turned upside down. I received a call from my general practitioner Wednesday morning to be told a 3-inch mass was found on my right kidney. She said the urologist would be contacting me to discuss what tests needed to be done next.
That afternoon I received a call from the urologist’s office asking if I had time to run over and talk with him. My expectation was I would be told the next step in terms of testing. As I sat down in the examination room, I was abruptly told by the doctor I had cancer and we needed to talk about various surgical options to remove my kidney. I think part of me went into shock because I recall thinking, “What? I thought we were going to talk tests. Shoot I can’t even call Josh because the sign on the wall says to turn off my cell phone.” I don’t think anyone would have complained if I had made a phone call, but my brain was not processing everything correctly. After informing me a CT scan with dye contrast would be needed to get a better picture, the doctor stepped out of the room to set up the appointment. I spent the next hour in the examination room managing not to outwardly fall to pieces. The doctor popped his head in at one point to tell me that he was having issues getting my insurance to authorize another scan, and still I sat all alone trying to process the fact that I had cancer. Somehow, I made it out of the building before the serious tears began.
After surgery to remove my kidney, the next 3 months were filled with some uncomfortable, sleepless nights as my husband and kids helped me recover. I was fortunate not to face chemotherapy or radiation as the surgeon believed the tumor remained encased in the kidney. That all occurred 3 years ago, yet I still experience anxiety and apprehension when it is time for a semi-annual follow-up scan. I do a fairly good job of not thinking about the cancer until it’s scan time, and my family goes out with me to celebrate every time I’m told the scans are negative. There are so many aspects of my cancer journey that I wish had gone differently. Could there have been better communication between my general practitioner and urologist on how much information would be given to me over the phone? Looking back it seems the urologist assumed I knew the mass was cancerous when in truth I was blindsided by his abrupt announcement. Could his office staff had suggested that I bring someone with me to consult with the doctor? I sometimes wonder if the emergency room doctor even knows that his diagnosis of a urinary tract infection was actually cancer. Regardless of the various events that didn’t go well, I focus on enjoying life and celebrating each day given to me. I count myself blessed that the tumor was found early enough to be resolved with surgery.
