I was diagnosed on September 13, 2019 with stage 4 renal cell carcinoma (RCC). When they found it, the kidney mass was over 12 cm. Surgery wasn’t recommended because the tumor had spread to the duodenum and other areas in the abdomen. Internal bleeding had caused my hemoglobin to drop to 5.0, which made me almost pass out – which is what sent me to the emergency room in the first place. I would end up getting 9 units of blood over 2 weeks.
My doctor, Dr. Monty Pal at City of Hope, suggested that we start treatment with Opdivo + Yervoy, a combination of two different types of immunotherapy. After three infusions of both drugs, the tumor had shrunk to 5.2 cm. After three more infusions of just Opdivo, my latest scans show that the tumor is just 3.2 cm, with minimal involvement anywhere else. I am doing very well.
The treatment came with side effects, none of which compare to stories we’ve all heard about traditional chemotherapy. I had fatigue. Bad diarrhea for about 4 days. More fatigue. And then came the hives. Everywhere. They were very bad for weeks, tamed only by regular doses of 3 antihistamines and a topical steroid cream. These days they’re more than manageable, only popping up every once in a while.
It’s an ongoing battle in an ongoing war. I hate having it loom overhead, always there. It’s a lot to carry in the back of your mind. I hate that I’m the cause of angst and sadness to my family. I couldn’t get through this without them.
But I’m doing well! The trend is my friend, with all numbers going in the right direction. My oncologist is thrilled and so am I!
