I feel a bit like a super-hero tonight, as I’ve been radioactive for the past few hours and going to be still until 12 tomorrow. Indeed, I’m just back from the penultimate step of my trial eligibility, a bone scan. As the CT scan, this is a painless procedure, but this one was a bit more oppressing that the CT.
To know more about my cancer, the oncologist ordered a first biopsy – a word I haven’t heard much, except in House M.D. or Grey’s Anatomy (guilty pleasures) – before our initial consultation.
Yet, due to its limited sample size, another one had to be scheduled later. And, as it required two interventions, here’s the 3-acts story of my biopsies.
Everything was organised promptly after we’ve learned the diagnostic – even though it seems like ages for us. We’ve been referred to meet an oncologist the following Wednesday (5 days later), and I was scheduled for a biopsy before we met him.
The oncologist confirmed the cancer (clear cell renal cell carcinoma), and took us through the various treatment option, including a new clinical trial he’s supervising, asking us to take our decision in a week.
I’m 36, and 3 weeks ago, I was diagnosed with an advanced kidney cancer.
It all started after Christmas with night sweats, followed by a 3kg weight loss in a single week mid-January. I was referred to the hospital by my GP, and a CT scan was scheduled for Thursday the 26th of February – just a few days after I started a dream job in one of Dublin’s most exciting tech company.
My cancer notes 