u/TNTRMSKD

Original backstory here.

My wife's path report hit MyChart today, PT1A - Grade 2. Pretty much the second best result we could have hoped for (benign obviously being the best). The actual tumor size turned out slightly smaller than imaging which was a nice surprise. Negative margins, no sarcomatoid/rhabdo fatures, no necrosis, no invasion whatsoever. To say we're relieved would be the understatement of the century. Her follow up isn't until the 27th, but I imagine the plan going forward will be regular scans for the next few years and not much else.

I'd like to give a huge shoutout to the staff at NYU Langone. When they originally said she most likely could do this all outpatient, I was skeptical. They said if she wasn't feeling well or requested to, they would absolutely admit her overnight. Turns out she didn't need it. They really have got this shit down to a science. Her procedure was at 7:30am and she was home in her bed by 5:30pm (that includes sitting in rush hour Manhattan traffic on a Friday lol).

The whole process from check in to surgery to recovery was incredibly efficient and flawless. My wife also has had many bad reactions to anesthesia, so going in that was one of her top concerns. We met with the anesthesiologist beforehand and she was sharp as a tack. Sure enough, afterwards there was zero nausea or any bad reactions. She even gave us a list of meds she used so in the future if my wife ever needed to be put under for anything, they could repeat her cocktail and most likely avoid any complications.

Recovery has been uneventful. She tires easily (expected) and has mild to moderate pain that's pretty well controlled by meds. Her appetite is really good and she's improving daily!

Hi all, unfortunately my wife has a decent chance of joining this club. Same as most people, incidental mass found during MRI workup for spine issues. I guess she's one of the "luckier" ones as hers is around 2.5x2.5x3.0 cm so on the smaller side. It was discovered Friday (7/10) 4 days before we were scheduled to leave for vacation in Japan. We had to break the news to her family and cancel the trip. Since then we've been to NYU Langone and MSKCC.

Long story short she has surgery scheduled for 8/3 via robotic PN by Dr Huang at NYU. MSK was a 2nd opinion and we saw Dr Paul Russo, who many on here will know is adamantly against robotic MIS and only does open surgery. He was honestly excellent and if timelines weren't an issue, I would likely vote for him to do the surgery. Coincidentally, Dr Huang at NYU was actually his fellow many years ago.

My concern is this. MSK's read of her MRI is stating that her mass is abutting the renal sinus. It doesn't seem like it has extended or invaded yet. To me, that seems like time is of the essence because renal sinus invasion takes you from Stage 1 to 3 instantly regardless of tumor size. If we were to go with Russo, she likely wouldn't be in the OR till mid to late August. That's 3 extra weeks where that little fucker has the chance to invade. As I understand it, the chances of atypical tumor recurrence due to the robotic procedure is quite small, even more so in the hands of a skilled surgeon. My wife seems to think that risk is acceptable and is very comfortable with Dr Huang doing the surgery. My argument is, anything above 0% isn't worth the risk. However, because NYU has the much earlier surgical slot I'm also inclined to go vote for them because that means the mass will be out in a week and a half.

Overall I'm thankful that she gets to choose between two elite surgeons and there isn't a wrong/bad choice. Just wondering if any of you had this decision to make in your journey? Would love to hear people's thoughts and TIA for taking the time to read this!