peggyrcc

A survivor of Stage IV kidney cancer, I am committed to providing education and support to others with this disease. My own return to health really started only when I realized that I had been misdiagnosed for eight months. Somehow, a "scabbed-over tiny ulcer" in my stomach, which later proved not to exist at all, was the excuse for my severe anemia, unexplained weight loss, and general decline of health. Then the doc thought I might be an alcoholic, and needed a liver biopsy to "confirm the patient's cirrhosis". That required a non-invasive ultrasound wand swipe across my belly for the needle placement. The sudden silence and pinched lips of the technician as she stroked her wand kitty-corner from the liver told me I had a tumor on my kidney. Thus, this strange journey began.