Update on Ralph's progress through surgery

It is Jan 26, 09, just 3 days until my scheduled surgery to remove a kidney which contains a tumor. We are experiencing an ice storm which adds to the stress.
My saga started several months ago with knee pain and swelling. I do not like to go to doctors, so I let it go quite a while--much too long. Finally, I consulted an orthopedic surgeon who suggested that the knee needed total replacement. I informed him that I had been a jogger all of my life and the problem was just a tendon tear on the inside, and that he could arthroscopically repair it easily. He did not really agree, but he did agree to try it. On August 22, 08, he did the arthroscopic procedure and said he was unable to help it--the cartiledge was totally disintegrated! Walking with a cane for support, I went to La Palma El Salvador and climbed those hills for 10 days just two weeks later. When we returned I could not wait to have the replacement because I was really hurting.
On October 6 Dr. Ball performed the total joint replacement on my left knee. I was in good physical shape and fully expected to recover rapidly. The doctor said that after he opened the knee he almost sewed it shut and immobilized it for 3 or 4 months because the irritation inside was so bad. Two days later my fever was 103+ and I was really sick. An infectious disease doctor was brought in, and they experimented with various antibiotics for a while. Ten days later I left the hospital not knowing what the cause of the fever was, but it was gone. I was on a strong antibiotic for 2 months. My knee hurt all the time and physical therapy became physical terrorism. Recovery was very slow. Others who had similar surgery later were way ahead of me in walking.

On December 29 I went back to the doctor with the knee swollen and aching. He drew fluid from it and sent me to the lab for blood testing. On the way to the lab I met the infectious disease doctor in the hallway. He inquired how I was doing and felt of the knee. He ordered a ceretec scan in addition to the blood testing.

The scan was done a couple days later, and the doctor called me at home on Saturday afternoon to tell me that the scan showed infection in my right abdomen. He ordered a CT scan with contrast ASAP. That scan was completed on a Wednesday afternoon, and the doctor called me to his office the very next morning. He informed us that the CT scan showed a 6 cm tumor on my left kidney. Carol and I were shocked big time. The doctor referred us to a gastroenterologist for a colonscopy and a urologist for kidney removal. We were able to see the urologist the very next day. He explained that it was a slow-growing tumor, had probably been growing 4-5 years, might not have caused any symptoms for another 5-6 years when it was too late, and needed to be removed but it was not an emergency (it was to me). He explained that it was in the upper center of the kidney and too large for a partial kidney removal--the whole thing would need to come out. He would do it semi-laproscopically through two very small holes and one about 8 cm across. He said the tumor was assumed to be cancerous until it was removed and proven otherwise, although many of them are not. If it is cancerous, and if the cancer is totally encapsulated in the tumor, the removal is all that is needed. If it is not encapsulated and the cancer has spread, further treatment would be needed. He answered all of our questions and we scheduled the surgery for January 29, the earliest that he could do it.

The third colonscopy of my life was done and the colon is clear of infection. We don't know what showed up on the ceretec scan as infection, but it apparently is gone.

We are now watching the weather as freezing rain falls. Can we get to the hospital on Thursday? Can Lisa's flight from Charlotte get into Northwest Arkansas airport Wednesday? Can I stay healthy and not catch a cold? Can the hospital stay on schedule or will they postpone my operation?

The good news is that to the best of our ability we are trusting in God. His plans don't always match ours. We believe Romans 8: 28. We know that people are praying for me in Honduras and El Salvador and Zambia and dozens of states across this great country of ours. The battle belongs to the Lord.