Finding a Stress-Free Existence When You Have mRCC
Use this guide to find calm and diminish distress during metastatic kidney cancer treatment.
KIDNEY CANCER IS sneaky. In its early stages, it often comes with no symptoms. So, by the time you’re diagnosed, especially with the advanced stage metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), you feel blindsided and overwhelmed—not to mention, stressed.
“It is very common to have cancer growing in the kidney silently, and then all of a sudden you’re dealing with a really big, really scary issue,” says Brian Madden, M.D., primary care physician and medical director of palliative care at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “It’s actually the lack of symptoms that can be part of the problem. With a cancer that’s causing numerous physical problems, it can override the emotional aspects of the disease.” Basically, symptoms help prepare you for a diagnosis.