I always did well in high school and college when it came to grades.
I studied hard. I was prepared as best I could be.
One of the common themes for kidney cancer patients (maybe all cancer patients) is the anxiety of an upcoming surveillance exam. Generally, about two weeks before the exam date patients tend to get more anxious. More nerves. More questions. More need for reassurance. It's the waiting for a report that you know is coming due. A report card of sorts. Hopefully not a final report card. But your mind goes there.
When I first sat (laid down) for my CT scan to verify whether I had kidney stones, my report card came back with an unexpected result. I had to doublecheck the answer. I was sure my test was mixed up with someone else's. I was expecting a zero for anything but a kidney stone sitting somewhere. Turns out I had a grade 3 tumor in one of my kidneys. That's not a good report. Nowhere close to an A.
I had a lot of studying to do to fix this. Maybe I could take the test over again. Study harder. Pass with flying colors next time. My doctor said the score was final. No matter how many times I retake the test, the result would be the same. Damn.
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