surgery Monday

2

Comments

  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    j_rod said:

    thanks....
    My surgery is in about a week. Was wondering what I would need to stock up on. Found this site to be helpful in many ways. But was wondering if regular food or semi liquid type diet would be appropriate. thanks.

    Post-op food
    Probably semi-liquid. Reckon to eat small amounts at any sitting. Go for nutritious but easily prepared and easily digested food.
  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    foxhd said:

    advice
    ...and be prepared to look at life just a bit differently from now on...

    Upcoming surgeries
    Cindy, j-rod, Tex,


    Good luck on your sugeries this week. Hopefully you will all be better enough for the final four or at least the final game.No beer and nachos though.


    Icemantoo
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    icemantoo said:

    Upcoming surgeries
    Cindy, j-rod, Tex,


    Good luck on your sugeries this week. Hopefully you will all be better enough for the final four or at least the final game.No beer and nachos though.


    Icemantoo

    Upcoming surgeries
    Thanks iceman. Had my last beer for now, celebrating winning my golf match this afternoon. Definitely no nachos but much nachas if we all three go through this smiling!
  • Limelife50
    Limelife50 Member Posts: 476

    Upcoming surgeries
    Thanks iceman. Had my last beer for now, celebrating winning my golf match this afternoon. Definitely no nachos but much nachas if we all three go through this smiling!

    Beer
    Hey Texas do they serve miller lite in your neck of the woods
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798

    Beer
    Hey Texas do they serve miller lite in your neck of the woods

    Miller
    Hi Limelife.
    Yes, I believe so. On hot days I like a lager or lime and soda after a round of golf but mostly I'm a wine and spirits drinker. If I'm drinking beer it's likely to be a Guinness. I don't get much enjoyment from low alcohol beers or wines (tried a lower alcohol white wine the other day and won't buy it again). I prefer to have high alcohol content but not drink much.

    I'm sorry you asked this question - trying to forget about the subject :) I'm going for another open surgery on Friday and so must forget booze for now - they'll probably have me on morphine for a month again so I'll be dry for the foreseeable future :-(

    I guess you'll watch your beer intake to remain your slimmer self and not pack those pounds back on?
  • Limelife50
    Limelife50 Member Posts: 476

    Miller
    Hi Limelife.
    Yes, I believe so. On hot days I like a lager or lime and soda after a round of golf but mostly I'm a wine and spirits drinker. If I'm drinking beer it's likely to be a Guinness. I don't get much enjoyment from low alcohol beers or wines (tried a lower alcohol white wine the other day and won't buy it again). I prefer to have high alcohol content but not drink much.

    I'm sorry you asked this question - trying to forget about the subject :) I'm going for another open surgery on Friday and so must forget booze for now - they'll probably have me on morphine for a month again so I'll be dry for the foreseeable future :-(

    I guess you'll watch your beer intake to remain your slimmer self and not pack those pounds back on?

    Hi Texas
    I am not sure what you are having surgery for but I pray that you will be sharing your thoughts on this discussion board for a long time to come.Your dry humor and dead on intellect has always inspired me ,so good luck and take care Texas.
  • j_rod
    j_rod Member Posts: 125
    icemantoo said:

    Upcoming surgeries
    Cindy, j-rod, Tex,


    Good luck on your sugeries this week. Hopefully you will all be better enough for the final four or at least the final game.No beer and nachos though.


    Icemantoo

    doing well
    thanks iceman. The great weather here in Illinois has definitely helped to stay busy. Mowing, mowing and more mowing. And thanks tex, I will stock up on pudding, popcicles, applesauce, jello, and the like.
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798

    Hi Texas
    I am not sure what you are having surgery for but I pray that you will be sharing your thoughts on this discussion board for a long time to come.Your dry humor and dead on intellect has always inspired me ,so good luck and take care Texas.

    Next op
    Thanks, Limelife. My tumour had turned very aggressive and between dx and nephrectomy had burst right out of my kidney. A new tumour has developed since December so they're going after that. Hope is that because they couldn't get clear margins, they may have not "got it all" and so have to have another go and, if successful I may be OK. If not, it's a whole new ballgame.
  • Fishknees
    Fishknees Member Posts: 73
    Monday surgery
    Good luck to your husband today! I hope all goes well for him.

    I am a little confused about the margins also. I volunteered in surgery and we would run maybe 6-7 or more specimens on one person to the lab. The lab would then call the surgeon and then he would continue from there. Surgeon went on cutting until the margins were negative.(clear) I don't understand a positive margin.

    My doctor explained he would not know the exact type of RCC until the pathology report came in; but, he didn't say anything about having a positive margine. Can anyone explain this.

    I don't know how long the surgery will take but my small tumor done with the DaVinci will take between 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

    Please let us know how your husband makes out. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    Fishknees said:

    Monday surgery
    Good luck to your husband today! I hope all goes well for him.

    I am a little confused about the margins also. I volunteered in surgery and we would run maybe 6-7 or more specimens on one person to the lab. The lab would then call the surgeon and then he would continue from there. Surgeon went on cutting until the margins were negative.(clear) I don't understand a positive margin.

    My doctor explained he would not know the exact type of RCC until the pathology report came in; but, he didn't say anything about having a positive margine. Can anyone explain this.

    I don't know how long the surgery will take but my small tumor done with the DaVinci will take between 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

    Please let us know how your husband makes out. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    Margins...
    I'm sure one of the main reasons they don't sample during surgery for RCC is that it seeds or spreads easily and it is very difficult to treat once it has spread. My surgeon told me he was going to remove my kidney with as much of the surrounding tissue as possible to stay as far away from the tumor as he could. In most cases they don't recommend biopsies with RCC for the same reason.
  • livealive
    livealive Member Posts: 127
    garym said:

    Margins...
    I'm sure one of the main reasons they don't sample during surgery for RCC is that it seeds or spreads easily and it is very difficult to treat once it has spread. My surgeon told me he was going to remove my kidney with as much of the surrounding tissue as possible to stay as far away from the tumor as he could. In most cases they don't recommend biopsies with RCC for the same reason.

    Margins / Specimens
    Before closing up the surgery, the "specimen" should be sent to the pathologist to ensure that margins are negative, mostly standard practice, but so people know. Once the pathologist confirms negative margins on the specimens, the surgeon would close up, the detailed pathology report is available in a few days after.
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    livealive said:

    Margins / Specimens
    Before closing up the surgery, the "specimen" should be sent to the pathologist to ensure that margins are negative, mostly standard practice, but so people know. Once the pathologist confirms negative margins on the specimens, the surgeon would close up, the detailed pathology report is available in a few days after.

    Marginal accuracy!
    That can't be the entire story or I'd have died on the operating table and in fact I still feel very alive, livealive. In some cases, Raj, the surgeon can't get clear to margins (which is why I'm back under the knife on Friday) and has to close up with the best effort made. I'm glad mine did, rather than not close me up after not getting clear margins. He told me he got everything out intact but, of course, at Stage 4 you can't really be confident you've "got it all". So, being theatrical, it could be 'exit stage 4'!
  • KJones1969
    KJones1969 Member Posts: 158
    Praying for You All
    I hope your husbands surgery is going or went well today. My husband had his left kidney and a 12cm tumor removed on March 15th. He had it removed at Duke and stayed there for 7 days. He is overweight as well but they successfully removed it laproscopic. His lasted about 3 hours and we get the pathology report this Friday. His has metasticized to his lungs and they will talk to us about treatment options for that on Friday as well.

    He was expected to stay only a couple of days but got sick with throwing up so they put the ng tube in his nose, down his throat to his stomach is why he stayed 7 days. He is doing okay now, just weak and tired. He has lost 50 lbs. since the end of December and 80 total since last July.

    Praying for you!
  • cindygodfrey2
    cindygodfrey2 Member Posts: 70

    Praying for You All
    I hope your husbands surgery is going or went well today. My husband had his left kidney and a 12cm tumor removed on March 15th. He had it removed at Duke and stayed there for 7 days. He is overweight as well but they successfully removed it laproscopic. His lasted about 3 hours and we get the pathology report this Friday. His has metasticized to his lungs and they will talk to us about treatment options for that on Friday as well.

    He was expected to stay only a couple of days but got sick with throwing up so they put the ng tube in his nose, down his throat to his stomach is why he stayed 7 days. He is doing okay now, just weak and tired. He has lost 50 lbs. since the end of December and 80 total since last July.

    Praying for you!

    Surgery went well
    My husband's surgery went very well. It was about 2 1/2 hours long MOnday and they were able to complete via scope. He is doing great compared to what i thought was going to occur and how he has reacted to surgery. Laprascope definetly makes a world of difference. He was able to come home last night and has been up and showered this morning. He is back in bed now. Surgeon said he took out all that he could surrounding the kidney and the lymphs in the area definitely looked like they were cancerous but we will get the path report in a few days. He has a nasty rash though, not sure if it is the prep, shaving or the antibiotics or vicodin. Thank you all for your well wishes!
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647

    Surgery went well
    My husband's surgery went very well. It was about 2 1/2 hours long MOnday and they were able to complete via scope. He is doing great compared to what i thought was going to occur and how he has reacted to surgery. Laprascope definetly makes a world of difference. He was able to come home last night and has been up and showered this morning. He is back in bed now. Surgeon said he took out all that he could surrounding the kidney and the lymphs in the area definitely looked like they were cancerous but we will get the path report in a few days. He has a nasty rash though, not sure if it is the prep, shaving or the antibiotics or vicodin. Thank you all for your well wishes!

    Rash
    Cindy,

    Tex got a rash from morphine. Was your husband on morphine following surgery? Its another possibility and should clear up quickly if that was the cause.
  • cindygodfrey2
    cindygodfrey2 Member Posts: 70
    garym said:

    Rash
    Cindy,

    Tex got a rash from morphine. Was your husband on morphine following surgery? Its another possibility and should clear up quickly if that was the cause.

    yes, morphine
    Hopefully it will clear up. He did receive some as late as yesterday morning. Thanks for the tip!
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798

    yes, morphine
    Hopefully it will clear up. He did receive some as late as yesterday morning. Thanks for the tip!

    surgery, rash etc
    Glad it went well for your Husband Cindy and I hope the path report looks OK.

    You'll probably want to find out what the rash is due to, if it persists. If it's due to the morphine, do try a moisturiser. If he was on a high dosage of morphine I imagine you've been advised that he should taper it off rather than go cold turkey.

    Laparoscopic seems to have paid dividends but make sure that, even though he's come through it so well, he doesn't try to do too much too soon - it's been said here before (from memory, most recently by Gary) but stands repeating - 'slow and steady wins the race' .

    Hoping the next scan finds NED.
  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member

    surgery, rash etc
    Glad it went well for your Husband Cindy and I hope the path report looks OK.

    You'll probably want to find out what the rash is due to, if it persists. If it's due to the morphine, do try a moisturiser. If he was on a high dosage of morphine I imagine you've been advised that he should taper it off rather than go cold turkey.

    Laparoscopic seems to have paid dividends but make sure that, even though he's come through it so well, he doesn't try to do too much too soon - it's been said here before (from memory, most recently by Gary) but stands repeating - 'slow and steady wins the race' .

    Hoping the next scan finds NED.

    rash
    Rashes are common from antibiotics. Which they would have used.
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    foxhd said:

    rash
    Rashes are common from antibiotics. Which they would have used.

    rash
    It would be rash to be dogmatic on a subject where we have only just started to scratch the surface, so to speak. (Been itching to say that!)

    However, although Fox is right, of course, about antibiotics, in my case I'm pretty sure that the culprit was the morphine, which is notorious for it (I didn't know that beforehand). However, there's every reason to hope that it won't be a problem for much longer, given some brand new research on the problem. An article in "Cell" in October has been widely reported. The most accessible summary I've found, which I think is worth reading, is to be found here:

    http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22805.aspx

    I wish they'd come up with this a bit sooner - not much good for those of us just about to be on morphine.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647

    rash
    It would be rash to be dogmatic on a subject where we have only just started to scratch the surface, so to speak. (Been itching to say that!)

    However, although Fox is right, of course, about antibiotics, in my case I'm pretty sure that the culprit was the morphine, which is notorious for it (I didn't know that beforehand). However, there's every reason to hope that it won't be a problem for much longer, given some brand new research on the problem. An article in "Cell" in October has been widely reported. The most accessible summary I've found, which I think is worth reading, is to be found here:

    http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22805.aspx

    I wish they'd come up with this a bit sooner - not much good for those of us just about to be on morphine.

    Rash humor...
    T,

    Now that's the ole rash-a-ma-taz we've come to know and love! Great to see you remain in good spirits, I hope tomorrow is much easier than the first time around and you are back here in record time.

    Be well my friend,

    Gary