Post surgery stuff

jknorth · May 2013

Just had the partial robotic done to a 2 cm on the lower left kidney. Still have the 5 holes healing but wondering if the internal pain between the lower rib and I guess where the kidney sits is normal. At night you have to keep turning as its good for like a half hr before you need to turn over. Its been over a week now. The 5 surgery scars are kind of hard lumps uderneath also....does this soften up later on. Told the test results won't be in til 4 weeks after so its still question marks. Anyone do any golf or running or anything after 3 weeks instead of waiting the 4 weeks they recommend, just curious.

MDCinSC · May 2013

Take it easy!

This is not a race! Give our body time to recuperate. It has just been assaulted.

I am a little over two weeks past my surgery for a radical hand assist on my right kidney. I have the worst case of cabin fever known to man. Still, this is an endurance race, not a sprint. Listen to your body and don't force it.

What do you gain by an extra week of golf? An extra two weeks of recuperation?

Patience!

jknorth · May 2013

MDCinSC said:
Take it easy!
This is not a race! Give our body time to recuperate. It has just been assaulted.

I am a little over two weeks past my surgery for a radical hand assist on my right kidney. I have the worst case of cabin fever known to man. Still, this is an endurance race, not a sprint. Listen to your body and don't force it.

What do you gain by an extra week of golf? An extra two weeks of recuperation?

Patience!

Thanks for the tip

That was funny, I know what you mean on the cabin fever thing. Since you had a radical it must be more painful, hope you get out and about real soon. Im doing every thing ok now but lifting or anything too jumpy like golf, but time is going pretty quick, must be the nice weather. Stay thirsty.

chenzo · May 2013

jknorth said:
Thanks for the tip
That was funny, I know what you mean on the cabin fever thing. Since you had a radical it must be more painful, hope you get out and about real soon. Im doing every thing ok now but lifting or anything too jumpy like golf, but time is going pretty quick, must be the nice weather. Stay thirsty.

Im 5 weeks after surgery

Im 5 weeks after surgery and im still sore to bed over and wipe my bum..It takes time mate..dont push it..I had my right kidney taken out and my lung deflated....I'm going back to work this week...so I am little excited....hope you get well soon mate

foxhd · May 2013

chenzo said:
Im 5 weeks after surgery
Im 5 weeks after surgery and im still sore to bed over and wipe my bum..It takes time mate..dont push it..I had my right kidney taken out and my lung deflated....I'm going back to work this week...so I am little excited....hope you get well soon mate

Too much of a hurry

Although I will admit to golfing and running in a month. But I have the benefit of a real good physical therapist guiding me. Consider these points. Your body has been sending and recieving messages from every part of you since the beginning. Our nervous system has specifically designated pathways and memories of the way things are supposed to be. If you cut out a major organ, it knows things are not the way they were. But it won't know why. So to protect itself, the body initiates pain, weakness, spasm, swelling and other responses to keep you from further damage. With time these changes become the new normal and your function improves. More time and it just becomes the way it is. Push too much too soon, and the body will refuse to cooperate and will set you back. So, sometimes the trick to quicker recovery is not to do more, but to actually do less. Walk a little. Move a little, Stretch, go through "normal" motions. Let your body know that you are not going to hurt it. It becomes the new you. Full recovery could take a year. The time will pass. Love your new life.

DonMiller · May 2013

foxhd said:
Too much of a hurry
Although I will admit to golfing and running in a month. But I have the benefit of a real good physical therapist guiding me. Consider these points. Your body has been sending and recieving messages from every part of you since the beginning. Our nervous system has specifically designated pathways and memories of the way things are supposed to be. If you cut out a major organ, it knows things are not the way they were. But it won't know why. So to protect itself, the body initiates pain, weakness, spasm, swelling and other responses to keep you from further damage. With time these changes become the new normal and your function improves. More time and it just becomes the way it is. Push too much too soon, and the body will refuse to cooperate and will set you back. So, sometimes the trick to quicker recovery is not to do more, but to actually do less. Walk a little. Move a little, Stretch, go through "normal" motions. Let your body know that you are not going to hurt it. It becomes the new you. Full recovery could take a year. The time will pass. Love your new life.

Too much of a hurry

I thought I felt well enough after about 10 days to resume my normal schedule and I was mistaken. I had never had even a sick day in 30 years and I guess I was trying to convince myself of something. Anyway, I was wrong and became exhausted. I dont know anything about pychology or anything but in retrospect I acted like a **** and set myself back. It has been 8 months now and I feel good but still notice I still get tiried faster and after a work week I never go out on a friday night.

jknorth · May 2013

foxhd said:
Too much of a hurry
Although I will admit to golfing and running in a month. But I have the benefit of a real good physical therapist guiding me. Consider these points. Your body has been sending and recieving messages from every part of you since the beginning. Our nervous system has specifically designated pathways and memories of the way things are supposed to be. If you cut out a major organ, it knows things are not the way they were. But it won't know why. So to protect itself, the body initiates pain, weakness, spasm, swelling and other responses to keep you from further damage. With time these changes become the new normal and your function improves. More time and it just becomes the way it is. Push too much too soon, and the body will refuse to cooperate and will set you back. So, sometimes the trick to quicker recovery is not to do more, but to actually do less. Walk a little. Move a little, Stretch, go through "normal" motions. Let your body know that you are not going to hurt it. It becomes the new you. Full recovery could take a year. The time will pass. Love your new life.

Still patient

Thats the thing, pain and everything is almost totally gone and not even noticing it during the day so its just being safe rather than sorry. Feel like I can already golf after 2 weeks but surgeon said do not even think about it til 4 weeks so it must be the stitches on the kidney thing and making sure they don't rip open. Its so brutal waiting for everything. Think I need to reaccess my mentality and boredom control. All things considered a month ago presurgery I was a bit of a trainwreck, thinking too much, so to complain now is sad. Only 2 weeks to go. Thanks anyway.

GSRon · May 2013

jknorth said:
Still patient
Thats the thing, pain and everything is almost totally gone and not even noticing it during the day so its just being safe rather than sorry. Feel like I can already golf after 2 weeks but surgeon said do not even think about it til 4 weeks so it must be the stitches on the kidney thing and making sure they don't rip open. Its so brutal waiting for everything. Think I need to reaccess my mentality and boredom control. All things considered a month ago presurgery I was a bit of a trainwreck, thinking too much, so to complain now is sad. Only 2 weeks to go. Thanks anyway.

Be Still

OK, you feel good... you take that first full golf swing, and ouch.. feels like you just ripped yourself open.. I waited like 8 weeks until my first real motorcycle ride, the first bump I hit... OUCH.. You may feel good on the outside.. but inside you may still be healing... you need to ask yourself if it is worth it..? Of course I said yes.. but I paid the price..! It is your call....

Good Luck...

Ron..

garym · May 2013

jknorth said:
Still patient
Thats the thing, pain and everything is almost totally gone and not even noticing it during the day so its just being safe rather than sorry. Feel like I can already golf after 2 weeks but surgeon said do not even think about it til 4 weeks so it must be the stitches on the kidney thing and making sure they don't rip open. Its so brutal waiting for everything. Think I need to reaccess my mentality and boredom control. All things considered a month ago presurgery I was a bit of a trainwreck, thinking too much, so to complain now is sad. Only 2 weeks to go. Thanks anyway.

Pitch and putt for now...

Just walk the course and work on your short game. When you can swing, don't forget to parlay your little cancer thing into a few extra strokes on the course and free drinks after.

MDCinSC · May 2013

garym said:
Pitch and putt for now...
Just walk the course and work on your short game. When you can swing, don't forget to parlay your little cancer thing into a few extra strokes on the course and free drinks after.

I thought

I thought this RCC stuff carried an extra 5 Mulligans from the moment of diagnosis! 10 after surgery!

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!

icemantoo · May 2013

radical v. partial

JK,

Although they did not have partials in the early 21st century when I had my surgery, my understanding is that the partial is the more difficult surgery because of all the cutting even thou less is taken. Therefore all things considered do not expect your recovery from a parial to be easier than a recovery from radical.

Icemantoo

jknorth · May 2013

icemantoo said:
radical v. partial
JK,

Although they did not have partials in the early 21st century when I had my surgery, my understanding is that the partial is the more difficult surgery because of all the cutting even thou less is taken. Therefore all things considered do not expect your recovery from a parial to be easier than a recovery from radical.

Icemantoo

Rad vs Par

I hear you as far as all the tunneling for the Da Vinci surgery but I may have gotten lucky, feel almost 90% already and just a little surface wound stuff, like I have 4 more belly buttons right now. I went on a 7 mile trail walk other day and felt fine. Even swingng clubs just for fun and all feels fine. Will wait anyway, no point fooling myself. Thanks very much all....waiting to see verdict on 19th.

Texas_wedge · May 2013

jknorth said:
Rad vs Par
I hear you as far as all the tunneling for the Da Vinci surgery but I may have gotten lucky, feel almost 90% already and just a little surface wound stuff, like I have 4 more belly buttons right now. I went on a 7 mile trail walk other day and felt fine. Even swingng clubs just for fun and all feels fine. Will wait anyway, no point fooling myself. Thanks very much all....waiting to see verdict on 19th.

"Listen to your body" - not always good advice

16 months ago, I started a thread on this subject because we saw a few athletic younger members here who did themselves no good by believing their bodies when they told them they were more or less fully recovered after a few weeks. My opening sentences still stand, where I said:-

It's almost always very good advice when your body tells you to back off and, if you're smart, you will. It's NOT good advice though, sometimes, when it tells you you're invulnerable and on top of the world. That's when the comment by ibinmsp on the "Getting tired" thread comes into play:

"Congratulations! BUT - remember that your body may have different plans."

Maybe the most extreme case was an English guy who said he had no pain-killers at all, went home within a few hours of coming out of the operating theatre and was working out in the gym within 2 weeks. Thing is, we never heard from him again!

icemantoo · May 2013

Going too fast

JK,

A year or 2 ago a young mother who was very fit went on a roller coaster 90 days after sugery. Even she complained that was to quick, She should of waited another 6 months.

Icemantoo

pinkstar · June 2013

Be careful

I had a hand assist laparoscopic radical nephrectomy on 4/29/13 and went back to work after 3 weeks. I took pain medication during my 2 day hospital stay and 1 day when I returned home. I returned back to school after 2 weeks and since being back at work, I was on physical restriction for 3 weeks. This weekend I was a busy girl and I am still physically exhausted. I physically feel great but I am tired. I did way too much this weekend and I am still paying the price. Be patient as much as possible with yourself. My advice would be to milk this as long as you can. If you are getting cabin fever then as long as you have a driver, venture out on short trips & see how you feel. My Dr assured me I'd heal fast and I did. I have zero complaints but I am physically tired at times. So I never feel bad for turning down an invite and I take naps when I see fit. I also started juicing to help me get back on my exercise track. So be good to yourself & treat yourself well.

Donna

Texas_wedge · June 2013

pinkstar said:
Be careful
I had a hand assist laparoscopic radical nephrectomy on 4/29/13 and went back to work after 3 weeks. I took pain medication during my 2 day hospital stay and 1 day when I returned home. I returned back to school after 2 weeks and since being back at work, I was on physical restriction for 3 weeks. This weekend I was a busy girl and I am still physically exhausted. I physically feel great but I am tired. I did way too much this weekend and I am still paying the price. Be patient as much as possible with yourself. My advice would be to milk this as long as you can. If you are getting cabin fever then as long as you have a driver, venture out on short trips & see how you feel. My Dr assured me I'd heal fast and I did. I have zero complaints but I am physically tired at times. So I never feel bad for turning down an invite and I take naps when I see fit. I also started juicing to help me get back on my exercise track. So be good to yourself & treat yourself well.

Donna

Be careful

That's pretty sound advice. It's good to hear that you seem to be managing your situation well, Donna, and doing all the sensible things to help yourself.

Post surgery stuff

Comments

Discussion Boards