So...what to expect??

pauley13

So partial is less than a week away, with a million different thoughts in my head...hoping you guys can help me out with what will really happen.  Your own stories about pre-op to post-op...when I wake up will i have tubes comeing out of me (i know i will have urinary cath), will i be on oxygen, will i be in alot of pain? whats the first 24 hours like?  So many emotions right now, the big one is fear! 

Galrim

From A-Z

The below is based on you not having any additional medical conditions complicating things. But heres a short walkthrough of what to expect based on my own experience (generalized obviously). Have in mind the processes/"workflow" can also vary from hospital to hospital, country to country:

Two days before surgery I had a brief standard consultation with an anesthesiologist to ensure there would be any problems with that part.

The night before surgery I had the pleasure (not) of having to drink a highly effective laxative to empty my bowels.

Next morning at 8 AM I signed in at the urological ward. Was shown to my room and bed. shortly after that a nurse came and did some basic medical tests, bp, pulse, blood oxygen level etc.

Then at around 10 AM I was off to the OP room. had a radical laprascopic nephrectomy and ureterectomy. Took 2 1/2 hours.

Was at the ER for a couple of hours until I was out of the anestethics and then taken back to my bed at the ward. No oxygen. Had a catheter and drain tube in the side. The latter was removed in the same evening. The cath I kept for a week but thats not standard, it was due to my ureterectomy.

Pain wasnt so bad. I had regular painkillers and then some oxynorm the first 24 hours but that was it. The dizzyness and nausea after the anestethics was actually worse, but that wore off within the first 8-12 hours. Aside from that, general fatigue, sleeping a lot the first week was the most noteworthy to me. I was dispatched from the hospital after 48 hours.

In the following weeks I had mild, stinging, abdominal pains but they slowly wore off after 3-4 weeks and wasnt a biggie.

Hope this helps. Have in mind that if you have open surgery (you dont mention whehter its open or not) the post-op part is going to be different (and probably lengthier).

Good luck. Thumbs crossed :-)

/G

 

 

pauley13

Galrim said:

From A-Z

The below is based on you not having any additional medical conditions complicating things. But heres a short walkthrough of what to expect based on my own experience (generalized obviously). Have in mind the processes/"workflow" can also vary from hospital to hospital, country to country:

Two days before surgery I had a brief standard consultation with an anesthesiologist to ensure there would be any problems with that part.

The night before surgery I had the pleasure (not) of having to drink a highly effective laxative to empty my bowels.

Next morning at 8 AM I signed in at the urological ward. Was shown to my room and bed. shortly after that a nurse came and did some basic medical tests, bp, pulse, blood oxygen level etc.

Then at around 10 AM I was off to the OP room. had a radical laprascopic nephrectomy and ureterectomy. Took 2 1/2 hours.

Was at the ER for a couple of hours until I was out of the anestethics and then taken back to my bed at the ward. No oxygen. Had a catheter and drain tube in the side. The latter was removed in the same evening. The cath I kept for a week but thats not standard, it was due to my ureterectomy.

Pain wasnt so bad. I had regular painkillers and then some oxynorm the first 24 hours but that was it. The dizzyness and nausea after the anestethics was actually worse, but that wore off within the first 8-12 hours. Aside from that, general fatigue, sleeping a lot the first week was the most noteworthy to me. I was dispatched from the hospital after 48 hours.

In the following weeks I had mild, stinging, abdominal pains but they slowly wore off after 3-4 weeks and wasnt a biggie.

Hope this helps. Have in mind that if you have open surgery (you dont mention whehter its open or not) the post-op part is going to be different (and probably lengthier).

Good luck. Thumbs crossed :-)

/G

 

 

Thanks G.  i am actually

Thanks G.  i am actually having in done with the Da Vinci so as of right now its not a open (fingers crossed it wont be).  They told me 4-6 hours surgery, it will be nice for my family if it is only 2 or 2.5 hours.  Thanks for all you info!

 

Crystal

Galrim

pauley13 said:

Thanks G.  i am actually

Thanks G.  i am actually having in done with the Da Vinci so as of right now its not a open (fingers crossed it wont be).  They told me 4-6 hours surgery, it will be nice for my family if it is only 2 or 2.5 hours.  Thanks for all you info!

 

Crystal

The longer duration of your surgery.

Is due to it being partial. Mine was radical which is normally faster.

/G

MDCinSC

pauley13 said:

Thanks G.  i am actually

Thanks G.  i am actually having in done with the Da Vinci so as of right now its not a open (fingers crossed it wont be).  They told me 4-6 hours surgery, it will be nice for my family if it is only 2 or 2.5 hours.  Thanks for all you info!

 

Crystal

My story is very similar to Galrim's

As he described it, it sounds about right!  My experiences with the laxatives started at the 48 hour mark before surgery and a fully clear liquid diet.  Yummy!

My procedure was a laparascopic hand assist radical nephrectomy, a cystoscopic removal of a bladder stone, and a hernia repair at the site of the hand port. As a result the surgery went about 4 hours.  Catheter was a 48 hour affair, increased as a result of the cystoscope.  Some folks report a small bulge for a while, but because of the hernia repair, that was not an issue for me.

I had some minor to moderate pain the first day, but the painkillers were readily available. They will be for you too!  Use them. That's what they are for.  I stopped with the prescription painkillers after three days.  If you need them longer, by all means use them.  Gas was a real issue for several days. It will pass, so to speak.

I will recommend adding prune juice to your diet for the the first 4 or 5 days to assist the issues from the painkillers.

I am now six weeks post operation and I am doing pretty well.  I still get tired in the afternoon, I still occasionally have minor stomach distress and discomfort when laying on my right side because of the rearranged organs, but you get used to that. I am allowed back to work, light duty of course, but I am a college professor.  The heaviest thing I pick up now is a computer mouse.

Be calm and be confident. This may be the most frightening thing you've ever done, but iyou will be amazed at how simple it really was when its finally behind you.

Be at Peace!

Michael

Djinnie

Expectations

The worst part of this experience is being told you have cancer. Try to think of the operation as the beginning of healing. You will do fine, try not to be scared. 

I had the same surgery as the one you are having. I was admitted to the hospital the night before, my op was scheduled for 7.30am. I did not have to drink anything to clear the bowels, they don't do that here in France. I was given something to help me to sleep, and I was still pretty relaxed when I went down for surgery the next morning.

The funniest part was being wrapped up in foil and lined up with several others in front of a huge TV screen. We were all there awaiting collection looking like a bunch of butter basted chickens ready for the oven. I got the giggles at that point, we all looked so ridiculous.

Anyway half way through a wildlife programme I was collected, and very soon afterwards I was asleep. My surgery was 4 hours, I did not have any oxygen to bring me around, here they leave you to wake naturally. I came around almost 4 hours later. I did not have a catheter just a drip and the drain.

The pain meds included morphine so that first night was a bit of a blur. I was aware of soreness more than pain, and it felt like an airbag had gone off under my ribs. The following day I was up and sitting in a chair, I was on liquids that day waiting for the digestive system to settle.

I came off the morphine and was placed on paracetamol, at that point I became more aware of the soreness and there is quite a lot of pressure under the ribs. That is not just from the sugery but air too. You may also have shoulder pain which they say is from the anesthetic, but the fact that you are strapped at an angle for around 4 hours, your body may be complaining a bit. 

To be honest the worst part for me initially, was recovering from the anesthetic and having morphine. I hate feeling groggy, I can deal with pain as long as I have a clear head.

I have six incisions two larger from the probe and the drain, the others are tiny.I had no staples, some internal sutures only. Once the drain had cleared I was good to go, I came home on the fourth day after surgery, but that is because they don't rush you out.

Hope that helps, believe me it is not as bad as you are fearing it to be. You will do great! 

All the best

Djinnie x

 

foxhd

Djinnie said:

Expectations

The worst part of this experience is being told you have cancer. Try to think of the operation as the beginning of healing. You will do fine, try not to be scared. 

I had the same surgery as the one you are having. I was admitted to the hospital the night before, my op was scheduled for 7.30am. I did not have to drink anything to clear the bowels, they don't do that here in France. I was given something to help me to sleep, and I was still pretty relaxed when I went down for surgery the next morning.

The funniest part was being wrapped up in foil and lined up with several others in front of a huge TV screen. We were all there awaiting collection looking like a bunch of butter basted chickens ready for the oven. I got the giggles at that point, we all looked so ridiculous.

Anyway half way through a wildlife programme I was collected, and very soon afterwards I was asleep. My surgery was 4 hours, I did not have any oxygen to bring me around, here they leave you to wake naturally. I came around almost 4 hours later. I did not have a catheter just a drip and the drain.

The pain meds included morphine so that first night was a bit of a blur. I was aware of soreness more than pain, and it felt like an airbag had gone off under my ribs. The following day I was up and sitting in a chair, I was on liquids that day waiting for the digestive system to settle.

I came off the morphine and was placed on paracetamol, at that point I became more aware of the soreness and there is quite a lot of pressure under the ribs. That is not just from the sugery but air too. You may also have shoulder pain which they say is from the anesthetic, but the fact that you are strapped at an angle for around 4 hours, your body may be complaining a bit. 

To be honest the worst part for me initially, was recovering from the anesthetic and having morphine. I hate feeling groggy, I can deal with pain as long as I have a clear head.

I have six incisions two larger from the probe and the drain, the others are tiny.I had no staples, some internal sutures only. Once the drain had cleared I was good to go, I came home on the fourth day after surgery, but that is because they don't rush you out.

Hope that helps, believe me it is not as bad as you are fearing it to be. You will do great! 

All the best

Djinnie x

 

just said this to Rhondamae

 

You could drive yourself crazy worrying about everything. Set your "I can do this attitude" and go for the ride. They will take care of you. They are professionals. If you approach it this way, it will be a better experience. It's not the magic kingdom, but you won't forget it.

pauley13

foxhd said:

just said this to Rhondamae

 

You could drive yourself crazy worrying about everything. Set your "I can do this attitude" and go for the ride. They will take care of you. They are professionals. If you approach it this way, it will be a better experience. It's not the magic kingdom, but you won't forget it.

Thanks Everyone!!! All the

Thanks Everyone!!! All the information really helps :-)  I have a Angio thursday so he can see my renal vein/artery, then surgery on monday!!

MDCinSC

pauley13 said:

Thanks Everyone!!! All the

Thanks Everyone!!! All the information really helps :-)  I have a Angio thursday so he can see my renal vein/artery, then surgery on monday!!

This will be a snap!  Then a

This will be a snap!  Then a well deserved vacation!

In the overall road of life, this procedure is a bump, not even a pothole!

I'm looking forward to your stories afterwards!

Michael

icemantoo

MDCinSC said:

This will be a snap!  Then a

This will be a snap!  Then a well deserved vacation!

In the overall road of life, this procedure is a bump, not even a pothole!

I'm looking forward to your stories afterwards!

Michael

No Pain, No Gain

Unfortunately the initiation does carry a little pain. It is better than the alternative. In 11 years you will hardly remember the pain. Hopefully you will be good enough for the beach in a few weeks.

 

Icemantoo

pauley13

icemantoo said:

No Pain, No Gain

Unfortunately the initiation does carry a little pain. It is better than the alternative. In 11 years you will hardly remember the pain. Hopefully you will be good enough for the beach in a few weeks.

 

Icemantoo

Me too Icemantoo!! i think

Me too Icemantoo!! i think the best place to recoop is on the sandy beaches ;-)  My kids know that i will be down not able to get out in the ocean with them so the next best thing we took them to the Wave Pool this past weekend...LOL