Incisions

mlph4021

Hey there, so I am just wondering what kind of incisions everyone had with their nephroctomies? Personally, my tumor was almost 11 cm and they took the whole kidney with it and I have 4 small holes in my abdomen (that look like red dragonflies due to staples) and then a 4-5 inch line under my belly button. No reason I am asking, other than curiosity.  

icemantoo

Most of mine are no longer visable

mlph,

 

They gradually blend in over time. I still have a little buldge though.

 

 

Icemantoo

mlph4021

Oh

I am not worried about how they look. I was not a bikini model pre-surgery, no plans to become one now. I think the ones that look like dragonflies are kind of cute actually, I know, I am weird. I was just curious because I saw so many people say they had 4 keyholes. I am wondering how on earth they got away with just those? Maybe tumors were just much smaller? Amazing what they can do nowadays! 

lobbyist0724

mlph4021 said:

Oh

I am not worried about how they look. I was not a bikini model pre-surgery, no plans to become one now. I think the ones that look like dragonflies are kind of cute actually, I know, I am weird. I was just curious because I saw so many people say they had 4 keyholes. I am wondering how on earth they got away with just those? Maybe tumors were just much smaller? Amazing what they can do nowadays! 

6 inches here

I wish I could get away with 4 holes I have a 6 inches long incision but is healing well, there is still some mild pain when I try to lift something heavy. Had a open surgery because of the partial cystic/solid tumor.

Carmen

mlph4021

lobbyist0724 said:

6 inches here

I wish I could get away with 4 holes I have a 6 inches long incision but is healing well, there is still some mild pain when I try to lift something heavy. Had a open surgery because of the partial cystic/solid tumor.

Carmen

I was having a lot of pain in my long scar

And accepted I'd have it a while. 3 days ago, I realized NOTHING hurts anymore! Well, my back gets a little stiff, but I think I am going to have to accept I am just not young anymore.

Now most days I hardly think of cancer or surgery or anything that totally consumed me for a month and a half. Strange, because I was a total wreck, just a few weeks ago. I am not sure if my denial game is that strong, or if it is just normal to stop thinking about it, but almost seems like it happened to someone else. I am not worried about it though, if I can just put it behind me I am glad. I know I dealt with it enough already. There were many tears, so much anxiety, I think I am just through it and made it to the other side. 

Jan4you

swelling/edema=pain. Use ice

swelling/edema=pain. Use ice packs!! You are healing inside too.

most scars eventually turn into thin white lines, some hardly noticable, if at all.

Gentle hugs, jan

 

Steve.Adam

mlph4021 said:

I was having a lot of pain in my long scar

And accepted I'd have it a while. 3 days ago, I realized NOTHING hurts anymore! Well, my back gets a little stiff, but I think I am going to have to accept I am just not young anymore.

Now most days I hardly think of cancer or surgery or anything that totally consumed me for a month and a half. Strange, because I was a total wreck, just a few weeks ago. I am not sure if my denial game is that strong, or if it is just normal to stop thinking about it, but almost seems like it happened to someone else. I am not worried about it though, if I can just put it behind me I am glad. I know I dealt with it enough already. There were many tears, so much anxiety, I think I am just through it and made it to the other side. 

The Denial Game

I know what you mean about denial. My surgery is just over two weeks away and I am very calm about the whole deal. But is it just my own high quality denial or real calm?

If you hear a clattering sound it is probably just me falling apart.

Steve.

 

Bay Area Guy

I had four small incisions

I had four small incisions that went from just above my hip to within a couple of inches of my navel and I also had a drain hole, so five slices.  I had a baby lesion (1.7cm) and it removed robotically.  The scars are almost gone (surgery June 22, 2016).

mlph4021

Steve.Adam said:

The Denial Game

I know what you mean about denial. My surgery is just over two weeks away and I am very calm about the whole deal. But is it just my own high quality denial or real calm?

If you hear a clattering sound it is probably just me falling apart.

Steve.

 

I was very calm too

Before surgery. Making jokes the weeks leading up. It was after surgery that the weight of everything hit me hard. Now, I am back to the joking stage, so I am going with it. You will be fine too, eventually. Good luck with surgery!

APny

Mine was an open partial. It

Mine was an open partial. It's just under 4 inches and is now a thin white line after nearly 3 years. They just used surgitape, not staples or stiches outside.

Bay Area Guy

APny said:

Mine was an open partial. It

Mine was an open partial. It's just under 4 inches and is now a thin white line after nearly 3 years. They just used surgitape, not staples or stiches outside.

It was strange to have

It was strange to have surgitape.  I have had two other operations in my life and both were open abdominal, both of which required staples to close.  I didn't know what to make of the surgitape at first, as I thought I was still bleeding from all my incisions.  It was about two weeks or so before it started to peel off and I suddenly noticed, hey, those things are all healed!  But it was a far sight easier to move around compared to staples.

mlph4021

Bay Area Guy said:

It was strange to have

It was strange to have surgitape.  I have had two other operations in my life and both were open abdominal, both of which required staples to close.  I didn't know what to make of the surgitape at first, as I thought I was still bleeding from all my incisions.  It was about two weeks or so before it started to peel off and I suddenly noticed, hey, those things are all healed!  But it was a far sight easier to move around compared to staples.

I had

Staples on the keyholes, stitches and the tape on the big cut. That was sooo gross! It took a long time to come off, I was afraid to help it any, even though I could clearly see scar was formed. Was happy when the last bit came off. 

Footstomper

mlph4021 said:

Oh

I am not worried about how they look. I was not a bikini model pre-surgery, no plans to become one now. I think the ones that look like dragonflies are kind of cute actually, I know, I am weird. I was just curious because I saw so many people say they had 4 keyholes. I am wondering how on earth they got away with just those? Maybe tumors were just much smaller? Amazing what they can do nowadays! 

About 8 inches upwards from the Navel

I was just disappointed that they used staples rather than needle and thread. Along with my hip replacement incision I could be going for the full Frankenstien. I guess I could get tatoos, but that feels like cheating.

mlph4021

Footstomper said:

About 8 inches upwards from the Navel

I was just disappointed that they used staples rather than needle and thread. Along with my hip replacement incision I could be going for the full Frankenstien. I guess I could get tatoos, but that feels like cheating.

Ha!

My dad has had so many operations, both hips replaced, knee replaced, open heart, etc. I have been calling him "Franken-dad" for years. After my kidney removal, he called me Franken-kid. 

stub1969

Incisions

5 counting my drain hole.  All but one are less than 1/4 inch.  The one next to my navel is 2-3 inches.  At my three month follow-up appointment the doctor was appreciative and took pride in the fact that the incisions were pretty symmetrical. 

Stub

 

 

mlph4021

Hmm

Ok, sounds like most had very similar to my own, the keyholes with the bigger, long cut. As I said before, my keyholes were closed with staples and they still (only 1 month, 10 days post surgery) look like red dragonflies. I don't care if they fade away, not too concerened about it, but who knows? If they don't fade I may eventually cover them with dragonflies! That might be a fun way to commemorate all of this. Ha ha. 

JerzyGrrl

Five

I had five, all closed with staples. Two were very small (less than 1/2"), two slightly larger (around 1/2"), and the down-from-the-belly-button one the largest at 4" right after surgery, but already healed to about 2". When the staples were removed, it looked pretty red and scary, kind of curved. The surgeon was very pleased with himself, said, "It's like that so you can wear a bikini." I thought he was nuts, because (1) I think I last wore a bikini the year of the first Super Bowl and (2) that scar was NOT looking bikini-friendly.  But it's looking pretty good now.  Who knows (I'd be more open to a two-piece bathing suit than a tattoo  )

I only have one that's still reddish, not quite healed yet (one of the middle-sized ones, the one farthest down). The small ones are already practically invisible.  The other middle-sized one, slightly up and to the side from my belly button, initially looked like another belly button, which was both kind of gross and pretty funny (I think that's the one the camera scope went through). But now it just looks like a little scar, not at all navel-ish. 

JerzyGrrl

stub1969 said:

Incisions

5 counting my drain hole.  All but one are less than 1/4 inch.  The one next to my navel is 2-3 inches.  At my three month follow-up appointment the doctor was appreciative and took pride in the fact that the incisions were pretty symmetrical. 

Stub

 

 

Tidy...

Four of my incisions are practically in a tidy little row, slightly off-center to the left.  They're not that obvious, really, fairly symmetrical and definitely not ugly scars. 

mrou50

Incision

My incision was 11. 5 inches long and then secured by staples, lots of them. I have a really nice scar on my left side that looks like I got into it with a ninja and he got the better of me.  There was two surgeons working on me and they both had their hands inside of me, or so I was told.

Mark

hardo718

My 5 belly buttons

And one that's about 3 inches long or so.  It cracked me up that they go in all different directions.  Haven't been in a bikini for a good 37 years and have no plans of revisiting those days so it doesn't really matter.  I remember, while hospitalized, feeling the need to show these stab wounds to my visitors. 

Drugs do weird things to me I guess, lol

Donna~