Should I purchase a recliner?

Gigifromcanada

So this is my first post! I’m 46 and I was just told I have a 3.3 cm tumour on my kidney. i have a lung ct scan tomorrow and a biopsy in a few weeks. I likely will have surgery to remove the tumour only or the entire kidney. If it‘s the entire kidney, I’m hoping that it will be done laparoscopicly. If it’s a partial it may be open surgery. I’ve read people saying that they slept in a recliner for weeks. 

Seriously, should I buy a recliner? I know this must be a first first question on these boards....

icemantoo

No need to go hog wild on extras

Gigi,

 

The first couple weeks are tough no matter how you try and sleep. An extra blamet or pillow here and their should help unless you have an uncle in the furniture business. At 3.3 cm no mattter how they get the sucker out you should have a full and complete recovery. eh.

 

 

 

icemantoo

BoondockSaint

G.....your situation sounds

G.....your situation sounds similar to my wife. She was 45 at the time of her diagnosis and her little demon was 3.5cm.

That was a year and a half ago and all has been well since.

She slept in the bed with lots of pillows in an upright position of sorts. During the day she did spend a good bit of time in the recliner so I’d say it’s probably not a bad idea but not a ncessity.

Best wishes And keep us posted.

Hoss79

I had my radical last
I had my radical last November. I slept in the recliner 3 nights. During the day it was my savior though as it was the only thing I could get comfortable in.

Canadian Sandy

I have had 2 surgeries in the

I have had 2 surgeries in the last couple of years. Both times I slept about a month in my recliner. It’s very painful trying to get out of bed. i love my recliner and found it quite comfortable to sleep in.

Retcenturion

It helped

I've had a couple surgeries and they show you how to roll out of bed before you leave. I had a hard time doing it at home. Also, I couldn't get comfortable. We had a gravity chair for the patio that we brought into the living room that worked out great. I used it for sometime post op. Cheaper than a recliner and has been now become my beach chair too. Good luck and sending positive thoughts.

APny

Mine was an open partial for

Mine was an open partial for roughly the same size as yours. I did buy a recliner just in case since so many people said they needed one. Fortunately mine was a waste of money because I was able to go up the stairs to our bedroom and slept in our bed. I did buy a large body pillow to lay alongside the incision, and a wedge pillow to raise my upper body. I piled some more pillows on top of the wedge. It was kind of a little nest. I slept fine! Maybe you could rent a recliner instead of buying one? Make sure they teach you how to roll and get out of bed while still in the hospital. I came home on the third day and got out of bed by myself that day. All the best to you!

JoeyZ

I have a recliner, but I

I have a recliner, but I couldn't use it after my surgery. I couldn't get in and out of it comfortably, as crazy as that sounds. Of course I had a radical, open nephrectomy that took 12 hours...just read my profile. If you want to! I couldn't stand to use the handle to pull the chair up and to get out of it!! It hurt a lot! I had some 17" of cuts, so not your normal tiny cuts if you get it done laporascopically. 6 months later my incision is STILL healing!!

Amy_Jo

Yes I got a comfortable

Yes I got a comfortable recliner shortly after my surgery. I had open nephrectomy. It was painful so I slept on my sofa for weeks. In a sitting up possition it was pain to lay flat my bed is high so getting in and out was very painful. My cancer spread so my recliner has been my comfort zone. I wish you the best of luck. 

JohnACS

Given your age and the cancer

Given your age and the cancer size, I would say it is not necessary.

But if you do buy one, get one that is electric controlled. You will likely not have the muscle strength after surgery to get up from the reclining position and you will be stuck there.

Canadian Sandy

It’s hard to get up for sure

It’s hard to get up for sure but I found it easier than getting up from the bed.

Glidergal365

I bought one

I had a total nephrectomy for what started as a 3.2cm tumor which was 4.5cm when they removed it And I had just turned 40.

I bought a recliner at ShopKo, a nice Simmons for $250 on sale and I lived in it for the first month. My surgery was a laprascopic hand assist so I had a 5-6 cm cut on the lower right abdomen. I couldn't get out of bed and was alone most of the time and needed to be able to be mobile. For me it was totally worth it. I couldn't lay down in a bed with pillows comfortably until week 5 after surgery. 

Good luck! 

 

Cybball

I bought one.  Never owned

I bought one.  Never owned one before.  I never slept in it, but for some reason I would wake up every night around 2-4am and my back was spasming.  Hurt so bad I could not lay in bed.  I would go downstairs and sit in my recliner.  Within minutes my back would start to losen up.  I normally would watch TV for an hour or 2 and then go back up and get in bed.

My recliner paid for itself within days. 

 

stub1969

Worked for me

I sat and slept in our recliner for 3 days/nights.  It really worked for me and kept me in a comfortable position.

Good luck!

Stub

todd121

I've had two laparoscopic surgeries on my right side from this (one radical nephrectomy then two years later an adrenalectomy). I was fine on my bed. However, I will say my bed is at just the right height where I can sit on it with my feet flat on the floor so it was easy to roll in and out of bed. If the bed was higher it might have been a problem climbing in and out of bed.

It's bad, but it was not so bad. After reading here all the fuss people had, I decided to equip my bedroom (which is upstairs) with everything I'd need for a few days. I got a small fridge and put everything I'd need for a week in my bathroom (which is large) in my upstairs bedroom so I wouldn't have to go up and down the stairs. Honestly, I did stay up stairs a lot, but going up and down the stairs was not that bad. I was going up and down the stairs and out for walks within a day or two of coming home. What I'm saying is that it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I also only used a small amount of pain medication only for a day or two, and quickly turned to tylenol only or no pain meds. I don't do well with narcotics, so I only took tramadol for 1 or 2 days, then tylenol maybe at night sometimes after that.

To me, I found getting bowels functioning normally again to be more frustrating. That's one reason I'd avoid narcotic pain medication if you can. Drink lots of water and walk a lot. Eat light to start with and stay away from constipating foods for sure.

I wouldn't buy a recliner unless your bed is really high and difficult to get in and out of. Even then I'd try to make sure it's not one of those that takes a lot of abdominal "crunching" to get the thing back to an upright position. Maybe one with a side lever to recline/go back?

Best to you. It'll be fine.

Todd

Gigifromcanada

Thank you

i‘m so thankful that so many of you took the time to responD. My bed is high and I’m short. I usually have to do a little hop to get in. I’m going to need a little bench.  I still on  the fence about getting a recliner. I really don’t lIke the look of theM but if it can provide me weeks of comfort.....

Gtngbtr58 @aol.com

Do whatever makes you comfortable

I think it's a nice alternative to your bed for snoozing and resting during the day.  They also come in a rocking chair which I love on a any day-good luck-June

a_oaklee

I believe it depends on the

I believe it depends on the individual of whether or not a recliner would be right for you.  Your age and your current physical fitness is helpful to consider.  If you are strong and healthy I think you will be okay without it.  Make sure you are taught how to get out of bed.  Perhaps you can sleep in a different room that has a lower mattress.  We actually moved our bed to a different wall so that my husband could more easily roll out of bed, and have closer walk to the bathroom.  It was necessary for us to have some chairs with arms.  It's something I've never thought about, but the ability to use armrests to help you sit and stand was important for my husband.  Also you can purchase a bedside assist device.  It is a small portable rail on the side of your bed, and the base of it slides between your mattresses.  They cost about $40 to 70 depending.  They are great in helping you grab onto something to get out of bed.  It is very important to move, even if its uncomfortable.  A part of me thinks the comfort of a recliner would cause my husband to not get up.  Take your pain meds and hold a pillow over the incision if you need to.  I recently went to a furniture store and was surprised at the recliners that were actually pretty.  I too, am not fond of the classic look of a recliner.  The selections have greatly improved, especially with higher price tags.  It's good that you are thinking ahead of what your needs might be.  Another idea is an MP3 player and earbuds.  Take it with you to the hospital.  

Trisa1795

im also thinking about

im also thinking about purchasing one. Can you all tell me what brand you got that was good. My couch has recliner in it but you got back fast and I’m sure it will hurt.   Thanks in advance. 

Racer X

Hello. Stores sell different
Hello. Stores sell different side leg extensions to raise up beds. My bed is about an inch above a regular sitting height. It made it easier to get in and out of. I pushed my bed into the corner of the room. I tied a rope to the foot of the bed then tied a piece of wood at the end, for a handle. It looked like a cord and handle a water skier uses. I used that to pull myself up so my arms did most of the muscle work. I also used adjustable walking sticks, the kind used by hikers. Since the bed was against the wall, I could use the stick to push myself to the edge of the bed and use the rope to stay vertical. I had no one to help me so I had to MacGyver something that worked for me. The walking sticks came in handy for walking and using at the toilet as well. Since they are adjustable, I found them much more useful than a cane and could use for getting in and out of the car too. I bought a cheap set at Costco for $30. When you get home, you’ll need to drink more and will be needing to use the bathroom more. Ask if you can take home a bedside pee/urinal bottle. It will save you trips to the bathroom.

I wanted a recliner but they are too big for my space. Like others mentioned, lots of pillows and blankets work. Depending on your mattress type, you could also put something between the two mattresses to lift up the head area or put spacer under the legs at the head of the bed too. That may help a bit so you’re not totally horizontal.

I hope this helps.

APny

What a great idea with the

What a great idea with the rope and the handle. Wish I had thought of it.