Encouragement
I stumbled upon this site a few weeks ago when doing research after the incidental discovery of a small renal mass during treatment for another condition. I received encouragement by reading your stories and thought perhaps that I should share my own story in the event that someone else might need similar encouragement.
I am in my late 50s, male, 170 pounds, and just over six feet tall. I was very surprised at the incidental discovery of the small renal mass because I had no symptoms and had an active lifestyle for my age.
At first I opted for an open partial nephrectomy because robotic procedures are not offered by our local hospital. However, after researching further, I changed course and was referred to a surgeon at a teaching hospital in a nearby city for a robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.
I had the surgery last week. The physicians and staff at the teaching hospital were very professional and efficient. My surgery lasted about five hours. I woke with four keyhole incisions of <1" in my abdomen plus another incision for a drain. I was given one dose of hydrocodone after awakening from surgery but have been on extra strength Tylenol plus a muscle relaxing medication since that time (Flexeril). The surgery was not nearly as bad as I had feared. I spent one night in the hospital and was discharged the next day, after having a urinary catheter and the abdominal JP drain removed.
I would estimate the pain at about a 2 on a 10 point scale, except in moments when I cough or sneeze, when it shoots to about a 9 before quickly subsiding. There is some discomfort when moving from a prone to seated position or when moving from a seated to a standing position, but it's manageable. It was about 48 hours before my bowels moved again and I found that fasting but drinking hot coffee was very helpful to re-start the digestive process. (I had another surgery for an unrelated condition several years ago and began eating too soon and later regretted it - I learned the hard way that I needed to get the bowels functioning again before consuming food.) I began walking the day of the surgery around the hospital, then at home, then in my neighborhood. I have steadily increased to 1.50 miles/day in the sixth day after surgery. I have resumed part-time work from home.
The pathology report indicates that the small mass was completely excised and my surgeon said that it is "very unlikely" that I will have a reoccurrence. That said, my surgeon intends to follow me for about five years and have periodic CT scans, with the first post-surgery CT scan to occur in about three months.
Here are the highlights of the pathology report:
Histologic Type: Papillary renal cell carcinoma, Type 1
Histologic Grade: G2
Tumor Size: Greatest Dimension (Centimeters): 2.7 cm
Margins: Uninvolved by invasive carcinoma
Primary Tumor (pT): pT1a
If your own situation is similar to mine then my advice would be to not lose heart, to at least consult with a physician who offers robotic-assisted surgery to see if it is an option for you (even if you ultimately decide to go about things differently), and keep a positive attitude which is its own good medicine.
And whatever your own situation, I hope that you will do well in your treatment and have a good outcome.
Comments
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Thanks for your story
I'm glad for the good outcome!
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Except for having a few years
Except for having a few years on you with a different subtype of RCC and a slightly smaller mass, that's just about my exact story starting in late 2013. My primary was associated with a hospital I'd rather not use, so he got me a referral to Stanford, where I had a wonderful urologist and probably the best doc I've ever seen. We monitored my little sucker for almost 2-1/2 years with alternating CT's and ultrasounds every six months. In April, 2016, an ultrasound saw a one mm growth, so he got me a surgeon who did robotics (and who looked like he was just out of high school.....young whippersnapper.....LOL) who got it out in June. I was monitored for four years with no sign of any spread or recurrence. I have my first appointment with Stanford's Survivorship Program coming up in early December. Oddly enough, I have that appointment, then the next afternoon, I see an audiologists and a head and neck surgeon because my ENT for hearing loss wants me evaluated for a cochlear implant.
Getting old sucks, but it's sure better than the alternative.
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Thanks for sharing. I'm sure
Thanks for sharing. I'm sure lots of people will find it helpful. I had to have open nephrectomy which is much more painful. Three years out now and all is still good.
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