Encouragement

droopy01

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.

 

Deanie0916

Thanks for your story

I'm glad for the good outcome!

icemantoo

Off to a good start

My memory is not as fond about the Neph., 19 years ago. Mo robots then.

 

 

 

icemantoo

Bay Area Guy

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.

Canadian Sandy

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.

eug91

Nice-

Thanks for sharing your story - and congrats on getting through your neph! Hoping for continued healing for you!