hors d'oeuvres

rae_rae
rae_rae Member Posts: 300 Member
in Kidney Cancer #1
Since I am going to whine a bit, I thought I would offer some cheese and crackers to go along with it. I read all of the amazing recoveries, marathons, mountain climbing and ocean swimming going on and I need to know if there are others lurking in the shadows that are still not the same as pr-surgery?

It's been over a year now and I still have so much abdominal pain that it still hurts to turn over and even get up. I still cannot press anything up against my abdomen. It still hurts when I eat and drink due to the hematoma located near my spleen and stomach. Not to mention the nerve pain. I do not take pain meds for any of this but the quality of life certainly isn't the same. Deep breathing still hurts. I've had previous surgeries and recovered fully and quickly. Am I the only one? Offers you some cheese...

Comments

  • Jamie1.3cm
    Jamie1.3cm Member Posts: 188
    #2
    Sorry you're still feeling
    Sorry you're still feeling achey. That sucks. I've heard that hematomas after surgery are pretty common, but I've never had one, so I don't have much info there. Sounds like your discomfort is more than what I've ever experienced a year post-op, but I can tell you that 6 months later, I still sleep with my tummy propped with a pillow in front of me when I sleep on my side. If I don't, my ab muscles are achey in the morning. I don't like pain meds either; I'd rather have some physical pain than be on the pain meds!

    Does your doc know you're still achey?
  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #3
    pain
    That's terrible Rae-Rae. I had a large hematoma after surgery that was still present on cat scan 3 months later. Probably had something to do with my anemia. But I never suffered any problems. You may have an adhesion. See if your MD will refer you to a good physical therapist. You may need some supervised stretching and deep massage to loosen things up. Well worth the try.
    fox
  • lbinmsp
    lbinmsp Member Posts: 266
    #4
    DANG!
    I am so sorry you're going through all this! And no, not everyone can run marathons or do all those amazing things just weeks after surgery! My doctors told me that it could take up to a year to regain strength and stamina and FEEL normal again.

    Now, having said that, what do your doctors say about this pain? What are they giving you or suggesting to you? I had a great deal of nerve pain after my right lower lobectomy (RCC mets to the lung) - and I got a prescription for Lidocaine patches. They're peel and stick patches that provide a topical anethesthic to the area. They did not get rid of all the pain but they did help a lot. I was cautioned never to use more than 3 patches in any 24 hour period (they can cause toxicity). I preferred using this approach over a pill that could just make me drowsy and sickish.

    Keep posting and let us know how you're doing.
  • rae_rae
    rae_rae Member Posts: 300 Member
    #5
    lbinmsp said:

    DANG!
    I am so sorry you're going through all this! And no, not everyone can run marathons or do all those amazing things just weeks after surgery! My doctors told me that it could take up to a year to regain strength and stamina and FEEL normal again.

    Now, having said that, what do your doctors say about this pain? What are they giving you or suggesting to you? I had a great deal of nerve pain after my right lower lobectomy (RCC mets to the lung) - and I got a prescription for Lidocaine patches. They're peel and stick patches that provide a topical anethesthic to the area. They did not get rid of all the pain but they did help a lot. I was cautioned never to use more than 3 patches in any 24 hour period (they can cause toxicity). I preferred using this approach over a pill that could just make me drowsy and sickish.

    Keep posting and let us know how you're doing.

    Thanks for the replies. I
    Thanks for the replies. I haven't said much to my GP about this- seems everytime I saw her there was a larger issue at hand, like the never ending anemia, the three day migraines, the asthma that appeared out of the blue or the recurrence that wasn't. I did talk to my oncologist about it the day he gave me the good news about my biopsy. He said I had a ton of scar tissue, a lot of surgical clips, and that because of the location of the hematoma, eating probably will cause discomfort but it should continue shrinking. He said surgery would probably only cause further issues. And that was that. So I figured everyone had these issues and I needed to suck it up.

    I haven't seen a doctor in a while because after this year, frankly I just want to not think about Rcc or recurrences but I am also tired of sucking it up. Fox, no one ever mentioned adhesions to me before, but after reading, it makes perfect sense. So much pain and tightness under my ribcage that it has made breathing difficult walking across a parking lot. I work on the second floor and take an elevator half the time because it gets painful to breathe. This is not how I was before surgery. I am sorry to whine but after a year I am so frustrated. I just want to be normal again. Which will never include marathons, mountain climbing or swimming oceans...but I would like to keep up with my aunt when we shop all day at the mall :-/
  • Jamie1.3cm
    Jamie1.3cm Member Posts: 188
    #6
    rae_rae said:

    Thanks for the replies. I
    Thanks for the replies. I haven't said much to my GP about this- seems everytime I saw her there was a larger issue at hand, like the never ending anemia, the three day migraines, the asthma that appeared out of the blue or the recurrence that wasn't. I did talk to my oncologist about it the day he gave me the good news about my biopsy. He said I had a ton of scar tissue, a lot of surgical clips, and that because of the location of the hematoma, eating probably will cause discomfort but it should continue shrinking. He said surgery would probably only cause further issues. And that was that. So I figured everyone had these issues and I needed to suck it up.

    I haven't seen a doctor in a while because after this year, frankly I just want to not think about Rcc or recurrences but I am also tired of sucking it up. Fox, no one ever mentioned adhesions to me before, but after reading, it makes perfect sense. So much pain and tightness under my ribcage that it has made breathing difficult walking across a parking lot. I work on the second floor and take an elevator half the time because it gets painful to breathe. This is not how I was before surgery. I am sorry to whine but after a year I am so frustrated. I just want to be normal again. Which will never include marathons, mountain climbing or swimming oceans...but I would like to keep up with my aunt when we shop all day at the mall :-/

    frustrated
    I don't blame you; I'd feel frustrated too. And I know what you mean about just being tired of a) seeing doctors, and b) sucking it up all the time. Feels like we can't catch a break.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #7
    Jamie1.3cm said:

    frustrated
    I don't blame you; I'd feel frustrated too. And I know what you mean about just being tired of a) seeing doctors, and b) sucking it up all the time. Feels like we can't catch a break.

    White or red?
    rae_rae,

    Sharing a little whine with your friends is never a bad thing so no apology necessary! Each of us reacts differently to both the physical and mental trauma associated with this disease, so don't judge yourself too harshly based solely on the experiences of others. I echo the advice above, continue asking questions until you find the answers, fox may have hit the nail on the head. Don't let the way you feel become your new "normal" and never feel guilty about wanting things back the way they were.

    Keep fighting and keep sharing,

    Gary

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