Radical Open Naphrectomy
Glad to see others on this site sharing information leading up to and including surgery-
Comments
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Radical surgery
Shel43
I wish you had come to this forum with better news, be it as it may, welcome. Everyone here wants only the best for you. 5 weeks ago today I lost 1/3 of my right kidney, I was all nerved up b/4 my day (12/20). When the day came I was amazingly relaxed. My faith went to the good hands of my surgeon, who is a fantastic guy, and all the support staff at the hospital. Please know the advances in medicine in past couple of decades bodes well for all of us. You will be sore for a short time after surgery but, it will pass in time.
Be good, keep your chin up - angels are looking after you!
Tom0 -
Welcome to the club...
Shel43,
I'm sorry that circumstance has brought you to our neck of the woods, but now that you are here, welcome. Things are likely to be moving pretty quickly for you, but you've found an experienced, knowledgeable and supportive group that will help you any way they can. Many of your questions can be answered and fears addressed by reading the threads and stories found here, or feel free to ask questions, join in on the conversations, or just vent if/when you need to. Keep us posted and we'll help you through it.
Good luck and Godspeed,
Gary0 -
Been there.
Been there; done that on 3/15/2010. For me the procedure was smooth sailing all the way through. Still kicking.
Worry not; it doesn't help. Your family support will lift you above the fray. Seek help from a higher authority; that does help.
Good luck and blessings to you
Floyd0 -
We are on the same schedule
Hi Shel, I just found out Saturday that I have a 9cm tumor, 99% sure of cancer. Going to remove my entire left kidney. I have great spirits, because I am a believer, and I have named this my Kidney Missions Trip! My plan is to plant seeds in the lives of those I am going to come in contact with over the next month. I see my surgeon on the 31st, but I get to see my oncologist this Friday, along with my primary care physician, who was kind enough to prescribe me Xanax for the anxiety I am feeling. Having a bit of a hard time sleeping. Don't be afraid to ask for help in that area. It's survival mode at it's finest! I also started juicing, preparing my body for a good recovery. Welcome to the Kidney Club. Another good site for information is the National Kidney Foundation.
Blessings,
Sharon0 -
open surgery
I, too, had the open surgery, and the recovery is a bear. But as hard as it is, I can promise you that each day you'll feel a bit better. By the 6 week mark, most people are amazed at how suddenly they feel better. Do what they tell you to do in the first few days after surgery as far as moving around and getting up is concerned. You'll hate it, but it will speed the healing process.0 -
2 weeks onJamie1.3cm said:open surgery
I, too, had the open surgery, and the recovery is a bear. But as hard as it is, I can promise you that each day you'll feel a bit better. By the 6 week mark, most people are amazed at how suddenly they feel better. Do what they tell you to do in the first few days after surgery as far as moving around and getting up is concerned. You'll hate it, but it will speed the healing process.
Hi Sushi I have just posted under the heading (home from surgery)It as been very painfull but not as bad as I thought it would of been ,you will just have to take your time with everything, but as others have said you will find a big difference day by day,I had a cacer the size of a tennis ball on my left kidney and had them both removed 7-1-2012 all by key hole ,I have me follow up on Monday 30th Jan to have a full report on what they found, my fingers are crossed, Name Errol Staffordshire uk,0 -
2 weeks onJamie1.3cm said:open surgery
I, too, had the open surgery, and the recovery is a bear. But as hard as it is, I can promise you that each day you'll feel a bit better. By the 6 week mark, most people are amazed at how suddenly they feel better. Do what they tell you to do in the first few days after surgery as far as moving around and getting up is concerned. You'll hate it, but it will speed the healing process.
Hi Sushi I have just posted under the heading (home from surgery)It as been very painfull but not as bad as I thought it would of been ,you will just have to take your time with everything, but as others have said you will find a big difference day by day,I had a cacer the size of a tennis ball on my left kidney and had them both removed 7-1-2012 all by key hole ,I have me follow up on Monday 30th Jan to have a full report on what they found, my fingers are crossed, Name Errol Staffordshire uk,0 -
Welcome Shel ... you are among friends! I am two weeks out from an open partial nephrectomy and doing a little better every day. I know what you are going through and the best advice I can think of is to tell you to do your best to simply relax. Yes it sucks that this is happening to you but the things these doctors can do is amazing! My tests did come back confirming cancer but since they are confident they got it all out it doesn't really matter much - they are saying I am effectively cured! It is a very stressful process for sure but the best thing you can do before surgery is to clear your plate, organize your life for the recovery process then do you best to relax. Exercise, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy life. Recovery is not easy but it is completely doable and frankly, not nearly as bad as I expected it would be. Best of luck to you! You are in my thoughts and prayers - please keep us posted on your progress!0
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Was just told yesterday theyJamie1.3cm said:open surgery
I, too, had the open surgery, and the recovery is a bear. But as hard as it is, I can promise you that each day you'll feel a bit better. By the 6 week mark, most people are amazed at how suddenly they feel better. Do what they tell you to do in the first few days after surgery as far as moving around and getting up is concerned. You'll hate it, but it will speed the healing process.
Was just told yesterday they are moving my surgery up to Thursday if this week.... no more waiting and i can finally get this tumor outof me.. thanks for all the comments and advice which will definitely come in handy! Prayers to all of you!0 -
Was just told yesterday theyJamie1.3cm said:open surgery
I, too, had the open surgery, and the recovery is a bear. But as hard as it is, I can promise you that each day you'll feel a bit better. By the 6 week mark, most people are amazed at how suddenly they feel better. Do what they tell you to do in the first few days after surgery as far as moving around and getting up is concerned. You'll hate it, but it will speed the healing process.
Was just told yesterday they are moving my surgery up to Thursday if this week.... no more waiting and i can finally get this tumor outof me.. thanks for all the comments and advice which will definitely come in handy! Prayers to all of you!0 -
Attitudelawmanmike said:Welcome Shel ... you are among friends! I am two weeks out from an open partial nephrectomy and doing a little better every day. I know what you are going through and the best advice I can think of is to tell you to do your best to simply relax. Yes it sucks that this is happening to you but the things these doctors can do is amazing! My tests did come back confirming cancer but since they are confident they got it all out it doesn't really matter much - they are saying I am effectively cured! It is a very stressful process for sure but the best thing you can do before surgery is to clear your plate, organize your life for the recovery process then do you best to relax. Exercise, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy life. Recovery is not easy but it is completely doable and frankly, not nearly as bad as I expected it would be. Best of luck to you! You are in my thoughts and prayers - please keep us posted on your progress!
Shel,
The most important thing is to have a positive attitude. So what if it is Cancer. You are going to fight back and get rid of it. The next week or two (after Thursday) are going to be a little rough. Not fun, but thats what it takes to get thru this. Lets here from you next week.
Best wishes,
Icemantoo0 -
prepare now for life after surgeryicemantoo said:Attitude
Shel,
The most important thing is to have a positive attitude. So what if it is Cancer. You are going to fight back and get rid of it. The next week or two (after Thursday) are going to be a little rough. Not fun, but thats what it takes to get thru this. Lets here from you next week.
Best wishes,
Icemantoo
Any heavy lifting you need done around the house, do it now. After surgery, you won't be able to lift things for awhile. Gallon of milk, cat litter, laundry, trash, recycling -- get all that stuff taken care of before surgery. When you get home, you'll just want to sleep. The pain meds will take away your appetite, but do stay hydrated. Even if you start to feel better, take it easy.
You have no real restrictions on your lifestyle after nephrectomy, other than keep an eye on your blood pressure -- you don't want to put any stress on the one kidney remaining. But rest assured that people live perfectly normal lives with one kidney.
After surgery, let's talk about the pathology report and the follow up schedule. (I just finished my first round of follow-ups with no problems.)0 -
missions tripJamie1.3cm said:prepare now for life after surgery
Any heavy lifting you need done around the house, do it now. After surgery, you won't be able to lift things for awhile. Gallon of milk, cat litter, laundry, trash, recycling -- get all that stuff taken care of before surgery. When you get home, you'll just want to sleep. The pain meds will take away your appetite, but do stay hydrated. Even if you start to feel better, take it easy.
You have no real restrictions on your lifestyle after nephrectomy, other than keep an eye on your blood pressure -- you don't want to put any stress on the one kidney remaining. But rest assured that people live perfectly normal lives with one kidney.
After surgery, let's talk about the pathology report and the follow up schedule. (I just finished my first round of follow-ups with no problems.)
Good name. You can really focus on something that has a name other than "it". I was calling mine "Rosemary's baby". Had to get that monster out of me. I would wish you good luck, but luck is second place to having a good attitude and good medical team. I hope your doctor is able to stay at a Holiday Inn the night before. Keep us posted with your magnificent recovery.0 -
Good luck tomorrow...Shel43 said:Was just told yesterday they
Was just told yesterday they are moving my surgery up to Thursday if this week.... no more waiting and i can finally get this tumor outof me.. thanks for all the comments and advice which will definitely come in handy! Prayers to all of you!
Shel,
All the "fun" begins for you tomorrow, yeah the next couple weeks will be a bit rough, but two months from now you will be back to near "normal" with many many years to look forward to, its a small price to pay. Thoughts and prayers are with you, expect to hear how things went in a few days.
Good luck and Godspeed,
Gary0 -
Labellingfoxhd said:missions trip
Good name. You can really focus on something that has a name other than "it". I was calling mine "Rosemary's baby". Had to get that monster out of me. I would wish you good luck, but luck is second place to having a good attitude and good medical team. I hope your doctor is able to stay at a Holiday Inn the night before. Keep us posted with your magnificent recovery.
"Rosemary's Baby" was a good bit of imagination Fox - I suppose "Alien" is a little too graphic.
Best of luck tomorrow Shel, though as Fox says you won't need luck so I'll also with you the best possible outcome.0 -
LabellingTexas_wedge said:Labelling
"Rosemary's Baby" was a good bit of imagination Fox - I suppose "Alien" is a little too graphic.
Best of luck tomorrow Shel, though as Fox says you won't need luck so I'll also with you the best possible outcome.
Mine was always "The Leach" (also my pet name for politicians), but I do like Rosemary's Baby and Alien.0 -
Labellinggarym said:Labelling
Mine was always "The Leach" (also my pet name for politicians), but I do like Rosemary's Baby and Alien.
Funnily enough I've never thought of my lesion as an entity but rather as a misguided process that I needed to have put into reverse. It now occurs to me that the colourful labels don't betoken some sort of illicit reification (because the tumours themselves are palpable enough) and maybe the names confer a degree of focus that woul be useful in bringing a guided imagery approach to bear. However, it's a bit late after the offending material has been excised and so I'll have to find a different focus.0 -
Darn those big 'uns
Shel'
I have a good idea how your mind is running now. Mine ran the same way. My rcc tumor, back in '93 weighed in at 20 pounds and was a real crowd pleaser for the med students in the observation gallery. The last thing I remember was after my surgeon said they were using Versed as the knock out media was me saying "I understand that 3 out of 4 New York doctor prefer Vers---" and then I woke up the next day.
Well, they cut me three ways, frequent, deep and wide! I remember asking for a glass of water in the recovery room. The nurse barked at me "You can't drink any water" to which I replied, "I just want to see if my ribs leak". I still think that was a pretty good one liner for a feller in the shape I was in at that moment.
Now I do not tell you this to trifle with you, just to encourage you that you WILL get through this and finding something to laugh about even in the worst of circumstances can only hasten the healing process. Get the best room you can possibly afford with the prettiest view. Don't let them have you overlooking the garbage disposal. Here I am talking about little things which can add up to that wonderful day when, you will wake up and notice that things seem abnormally strange and different. Then you will suddenly realize that NOTHING IS HURTING.
Take time to get acquainted with your neighbors in the fellowship of pain. Your listening to their story will help heal both of you. Chances are you will be the only stranger in that whole place who will take the time to do so and you will be surprised at how much this helps both of you.
Believe it or not, you are in no immediate danger even though the road ahead seems daunting. This means that you will have time. Time to heal. Time to plan ahead. Time to deal with whatever comes your way. There are a lot of us here who can and will be of help to you. Someday, you might visualize telling others of how you beat a rather large size tumor that made the mistake of coming your way. That is when you will finally know for sure that you have won and I expect you will one day realize that your life was richer for the experience. The possibilities are always greater than the averages. - gwhite0 -
Sense of humor...gwhite said:Darn those big 'uns
Shel'
I have a good idea how your mind is running now. Mine ran the same way. My rcc tumor, back in '93 weighed in at 20 pounds and was a real crowd pleaser for the med students in the observation gallery. The last thing I remember was after my surgeon said they were using Versed as the knock out media was me saying "I understand that 3 out of 4 New York doctor prefer Vers---" and then I woke up the next day.
Well, they cut me three ways, frequent, deep and wide! I remember asking for a glass of water in the recovery room. The nurse barked at me "You can't drink any water" to which I replied, "I just want to see if my ribs leak". I still think that was a pretty good one liner for a feller in the shape I was in at that moment.
Now I do not tell you this to trifle with you, just to encourage you that you WILL get through this and finding something to laugh about even in the worst of circumstances can only hasten the healing process. Get the best room you can possibly afford with the prettiest view. Don't let them have you overlooking the garbage disposal. Here I am talking about little things which can add up to that wonderful day when, you will wake up and notice that things seem abnormally strange and different. Then you will suddenly realize that NOTHING IS HURTING.
Take time to get acquainted with your neighbors in the fellowship of pain. Your listening to their story will help heal both of you. Chances are you will be the only stranger in that whole place who will take the time to do so and you will be surprised at how much this helps both of you.
Believe it or not, you are in no immediate danger even though the road ahead seems daunting. This means that you will have time. Time to heal. Time to plan ahead. Time to deal with whatever comes your way. There are a lot of us here who can and will be of help to you. Someday, you might visualize telling others of how you beat a rather large size tumor that made the mistake of coming your way. That is when you will finally know for sure that you have won and I expect you will one day realize that your life was richer for the experience. The possibilities are always greater than the averages. - gwhite
Kinda reminds me of the story about a tower worker who fell from a great height sustaining many broken bones and life threatening internal injuries, but never lost consciousness. In the ER as they worked frantically to save his life a nurse asked if he was allergic to anything, "YES" he replied and all activity ceased immediately. After a dramatic pause he added "Apparently gravity". His sense of humor changed the mood of everyone in the room from one of doom to one of hope. Laughter truly can be the best medicine. And yes, he did survive.0 -
Kidney Tumor
Hi Shel,
I went into the ER on the 25th with severe stomache pain. While I was there they discovered I had Diverticulitis, Huge Gall stone and a tumor (9cm) on my left kidney..What a shock ..I thought I was the picture of Health....I have been to the Urologist ...I also have been to the Surgeon that is also going to remove my gallbladder at the same time..I have had a bone scan and a Chest X-ray (Thank God they came back clean)...4 Drs..have looked at my CT and they think it is contained...I will feel better after the Pathologists looks at it...have any of you had treatment if they decide it is contained? I am having my surgey the 10th..Not soon enough for me..I hate having that THING in me...The funny thing I quit smoking 21 years ago..I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPOSEDLY CAUSES KIDNEY CANCER...I am nervous..I am scared but I feel so relieved that all my CT's look good...Please Pray for me0
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