Hi Everyone...

musiclives79
musiclives79 Member Posts: 1
in Kidney Cancer #1
I just signed up after reading quite a lot.. I am super scared. 32 year old male that smokes and is overweight. I have been diagnosed with Renal Cell at just under 3cm and I have surgery on friday.. yes, in ONE day. I have already pushed this off for over a year (because of my extreme fears) and I am wanting to claim I am sick when they call today with the time.. I am so scared about the surgery, about going under, about being cut, healing and the pain afterwards.

I have never had a surgery before but watching Youtube videos has really scared me.. although I only watch them so I would know what's going on.. and what to expect.. a little strange to watch people "go under".. feels un-natural to me..

I am having a Robotic Laparasocopic Partial Nephrectomy tomorrow and if anyone has had this (or any other surgery to the stomach area) could you explain to me what I should expect?

I have read about sore throat (tube down throat (eeek)..., extreme gas pains from c02 (ouch!), neck/shoulder pain from c02(ouch), various locations of numbness (yuck), catheter (ouch!), draining tube (ouch!)

Seems like a lot of ouches and yucks.. not looking forward to this.. at all.. if God gave this to me.. why take it away? My mind is going in a thousand directions right now.. and it has been.. but 1 day away from this.. is really messing with me.. pretty bad.

Comments

  • rae_rae
    rae_rae Member Posts: 300 Member
    #2
    Stop
    Watching YouTube and start reading posts here. First, you need to have this done, please do not put it off any longer. If you don't have this removed, eventually it will spread and things will be much worse. God didn't give this to you but he is surely providing you a chance to get rid of it-just the fact that it was found so early! Will there be pain-of course, but it's completely manageable. We were all scared too-that's normal. I had an open surgery and was swimming in three weeks. You will be feeling better much sooner. Quit smoking! Have your surgery and post here for support. We will be with you every step of the way!
  • Texas_wedge
    Texas_wedge Member Posts: 2,798
    #3
    rae_rae said:

    Stop
    Watching YouTube and start reading posts here. First, you need to have this done, please do not put it off any longer. If you don't have this removed, eventually it will spread and things will be much worse. God didn't give this to you but he is surely providing you a chance to get rid of it-just the fact that it was found so early! Will there be pain-of course, but it's completely manageable. We were all scared too-that's normal. I had an open surgery and was swimming in three weeks. You will be feeling better much sooner. Quit smoking! Have your surgery and post here for support. We will be with you every step of the way!

    Piece of cake
    Right on Rae. Musiclives, in a few weeks time, when you are back to normal, do try to stop smoking and lose weight - not necessarily at the same time. There are folks here who've achieved both (one goes by 'Limelife50'). If you can, you'll live longer and feel much better.

    It's completely in order for you to be scared but, honestly, what you are facing is not much at all. Operations on YouTube are pretty grisly but you won't see anything like that. You'll quietly nod off under the anaesthetic in a matter of moments. The next you know is you'll be in bed, feeling sore, glad it's over and all is well. You may be in pain for a day or two but with a laparoscopic partial on a really small tumour it should be a lot less sore than most of us have endured and we're all still here!

    You can forget about all the horror stories about tubes and suchlike. You won't have much of that apparatus and what you do will be there to make you more comfortable. Anything you need will have been put in place while you're unconscious so no worries about that either.

    Aside from being sore over the weekend you'll find the whole episode a piece of cake. I hope we'll all hear from you very soon when you'll be confirming you cruised through it no bother.
  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #4
    Welcome to the club...
    musiclives,

    I don't mean to be blunt, but compared to what awaits you by putting it off this surgery is nothing more than a short term inconvenience. There is NOTHING to be afraid of, its not going to be fun and you will be uncomfortable for a couple weeks, but then you're done and you can go back to doing whatever it is you like to do for another 50 years or so. You don't want to wind up in a trial or fighting the side effects of drugs as you try to survive. And quit the cigs, they are likely what landed you here in the first place.
  • ytak28
    ytak28 Member Posts: 12
    #5
    garym said:

    Welcome to the club...
    musiclives,

    I don't mean to be blunt, but compared to what awaits you by putting it off this surgery is nothing more than a short term inconvenience. There is NOTHING to be afraid of, its not going to be fun and you will be uncomfortable for a couple weeks, but then you're done and you can go back to doing whatever it is you like to do for another 50 years or so. You don't want to wind up in a trial or fighting the side effects of drugs as you try to survive. And quit the cigs, they are likely what landed you here in the first place.

    It will be over before you know it...
    I was in the same boat you are in last week. I had my partial open nephectomy last friday March 2nd- given that you are having laprpscopic you will not experience some of the pains I had. The fist 24 hours are a bit rough but I was discharged from the hospital 48 hours after surgery and now almost a week later I feel Great!!! Don't get me wrong Im not running any marathons but my every day activities are getting easier and easier as each day goes by. My best advise is to stay positive and post on here as much as you want the advise I get from my friends here has kept me going through all of this! This is your second chance- soon you will be saying I had cancer and beat it! and those words are so empowering!!! Please keep us posted.
  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #6
    garym said:

    Welcome to the club...
    musiclives,

    I don't mean to be blunt, but compared to what awaits you by putting it off this surgery is nothing more than a short term inconvenience. There is NOTHING to be afraid of, its not going to be fun and you will be uncomfortable for a couple weeks, but then you're done and you can go back to doing whatever it is you like to do for another 50 years or so. You don't want to wind up in a trial or fighting the side effects of drugs as you try to survive. And quit the cigs, they are likely what landed you here in the first place.

    Musiclives
    Get it done. Pronto! If you are a heavy smoker and are overweight, you have probably had a hangover or two . Probably didn't stop you from doing it more than once. This won't be as bad, and they will give you drugs so that you won't give a s@#$. Then just get healthy.
  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #7
    foxhd said:

    Musiclives
    Get it done. Pronto! If you are a heavy smoker and are overweight, you have probably had a hangover or two . Probably didn't stop you from doing it more than once. This won't be as bad, and they will give you drugs so that you won't give a s@#$. Then just get healthy.

    Good luck
    Musiclives79,


    You are joining our club with a minimum of baggage (a tumor under 4cm). Your chances for a full and complete recovery are close to 100%. Were you to put off this surgery, these tumors grow and metastisize and then you are talking about serious stuff. I was 59 almost 10 years ago when I had the surgery and have been doing fine since and like you I was scared and never had surgery before. Does the surgery hurt? Yes, but you get over that part. Chime in after the surgery and let us know how you are doing. We have all been thru what you are going thru.

    Best wishes,


    Icemantoo
  • LISAinTN
    LISAinTN Member Posts: 143
    #8
    Late
    Musiclives,

    Sorry I am late to this thread. I hope your surgery went well! Before you know it, a month will have passed and you will be back to your old self. Or close anyway.....

    Blessings,
    Lisa

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