Kidney tumor 3.7 partial nephrectomy

Hm,

If things go as expected the bad news is that it is probably malignant and the good news is that you can tell people that you had Cancer and that you are now hopefully free of it for the rest of your life. The surgery and recoovery are not fun, but at 3.7 cm you are very lucky considering how big the tumor coulld have been before it was discovered and that is serious stuff.

In the hospital a couple of days, on the couch for another week a few more weeks slow go and at 6 weeks you shoule be back to regular actiities except for the strenuous stuff.

Icemantoo

Hmtwncali said:

Thank you... My

Thank you... My diverticulitis has to completely clear up then i get scheduled for the surgery.. Do u know what therapy I'll prob be dealing with after ?  

The bad news for those of us with kidney cancer, is there is no treatment after nephrectomy. That's also the good news in a way...

They have not approved adjuvant therapy drugs for kidney cancer. Once this tumor is gone, most people just hope it doesn't come back.

The size and location of your tumor make it likely that it will be Stage 1 (less than 7 cm in size, and didn't gain access to the blood supply or grow out of the kidney). Stage 1 has a pretty good success rate with getting rid of the cancer. The odds are better than 90% you won't have it come back (if you're stage 1).

There are some adjuvant therapy drug trials going on. You must start these within something like 20 weeks of having your nephrectomy, so if you have any interest you have to investigate them soon after your surgery (there's some testing before you can start). Many on this board (dare I say most people on this board) are against participation in adjuvant therapy trials. A few of us have chosen to participate. I'm finishing my 36th week on a trial next week and have 18 more to go after that.

I hope all goes well with your surgery. Are you getting a radical or a partial nephrectomy? Where is the surgery getting done? A robotic assisted laproscopy means they make a few small incisions and use tools inserted through these incisions to do the surgery (they have a camera and the inflate your abdomen with air to separate the tissues). The hope is less cutting makes for faster healing and maybe even less chance for infection. In my case, I ended up with a pretty big incision anyway, because they had to remove the entire kidney intact. The tumor was in the middle of my kidney.

Take care and keep us up-to-date.

Todd

Hmtwncali said:

How was your recovery?  And

How was your recovery?  And how are u doing now? 

Everyone is different after the nephrectomy. My husband (one putt) is a stage 4/grade 4 clear cell patient. He had a full right neprectomy on November 1, 2011, and his recovery was quick with little pain, though his doctors made pain medicaton available if and when he needed it.

His nephrectomy was followed by IL-2 treatment at the beginning of January 2012. He often states his neprectomy surgery was a cinch in comparison to the IL-2, sentiments Fox would probably mirror.

Good luck to you.

I also had a partial nephrectomy laparoscopically with the robot...my tumor turned out to be 3.5 cm...pathology showed it to be clear cell stage 1 grade 2...I totally agree with cran1...the fear and shock of having cancer for me was so much worse than the surgery. I was in the hospital for 3 days and had some trouble with nausea from the anasthesia but I rested a few weeks at home and returned to work after 3 1/2 weeks...good luck Cali! You can do this.

i had a 15cm tumor removed 3 weeks ago and i am feeling pretty good already .tests results in on monday.tumor, kidney and lymph nodes removed,take it easy for first week and go at your own speed.good luck and my thoughts and prayers r with u.

brian

I was diagnosed with a 2.5 cm soft tissue mass in July. Had surgery Oct. 16, a partial nerpherectony, done robotically. I chose to have mine done at the Moffitt Cancer Center due to the experience of the doctors there. It's a two-hour drive from my house to Moffitt, but was worth the inconvenence. My local urologist has done only 40 nepherectomies versus 100s by my Moffitt doctor. The pain was pretty well managed: the worst of it was cramping for two days from the carbon dioxide gas pumped into your body. I am sore today around the five incisions, and it hurts to move from sitting to standing and vice versa.  I have not used pain medication since the night of Oct. 18. Got home yesterday afternnoon. I am 67 and overweight, but I have been working out regularly for the past two years, doing 3 to 4 miles on the treadmill six days a week. I think that helped with the surgery. Will get my pathology report in a week.

TillieSOK said:

Rudy, where are you in FL?

Rudy, where are you in FL?  Hang in there, drink lots of water, eat lots of veggies, cut down on the salt, continue to exercise as you can tolerate it, and you will get through this.  Be sure to let us know when you get your path report.

Sorry Tillie but that advice about eating "lots" of veggies is rather suspect.  Veggies (and fruits) are certainly OK in moderation. But they are all carbohydrates and it is the carbs that need to be limited - especially if you have cancer.  The best advice remains: to eliminate all sugar(s) as much as feasible.  Most fruits are just bags of sugar - and the sugar in question within them is usually mostly fructose (the name fructose comes from "fruit sugar") which is the absolute worst thing for any of us.  In additiion we need to cut out cooking in or consuming ALL vegetable oils.  These omega-6 oils are polyunsaturated fats that can weaken our immune systems and promote internal inflammation.  We should all try to eat more fish and seafood (to increase our omega-3's) while cutting down on all breads, pastas, and grains.

For a more detailed explanation of what truly is an optimum healthy diet for cancer sufferers - and why - just email me at: n.feldman@videopost.com and I will respond with a 65-page document that explains the latest science and research behind these and other important dietary recommendations.

I was in your position about two and a half years ago. I've had irritable bowel for years and had a particularly bad attack. My GI ordered a CT to check for diverticulitis. No divert - but kidney cancer instead!! My tumor was small, like yours, and I had a laparoscopic procedure. Two years later I am happily cancer free!

A big challenge was getting my system up and running again after surgery. I waited five days for the 'poop fairy' (as it's been called in these pages) to make her first visit. That meant I couldn't go home, nor could I keep anything down.

So, if you have a history of gut troubles, I suggest you talk with your GI and the doc doing your surgery to see if they have any special recommendations for your recovery. As soon as you can, get up, get moving and drink plenty of water. Keep it up when you get home.

You are allowed to kinda freak out. But, as others have said, we're all proof that life goes on!!