Surgery on Tues the 15th

rainsandpours
rainsandpours Member Posts: 136
in Kidney Cancer #1

After 7 months of waiting, time is finally flying.  I'm a little scared.  I'm a big wimp and hate pain-especially after the 4 surgeries I've already had in the last year :(.  At my pre-op appt, the anesthetist ordered an Epi and PCA, but warned me I will still have likely signifigant pain.  Ugh

 

We have an added wrinkle as well: due to some Thyroid cancer testing this past week, I've endured 6 blood draws, 1 IV, 2 injections and a PET scan.  I have no usuable veins left.  The tech blew out my last one yesterday putting the IV in.  The nurses sent a request to my Rad Onc for a PICC line, but she said no.  They may not be able to put an IV in me on Tues.  They definitely can't draw blood tomorrow for my last Thyca draw.

Comments

  • izzycohen
    izzycohen Member Posts: 80
    #2
    Thoughts and prayers

    We are rooting  and praying for you.  Good luck.  May you live long and well.

     

    Izzy

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #3
    izzycohen said:

    Thoughts and prayers

    We are rooting  and praying for you.  Good luck.  May you live long and well.

     

    Izzy

    Surgery

    Rains,

     

    May your surgery and recovery be uneventful. Sorry, but it will hurt a little.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #4
    izzycohen said:

    Thoughts and prayers

    We are rooting  and praying for you.  Good luck.  May you live long and well.

     

    Izzy

    Surgery

    Rains,

     

    May your surgery and recovery be uneventful. Sorry, but it will hurt a little.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • mom2two
    mom2two Member Posts: 48
    #5
    icemantoo said:

    Surgery

    Rains,

     

    May your surgery and recovery be uneventful. Sorry, but it will hurt a little.

     

     

    Icemantoo

    You will do well!

    I am still a loopy and still in the hospital, but know I will be praying fo ryou

  • TillieSOK
    TillieSOK Member Posts: 252
    #6
    Prayers for a relatively pain

    Prayers for a relatively pain free and rapid recovery!

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #7
    Surgery!

    All the best for Tuesday Rains, as you say it has been a long time in coming. We will all be thinking of you and praying for the very best outcome.

     

    Djinnie x

  • foxhd
    foxhd Member Posts: 3,181 Member
    #8
    Djinnie said:

    Surgery!

    All the best for Tuesday Rains, as you say it has been a long time in coming. We will all be thinking of you and praying for the very best outcome.

     

    Djinnie x

    Surgery

    I'm happy that you are moving along. Good luck tuesday. The mind blowing wait will be over.

  • rainsandpours
    rainsandpours Member Posts: 136
    #9
    Thanks all!
     
    I just had my

    Thanks all!

     

    I just had my last thyroid blood draw done.  The tech was good and managed to pull it out of a small vein near my knuckles.  Here's to hoping my other ones recuperate enough for IV insertion!

  • JoanneNH
    JoanneNH Member Posts: 115
    #10
    I'm new here.  I don't know

    I'm new here.  I don't know how to search for your previous posts, so I don't know if you are having an open or lap procedure.  I had a lap in September and had an epidural and PCA with dilaudid.   The nurses really kept on top of any pain I had and I always had it available during the timeframe.  I could use the PCA pump every 6 minutes.  Most of the time I forgot to use it, but did when I moved in or out of the bed.  The really only significant pain was after the epidural was taken out and had worn off.  Should have known by the look on the face of the pain management anesthesiologist to the effect of "you don't know what you are in for."  I took my pain med at max dose in the shortest time frame allowed and it dissipated.   Hint:  have a pillow which you can hold against your incision site for walking or in case you cough or sneeze.  No laughing allowed!!!  Either have a relative/friend bring you a small pillow or grab one of the hospital pillows (but usually they are too large).

     

    Thoughts are with you for an uneventful surgery and recovery.

  • cran1
    cran1 Member Posts: 139
    #11
    Good thoughts to you on your

    Good thoughts to you on your surgery.

  • elpasorudy
    elpasorudy Member Posts: 84
    #12
    Best wishes

    Wishing you a speedy recovery. My surgery is tomorrow. We will have to compare notes. Good luck.

     

  • Skagway Jack
    Skagway Jack Member Posts: 224 Member
    #13
    My surgery was on the Oct 15th as well

    I had a full radical right nephrectomy on the 15th.  I dont have all the path results, but the margins were clear and no cancer cells were found outside of the tumor.  Tumor was 7x5x5.  Recovery has been reasonably good.  Took a week for my appetitte to return but it was not as painful as I had feared.  Doing a 30 minute walk each day, albeit very slowly. I bought a cane to ease getting up and down from my chairs and couch.  I was in the hospital for 3 days.  Im 53 and fairly athletic so I dont know if my results are typical.  Best of luck in your recovery!

     

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #14
    Skagway Jack said:

    My surgery was on the Oct 15th as well

    I had a full radical right nephrectomy on the 15th.  I dont have all the path results, but the margins were clear and no cancer cells were found outside of the tumor.  Tumor was 7x5x5.  Recovery has been reasonably good.  Took a week for my appetitte to return but it was not as painful as I had feared.  Doing a 30 minute walk each day, albeit very slowly. I bought a cane to ease getting up and down from my chairs and couch.  I was in the hospital for 3 days.  Im 53 and fairly athletic so I dont know if my results are typical.  Best of luck in your recovery!

     

    Normal

    Skagway Jack, 

    Everything sounds normal in your recovery. Being 53 and in good shape makes it a little easier. The little pain from the surgery is reqired to join our club. Glad you found it not as bad as expected.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • garym
    garym Member Posts: 1,647
    #15
    Skagway Jack said:

    My surgery was on the Oct 15th as well

    I had a full radical right nephrectomy on the 15th.  I dont have all the path results, but the margins were clear and no cancer cells were found outside of the tumor.  Tumor was 7x5x5.  Recovery has been reasonably good.  Took a week for my appetitte to return but it was not as painful as I had feared.  Doing a 30 minute walk each day, albeit very slowly. I bought a cane to ease getting up and down from my chairs and couch.  I was in the hospital for 3 days.  Im 53 and fairly athletic so I dont know if my results are typical.  Best of luck in your recovery!

     

    Welcome to the club...

    Hi Jack,

    Glad to hear you are doing well following the initiation process, it has been nearly 4 years for me.  The walking will serve you well, once you can walk for an hour at a reasonably fast pace without pain, you are home free.  The other important part of the recovery process is hydration, be sure you are drinking plenty of water, your body and remaining kidney need it.  By the sounds of it you should have 40 years or so to remember the days when you HAD cancer.

  • Skagway Jack
    Skagway Jack Member Posts: 224 Member
    #16
    garym said:

    Welcome to the club...

    Hi Jack,

    Glad to hear you are doing well following the initiation process, it has been nearly 4 years for me.  The walking will serve you well, once you can walk for an hour at a reasonably fast pace without pain, you are home free.  The other important part of the recovery process is hydration, be sure you are drinking plenty of water, your body and remaining kidney need it.  By the sounds of it you should have 40 years or so to remember the days when you HAD cancer.

    Thanks garym,  I never gave credit to my bowels helping me to maintain a rosy outlook on life, but I will never underestimate my bowels again!  Drinking more water is a must help out the remaining kidney and in retrospect I should have been better about that before this happened.  I go for post op check up on 30 Oct, and I expect to get more details regarding my follow up monitoring.  I am anxious to start swimming again as I intend to use the pool as my early focus on restoring my core body strength.  I was prescribed pain meds, but I am using regular tylenol and it seems to be enough now.

    Thanks for the welcome to the forum. 

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