Surgery date approaches---I have questions

AndyE
AndyE Member Posts: 51
in Kidney Cancer #1

I am scheduled for an open partial on Monday, and I have a few questions, as I have never had major surgery before.  I was told I will be asked if I want a spinal block before going in to surgery, and the doctor recommended saying YES.  He said that it will greatly reduce pain once I wake up from the surgery, but will also paralyze me from the chest down.  Has anyone had one of these?  What are they like?  Worth it?  I have also read several posts by patients who said they had to have a rib removed or broken for this procedure.  Is this a common practice?  The doctor never indicated that he may need to do this.  Finally, the doctor said that the incission would basically parallel the bottom of my rib cage, but he didn't indicate if it was an incission on the front, side, or back of my torso.  Is there a standard location for the incission, or can it be made in several places depending on the tumor's location?

 

Andy

Comments

  • dhs1963
    dhs1963 Member Posts: 513
    #2
    I had laproscopic...

    But, it is rare to need to lose or break a rib.  If the kidney is high or the tumor is particularly large, it can happen.  Typically, for open, they go through the back, which is a more direct route.

     

    I did not have and was not offered the spinal block.  I will tell you the pain was bad.  TAKE ANYTHING THEY OFFER!

  • thaxter
    thaxter Member Posts: 124
    #3
    Incision is in the front--mine is 9"

    I had an open radical in Sept 2013.  They did remove my smallest rib which I also didn't know about beforehand.  Really can't tell anything's missing though. One thing they did do was to embolize my renal artery the day before to lessen blood loss and make the operation easier.

  • Djinnie
    Djinnie Member Posts: 945 Member
    #4
    Spinal Block!

    Hi Andy, 

    I had robotic partial so I only have little portals in several places at the front, but I have had spinal block when giving birth. It's a pretty weird experience but effective, it allowed me to stay awake for my c section and I felt no pain, and recovered quickly. If your doctor is recommending it then why not, for me the worst part was the initial injection but then trying to stay still when having contractions is not the easiest, lol! I know of many others having a similar op to you and I haven't heard of any of them having a rib broken or removed, although I know it can happen.

    All the best Monday:)

     

    Djinnie x

     

     

  • foroughsh
    foroughsh Member Posts: 779 Member
    #5
    I had open radical, the

    I had open radical, the incision line in in front almost 10 cm and parallel with the my ribs. I remember the nurse asked my surgeon about the position he wanted to do the surgery and he said something which turned out to be front. I think it's a desicion your surgeon makes based on the tumor  size,location and the possibility of its spread.

  • APny
    APny Member Posts: 1,995 Member
    #6
    foroughsh said:

    I had open radical, the

    I had open radical, the incision line in in front almost 10 cm and parallel with the my ribs. I remember the nurse asked my surgeon about the position he wanted to do the surgery and he said something which turned out to be front. I think it's a desicion your surgeon makes based on the tumor  size,location and the possibility of its spread.

    Mine was an open partial. No

    Mine was an open partial. No block was offered and honestly, I don't think I would have needed it. I had a morphine drip for the first day and used it every 15 - 20 minutes. That did the job and I really didn't feel very bad pain. Next day they took me off and put me on oral pain killers. One every four hours. That too worked great and I liked it a lot more than the morphine since it didn't make me nauseated. If your doc feels that the block is good, sure, go for it. Like I posted before, my incision is small, a little over 4 inches, and parallel to my bottom rib. It's kind of on the side but doesn't go to the back at all.

  • vccortes713
    vccortes713 Member Posts: 51
    #7
    APny said:

    Mine was an open partial. No

    Mine was an open partial. No block was offered and honestly, I don't think I would have needed it. I had a morphine drip for the first day and used it every 15 - 20 minutes. That did the job and I really didn't feel very bad pain. Next day they took me off and put me on oral pain killers. One every four hours. That too worked great and I liked it a lot more than the morphine since it didn't make me nauseated. If your doc feels that the block is good, sure, go for it. Like I posted before, my incision is small, a little over 4 inches, and parallel to my bottom rib. It's kind of on the side but doesn't go to the back at all.

    mine was open radical and I

    mine was open radical and I didn't had any problem with the spinal block. They inserted it in my back when I was asleep so I didn't feel anything....same thing when they took it out it didn't hurt that much....Hope this will help...goodluck....

  • AndyE
    AndyE Member Posts: 51
    #8
    As the day approaches, I can

    As the day approaches, I can feel my troublesome anxiety on the rise again.  While my doctor prescribed medication for this at home, I am not supposed to take it the morning of the surgery, and I am sure I will be a nervous wreck.  Sorry for the "dumb" quesiton, but will they or do they give me something during preparation to calm me down or make me not really care what is happening?  I want to be relaxed...really I do...but I am a nervous person normally...this situation makes that condition 20X worse.  If it were up to me, they would knock me out in the prep room and I would not open my eyes again until I was in recovery.

  • Srashedb
    Srashedb Member Posts: 482 Member
    #9
    AndyE said:

    As the day approaches, I can

    As the day approaches, I can feel my troublesome anxiety on the rise again.  While my doctor prescribed medication for this at home, I am not supposed to take it the morning of the surgery, and I am sure I will be a nervous wreck.  Sorry for the "dumb" quesiton, but will they or do they give me something during preparation to calm me down or make me not really care what is happening?  I want to be relaxed...really I do...but I am a nervous person normally...this situation makes that condition 20X worse.  If it were up to me, they would knock me out in the prep room and I would not open my eyes again until I was in recovery.

    Sedation

    yes, you will be given drugs to calm your nerves; they give you good stuff intravenously.

    as for not taking anything the day of surgery, they want you to avoid water. You can take a sedative without problems.

     

  • APny
    APny Member Posts: 1,995 Member
    #10
    Srashedb said:

    Sedation

    yes, you will be given drugs to calm your nerves; they give you good stuff intravenously.

    as for not taking anything the day of surgery, they want you to avoid water. You can take a sedative without problems.

     

    I was told I can take my

    I was told I can take my xanax with a sip of water on the morning of the surgery. And yes, they also gave me something once at the hospital. I think it was valium.

  • jason.2835
    jason.2835 Member Posts: 337 Member
    #11
    Robotic lap... I got nuttin'

    They didn't offer me a spinal block (probably would've said no, to be honest; I can't even fathom the feeling of paralysis). They did give me a "cocktail" in the morning right before the surgery. The anesthesiologist told me that it had the unfortunate side effect of wiping out memory for a few minutes before they give you the real stuff. I do know that don't remember anything after they placed the breathing mask on me, so I guess they gave me that stuff. If your doc recommends anything for pain management, DO IT. 

    The highest incision is just below my ribcage, and they did go in straight through the front. I have read that opens tend to shade more towards the side, but again this is surgeon preference and, as you said, the location of your tumor. 

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #12
    jason.2835 said:

    Robotic lap... I got nuttin'

    They didn't offer me a spinal block (probably would've said no, to be honest; I can't even fathom the feeling of paralysis). They did give me a "cocktail" in the morning right before the surgery. The anesthesiologist told me that it had the unfortunate side effect of wiping out memory for a few minutes before they give you the real stuff. I do know that don't remember anything after they placed the breathing mask on me, so I guess they gave me that stuff. If your doc recommends anything for pain management, DO IT. 

    The highest incision is just below my ribcage, and they did go in straight through the front. I have read that opens tend to shade more towards the side, but again this is surgeon preference and, as you said, the location of your tumor. 

    What I remember

    Andy,

     

    In the pre=op they hooked me up to an IV. I had a brief conversation with the Anethesiologist and Surgeon and the next thing I remember was waking up several hours after surgery. Whether the lack of memory in between was from some kind of drug or Partzheimers, I have no idea.

     

    Icemantoo

  • Skagway Jack
    Skagway Jack Member Posts: 224 Member
    #13
    Block

    I had a spinal block, it was given after they knocked me out so I do not recall it.  I have a nine inch scar starting 3" below the sternum and parallel to ribs to the right side.  Mine was for a radical nephrectomy, but would be considered a fairly classic solution.  i was up and walking within four hours of the operation...albeit very slowly and only around the ward one lap.  youll do great no need stress too much. Worry about the things you have control of.

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