Going in for partial Neph next month - scared as heck

HH431 said:

Got home yesterday - surgery

Got home yesterday - surgery went very successfully.  I spent two nights.  

I am very sore and tired .The night after the surgery I got zero sleep because of these things that massage your lower legs to help prevent any blood clotting.  I couldn't sleep with them.  Not even a minute.  The next day I was on blood thinner so didn't need them.    But you want to know the worst pain right now besides the incisions and sore abs?  My uvula - that hangs in the back of my throat is really inflamed and hurting from the tube during surgery. It's about an inch long right now, very and touches the back of my throat - no exaggeration.  Initially I was gagging on it times and can feel it on the back of my tounge. I'm told it was return to normal.  It better happen fast or else I getting an ENT to remove it (which I read is a simple outpatient procedure).  I've been using Moltrin 600mg every 8 hours and gargling with warm salt water and Benedryl.  Trying to east smaller, softer meals too.  I've got Oxy here if the pain gets real bad, but haven't felt the need for it.  I am sitting up here at my computer desk in chair as I type and have about 3-4 pain out of 10, but I am fine with that.  If I lie flat it's about 1 out of 10.

My surgeon said he couldn't be more pleased with this surgery.  He's done more partial robotics nephs surgeries than anyone in the world.  But he had considered doing a radical though as it was more complex than the ctscan showed.  The tumor ran very deep, but he said he went even deeper to ensure all of it was gone.  Deeper than technically needed if I recall.  It was growing into the renal sinus, so some of that I guess was removed and some of it reconstructed basically.  He said the pathology of it will be back next week, but that it doesn't matter a lot because whatever it was is completely gone.  I think he studied it for an hour afterwards to make sure everything was good.  I also recall he studies it for an hour before even cutting into it.  Sorry, brain a little foggy still from everything. lol  Blood work and tests remained good the entire time and was off the catherder pretty fast.  My heart rate is a bit elevated, but common given what my body has gone through.

The kidney has about 80% of its initially funtionality and that within 6 months my blood work would not even indicate I ever lost any kidney he told me.

 

Glad to hear all went well. Just as an FYI. Be very mindful how you move. I was healing wonderfully but strained a muscle so I had some pretty intense pain because it. Doctor says to be more mindful of how I get up and walk around. No bending over or krinching while walking and getting up and down. breathe into your pain and take your time, stand up tall. Easy to say I know but trust me. I learned the hard way not to rush things. Sorry about your throat. But all in all sounds like youre doing well.

So so happy youve gotten to the other side now. God speed on your recovery.

nana4life

HH431 said:

Got home yesterday - surgery

Got home yesterday - surgery went very successfully.  I spent two nights.  

I am very sore and tired .The night after the surgery I got zero sleep because of these things that massage your lower legs to help prevent any blood clotting.  I couldn't sleep with them.  Not even a minute.  The next day I was on blood thinner so didn't need them.    But you want to know the worst pain right now besides the incisions and sore abs?  My uvula - that hangs in the back of my throat is really inflamed and hurting from the tube during surgery. It's about an inch long right now, very and touches the back of my throat - no exaggeration.  Initially I was gagging on it times and can feel it on the back of my tounge. I'm told it was return to normal.  It better happen fast or else I getting an ENT to remove it (which I read is a simple outpatient procedure).  I've been using Moltrin 600mg every 8 hours and gargling with warm salt water and Benedryl.  Trying to east smaller, softer meals too.  I've got Oxy here if the pain gets real bad, but haven't felt the need for it.  I am sitting up here at my computer desk in chair as I type and have about 3-4 pain out of 10, but I am fine with that.  If I lie flat it's about 1 out of 10.

My surgeon said he couldn't be more pleased with this surgery.  He's done more partial robotics nephs surgeries than anyone in the world.  But he had considered doing a radical though as it was more complex than the ctscan showed.  The tumor ran very deep, but he said he went even deeper to ensure all of it was gone.  Deeper than technically needed if I recall.  It was growing into the renal sinus, so some of that I guess was removed and some of it reconstructed basically.  He said the pathology of it will be back next week, but that it doesn't matter a lot because whatever it was is completely gone.  I think he studied it for an hour afterwards to make sure everything was good.  I also recall he studies it for an hour before even cutting into it.  Sorry, brain a little foggy still from everything. lol  Blood work and tests remained good the entire time and was off the catherder pretty fast.  My heart rate is a bit elevated, but common given what my body has gone through.

The kidney has about 80% of its initially funtionality and that within 6 months my blood work would not even indicate I ever lost any kidney he told me.

 

That's great news, you'll recover soon. I'm already 4 weeks post-surgery, and feel perfectly fine. I had to work on the mental healing more than the physical healing. I hope your recovery will be smooth and quick. 

I am glad to hear the surgery went well, and hope you continue to have a good recovery.  My surgery is scheduled for June 25 and I have increasing confidence every day that it will go as expected.  Keep up the good work.

HH431 said:

Thank you and it will go very

Thank you and it will go very well!  And your confidence will keep increasing through your surgery.  As scared I was when I started this thread, I would say the last week or so I was becoming less afraid.  I really wasn't even that nervous as I was getting prepared for surgery that morning.  I had fully accepted the surgery and trusted the team and my surgeon.  I felt I was with the best people and I had to get this thing out of me cancerous or not.

It was funny how fast I was knocked out.  After the second inhale, I was out!  When I first woke-up (3.5 to 4 hours later I think it was?) I felt I had just come out of a deep nap at some unfamilar place.  I then realized a few seconds later I had gone through the surgery.  I asked her how it went and she said, "really well".  About 3-4 seconds later I asked again. LOL  Similar response.

I told them that I was James Bond. I told them that I had work to do and had to get to the local high school to do it. I insisted. They thought I was going to have the "DT's". Later I informed them that I have very vivid dreams and I could tell them almost anything after awakening. My sister and daughter are the same way. We laugh like hell sharing our realistic technicolor mind trips. Now I warn them in advance.

icemantoo said:

Six days out

HH,

 

You just had major abdominal surgery. At 6 days out your recovery is just beginning. As for me it was about 6 weeks still I felt "normal", but I was still weak. Don't overdue it. Each day will get a little better with maybe a bad day in between.

 

Icemantoo

 

Yes, increased appetite is a very good sign. I had zero appetite for nearly a week and could barely force down some toast and soft boiled eggs. Maybe a few bites and I was done. Don't do anything on your own regarding your hemoglobin; you may only be slightly below normal which is expected after surgery. No matter how good the surgeon there will always be some blood loss. What's important is that it doesn't keep dropping so get a blood test to compare levels to post surgery. I did develop anemia and my doctor put me on 45 mg. slow Fe, which is an over the counter iron pill. But don't take it or anything else unless you're anemic and your doctor recommends it.

HH431 said:

My Hemoglobin was 11 when I

My Hemoglobin was 11 when I left the hosptial on Thursday; it was 14 before I went in.  Red blood count at 3.36 when I left; 4.35 when I went in.

I'm also now noticing some pain in the kidney area that  had the surgery...I didn't have any there for the first few days after surgery....it was all abdominal and throat.  I imagine that is to be expected.

It's weird I have this long red mark in the skin that is almost internal on the skin in the kidney area I imagine from the partial neph...as that skin is lifted to do the surgery.

As I said, it's normal to drop some in your hemoglobin and red cells but the important thing is that it did not decrease from 11 but is going back up. So get a blood test as soon as possible. Aches and pains will come and go and with just a week out, it's to be expected.  Most important right now is get your blood count done so you know the fatigue is not from anemia.

HH431 said:

I talked to my general doctor

I talked to my general doctor and he said to just give it more time.  He said I am probably a little anemic right now as I am recovering but normal a week after surgery.

Throughout the day I seemed to have just a bit more energy - no naps.

Just wondering, there is often a lot of blood loss in this type of surgery. As for your energy level, my husband (he was 47 at surgery time and very active/fit) was sleeping a LOT for the first week or so home. He took two naps a day. It will take a while to recover. Take it SLOW and EASY and gradually work up to normal. Remember you are healing on the inside as well with a partial. Your kidney is healing, not just your incisions. He took it slow and was very glad he did.