Post op Day 3

Ice for the pain. Invest in several of the soft ice packs from a medical supply store. My husband swears by them. Try to  sleep in a recliner chair if possible. Take your pain meds rignt before you go to bed and if you don't have good ones, get better ones. This is the time when you need to make sure you take your meds. Don't forget your kidney got sewed back together where they removed the tumor so you have sutures inside your body as well as the ones on your skin. People tend to forget that part, so don't overdo it. Reallly and truly rest as much as possible. Hope this helps. 

Those who suggested sleeping in a recliner for a while are spot on.  I didn't have a comfortable recliner, so I slept on the couch, propped up with lots of pillows.   Had to sleep that way for about a 1 1/2 weeks.   Be sure to take your pain medication.  You can wean off of it soon enough.  But now you need to try to get comfortable and be able to sleep.

welcome ktbug

I'm happy that they caught it early, mine was 10 cm and I was 36 with no family back ground although it was confined, it feels weird to know it was there since my twenties. I also had terrible backack at the same areas as yours and I'm sorry to say it took long time to go almost a year but my surgery was open radical  so hopefully your pain gets better much sooner. By the way it wasn't something serious, I had bone scan 8 months post op just to make sure the pain didn't come from bone Mets and it wasn't. At first the pain was killing as I had no pain at incision but had terrible pain at my back, but it got better after two or three weeks and became something Moe like a discomfort that pain and remained for as long as a year. I was emotionally stressed out so my surgeon asked for bone scan.

Take rest, don't hesitate calling your surgeon if you feel you need it( It's normal within first few months) , drink loads of water and walk

Welcome KTBug! Glad you found us. I cannot speak of the drainage, but  others have helped you. BUT I suspect the rib cage pain is from that trapped GAS used to pump UP your abdomen so surgeon can SEE. Its nothing to worry about but dang its the worst pain until it gets out. It is outside your intestinal track so meds don't work (anti gas ones). Most times it gets trapped in your shoulder. I did lots of arm rotations to try and get it out. Try walking for rib cage pain.

And I wore a lumbar velcro wrap and it supported that aching abdominal muscles and insides. Remember, your insides are sensitive esp to instruments and cutting.

USE ICE! I would place dry ice packs inside my lumbar wrap over the incisions and it really reduced the swelling. I could cut down use of pain meds and in a few days were done with pain meds.

remember, YOU ARE HEALING! You need to get the side effects of anesthesia out of your system, while yet adding more opiates to your system. The first week is challenging BUT you  WILL improve. No exercising, lifting anything, for a good month. You'll make it!

Keep us informed hon. I am available if you need more support and information.

Sending you a healing hug,

Jan

I had the drain in for a week. I went home with it. Finally it stopped draining so they could remove it. So yes, it's normal after 3 days. As for the bad rib/back pain, I think a lot has to do with the position they put your body in. Really contort it from what I've read. It could be from that. I had open partial surgery and was fortunate to be able to sleep in my own bed. But I really propped myself up with pillows. I got a recliner just in case but found that impossible to sleep in. What helped is a long body pillow to prop up and support the side the incision is on. I also got a wedge pillow on which I piled two more. I was actually comfortable and was able to sleep fine. I'm a side sleeper but it was weeks before I could sleep on either side.

Do walk as much as possible. I did laps around my house for 5 minutes every hour. Hug a pillow to your incision while doing it. Also use pillow when coughing or sneezing, or laughing. Fortunately it does get better. First week is worst but after that it's pretty tolerable. Don't suffer and be heroic; take the pain killers they gave you.

All the best to you!

So sorry your going through all this.  Hang in there it will get better, it takes a week or two so let yourself heal and dont rush LOL.  

 I did not have a drain so dont know, but the drainage (and sharp pain in your ribs) might be worth a quick call your your Doc to make sure all is well.  Yes the surgery hurts but if its getting worse or spasm like I would definetely call. 

You may see only small scars outside, but inside, they had to cut paths to/from all those locations to where they needed to do the work. You just had a major, major surgery. On top of this, the outside heals faster than the insides.

Take it easy on yourself.

It took me months, almost a year or more before I really felt completely normal, but I had a radical nephrectomy. I don't know much about partials.

After 6 weeks I went back to work. I was still exhausted by 4-5pm each day for several more weeks.

Follow your surgeon's advice on lifting, driving, etc. Be patient. Do the walking, breathing exercises, and drink your water. Things will improve, but probably not as fast you want them to.

Todd