What to expect during Recovery from partial laparoscopic nephrectomy-

They told me six weeks, and I figured at that point I was good to go. First day back at work I had to leave early and take a nap. You'll have good and bad days, and eventually the good will eclipse the bad. Just try not to expect to be at 100% too soon. Granted, mine was radical and not partial, so maybe you'll have a slightly better experience; I sure hope so. The pain from the surgery may take a little time to dissipate. Use the meds they give you for pain if they help. The more rest you get the first few weeks, the faster and stronger you'll recover. Good luck - you can do this!

I had an open partial and was only in for 2 days. Third day came home. Even though it was open neph my recovery was pretty good. I was up and walking the night of the surgery and with medication the pain was very manageable. I was so afraid that I'd be in a lot of pain but my imagination was a lot worse than reality. And since people say robotic is easier, then you should have no problems at all. It took me a while to feel "normal" but it's important to walk as much as possible, as soon as possible. It was winter with snow and ice out so in the beginning I walked around my house for 5-6 minutes every hour. Then of course kept increasing it. Make sure you drink lots of water and use the breathing apparatus they'll give you to keep your lungs clear. All the best to you!

Welcome!  I, too, had a partial on my right kidney.  You've received a lot of great advice and should have a good handle on what to expect.  I can't add a lot of new information other then to try to help put your fears at ease.  My surgery was early on a Friday morning and I was discharged the next day in the early afternoon.  Try to have things organized for your return home.  I spent the first three nights sleeping in a recliner.  Have a soft pillow for both sleeping and holding close to your stomach in the event you have a sneeze or cough.  As medic says--stay ahead of the pain with the meds.  One of the worst parts of the surgery was the aftermath when my body was trying to get rid of the gas they fill you up with.  The best remedy medicine for that was to walk.  Don't overdo it--listen to your body.   It won't take too long for you to get back to your normal routine.  

As you move forward with your appointments and surgery, ask us questions that come up.  This is a great group of people that are more than willing to help. 

Good luck and God bless. 

Stub

Jan4you said:

Hi and welcome Jen~ Glad you

Hi and welcome Jen~ Glad you found this site!

I always tell folks to expect that pain from the GAS they use to pump up your abdomen. It isn't like intestinal gas. It gets trapped, mostly around shoulder and yes, it is painful but not debilitating in my view. I would get up and walk, walk and move my arms around in circles repeatedly to get it out and gone. It does take several days to leave our bodies. 

Also, I highly recommend using a lumbar wrap around your abdomen to assist and support your healing muscles for getting UP and around. I even wore it to bed. Also, the pain meds do not touch the SWELLING or edema that comes from our insides/incisions trying to heal. SO, I would put dry ice packs (less messy) inside this lumbar wrap, but over my underwear so its not right on skin. AS a result, I didn't need pain meds that long or as often. 

Yes, you can be out in a day unless your doctor feels you need more time for some reason. They will get you up to first sit on your bed, 1st day, then stand, then walk if able w/o being dizzy or nauseated. Some folks get nauseated from all the meds. Remember you are still under the General Anesthesia medications plus they start you on IV pain meds first day, then oral pain meds. To me, side effects were more challenging, but that's me. 

We're here for you all the way. ASK as many questions as you need to , Jen.

Sending you healing vibes with dose of calmness..

Jan

OH, and I was told not to exercise, except walking, for 30 days. Your insides are healing! You don't want hernias and such by lifting or doing too much. 
For me, once that gas pain passed, and I felt more steady (after 1st week) I felt good. I did ask for my iron to be checked for anemia. Surgeon didnt' think I needed it, but tested me, and yes, I was anemic. Got OTC SlowFE as it doesn't cause constipation. That increased my energy to. 

Plan for help. Let your family know you are having major surgery and you need to conserved your energy for HEALING!! Even if you feel better, (like I did) you are still healing. 

Everyone is different. I already had a laproscopic surgery prior to my nephrectomy, plus 2 other abdominal surgeries so this one was not that bad in my experience. 

Everyone's tolerance is different. 

Jan

Hi Jen, 

I am almost 3 weeks post op (surgery was 06-23-17), I had a robotic partial nephrectomy on my right kidney for a small tumor that they found during a CT scan for an unrelated issue. My surgery was Friday morning around 8am and I remember waking up in my hospital room around 1:30pm. Surgery took about 3 hours and then I think I spent an hour in recovery before they transfered me to my room. So after surgery, I woke up with a catheter and a JP drain. My urologist told me about the JP drain, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. Turns out, it's just a small tube with a soft "bulb" at the end that collects any drainage from the kidney. Removing it did not hurt at all, getting it removed just felt very weird.. similar to the sensation you get when they remove the catheter. 

I didn't walk until Saturday afternoon when they removed the catheter. They just let me keep those compression boots on and let me sleep most of Friday away. I had an allergic reaction to something because I woke up covered in hives so the Benadryl they gave me knocked me out pretty good. My friend who is a PA kind of forced me to walk because I didn't feel like I was ready for it. But once I walked, everything felt like getting in and out of bed got a lot easier and I didn't have to wear those boots. They advanced my diet from clear liquid (Saturday breakfast and lunch) to no restrictions by dinner time. They would not release me until I went to the bathroom for #1 and #2. 

I got discharged by Sunday afternoon and went home, ate dinner and took it easy. My company doesn't give a lot of PTO (personal time off) so I was only able to take 6 days off from work. I didn't know how much time we were supposed to rest, but I didn't have a choice so by 07-03-17 I had to work, luckily I was able to work from home. However I was back in the office full time by 07-05-17. I am tired, but I'm lucky that I have a desk job, so that helps a little bit but by the end of the day I am just exhausted. If you can, take it easy and take time off. 

I ended up having a total of five incisions, three that are about 1/2-inch long, one that is 3/4-inch long, and one that's about 2.5-inches long. My stomach still feels very full or distended and when I bend to tie my shoe laces or pick something up, it feels like I have a lump in the upper part of my abdomen. The left side does not have it. 

The incisions are healing, and the steri-strips have already come off but I cover it with gauze when I am at work because my clothes tend to rub against it. Each day it gets a little easier. 

My urologist did not perform a biopsy prior to the surgery because of location and size (1.9cm). Well, my path results came back and it turns out to be clear cell renal cell carcinoma. I believe the report said stage pT1a (tumor 4cm or less in greatest dimension, limited to kidney) and grade 2 (nuclei slightly irregular, nucleoli evident). Not sure what all that means, my follow up with the urologist isn't for another 2 weeks. 

Message/email me if you have any questions and good luck with your surgery!

- Elle

I had the same surgery back in 2012.  Speaking for myself, I didn't have much pain to speak of but felt weak as a newborn kitten.  Holy cow.  The need for rest is an understatement.  Be patient with yourself and listen to your body.  You will need to be up and about several times a day, short walks.  Make sure you use the device they give you for deep breathing exercises, it'll help avoid pneumonia.  The combination of sedation, pain meds, pain, and laying around makes one tend to breathe more shallow and that combination is not good for your lungs.....coming from a retired respiratory therapist. :-)

I went back to work after 3 weeks but wish I could have waited another week or so.  I went back part-time light duty though, because I couldn't make it thru the day without a nap.  And as Jan says, get a lumbar wrap.  Helped me SO much!

Best wishes,

Donna~     P.S.  August will be here before you know it, and in the meantime you can prepare for being out of commission for a few weeks.  Freeze some meals, clean stuff that you won't be able to, have plenty of movies or books or whatever form of entertainment you prefer, etc.

Jen T said:

How long can I wait

we have just now found out that the insurance company definitely will not pay for surgery at the hospital where my surgery was scheduled. Now they are telling me that the hospital my insurance covers has no openings until late August. i know these things grow slowly but this means it will be over 2 months from the discovery of the mass. It's driving me crazy knowing it's in there. 

I had my probable / possible diagnosis in May / June of last year, with surgery scheduled for July (I was on standby by cancellations... Except there weren't any). Then got rescheduled for September. Then (Finally!) for December when the surgery was actually done. After that, it took me over a month to get the pathology report. My first follow-up CT scan took 5 or 6 weeks to actually pull off. Even without the waits, it would've been a wonder I didn't just end up going "PFFFT!" but somehow I didn't. Go figure. 

You say the kidney mass is driving you crazy? To heck with that. The next time it pulls up beside you and offers you a lift, tell it no thanks - you'd rather walk. 

Doing stuff at home that'll make life easier for when you get out of the hospital is a great way to pass the time (Save the marathon playing of solitaire or watching reruns of "Third Rock from the Sun" or "The Big Bang Theory" for after the surgery, in between naps and walking). 

You got this. 

Hi! Everyone! 

I had my laproscopic partial kidney nephprectomy surgery (4 keyholes), on 20/7/2017.  Stayed 4 days in the hospital. First night, sleep throughout the night. Gain my full conscious next day morning. Well the pain was not really what i expected (Really not that pain). Only when i trying to stand and walk, my both shoulders alrealy pain (As mentions by everyone here) due to the gas. I barely can walk 1 meter. But it get better everyday, I able to walk a few meters on the third day. 

I was discharged from hosiptal on the fourth day. My first challenge at home was the staircase. Well, out of my expectation, i climbed the staircase with ease. i found the most challenging is getting in and out of the bed. I learned fews tricks too after a few mistakes and pains. My first mistake is when i try sleep flat, it stratched my surgical wounds. So u need to maintain a curve or bend position when on the bed. So what i did i put a bolster or pillow on behind my knee. (on the one leg only where same location with your surgical area) Wow! it really work for me. 

And i also happen to have a recliner sofa at home, it was really good for napping. Reduce the challenging of getting into bed. 

Oh! ya... more things on the shoulders pain... during bathtime.... put on two hot towels on both shoulders.... it helps temporary to relieve the pains. 

All the Best to you...