Post Op?

I had a radical nephrectomy and they had me out of bed the next day ! I was home after four days ! I couldn’t get up without someone helping me for a bit so too slept on a recliner for the first week at home !! Once your on your feet though I didn’t find stairs a problem x jo

Mine was also an open partial but I was fortunate because I had no trouble going up the stairs and sleeping in my own bed. I showered in the hospital on day 3, the day I went home. I think a lot depends on where the tumor is and how large the incision. Again, I was lucky because mine was under 4 inches. And I had no staples, only a surgical tape. So that probably made it easier. I was up walking the evening of the surgery and continued walking as much as possible before I went home and religiously afterwards. I was able to get up without help once home  on the third day. Make sure they teach you how to roll in bed to get up so you're not relying on your abdominal muscles that much. Get a large body pillow and a wedge pillow. Use the body pillow on the side of the incision and pile regular pillows on top of the wedge. This helped me sleep in my own bed.

I hope you will have a similar experience. All the best to you. Try not to worry too much; it was not nearly as bad as my imagination made it prior to the actual surgery.

Everyone heals and deals with the pain differently. Definitely walk as much as you can, but don't push yourself too hard. The pain is real, and if the meds help, take them as long as you need them. This is YOUR recovery and it is all about you right now. 

I was home from work for six weeks after my radical nephrectomy. I think I slept one night on the couch and then was able to get into bed. My SO was kind enough to give me the bed to myself for a while. It's all about baby steps and doing a little more along the way. You'll get there.

Best of luck to you!

Gary

Cybball said:

Good to know.  Seems most

Good to know.  Seems most people have laproscopic done, so open kind of freaks me out.  I've heard getting up and moving/walking helps.  I plan to do that as much as possible, especially at the hospital before I come home.  My wife is super nervous about me being able to get around at home.  I keep telling her I'll be fine.  

Don't be freaked out, it will be ok. You should probably be a bit more careful with a longer cut while it is healing.

On the plus side you might not have any problem with gas.

Steve.

My bedroom is upstairs and I live alone. I had a lap radical right nephrectomy and 2 years later a lap adrenalectomy. The first surgery I assumed I wouldn't want to do the stairs. I have a large bathroom so I got a small fridge and microwave and stocked food/water and everything I needed before my surgery. Turns out stairs weren't really that bad. I did spend most of the first few days in my room, but I was going outside for walks within a couple of days. A week later, I even took a trip to Las Vegas (I drove all the way back, which was 4 hours). Might not have been a good idea, but I was ok. I was able to shower pretty much right away because the wounds were covered with adhesive and not stitches. I stayed off work for 6 weeks and I was glad I did. Sittting was the most uncomfortable position for me, but I'm chubby and one of the largest incisions was a good 6" parallel to the ground. So, I preferred to stand and walk around a lot while watchin TV instead of sitting. My job is a sitting job. I was very glad to have the 6 weeks off. It was the energy level that was the main problem. I got really tired by late afternoon. I had that issue for many weeks, maybe even 3-4 months.

My advice it to do lots of walking and drink lots of water and do your breathing exercises religiously so you don't get pneumonia.

One of the biggest problems the first week is irregularity. My surgery was Monday. I didn't have a real BM until Friday night or Saturday and I was getting pretty concerned about it. However, they  clean you out completely before surgery and I was eating light/small meals. If you can not take the opiod pain relievers, I suggest you don't. They are very constipating and getting things moving is hard enough without that additional burden. I took them only as needed the first 1-2 days, and switched to tylenol as soon as I could.

Be sure to find out how to get in touch with your surgeon's nurse if you have any follow-up issues. There's no reason not to contact them if you have problems. Usually they'd have a doc on call to call you back. Redness. Swelling. Fever (you can expect a low fever, but you shouldn't have a high fever). Any colored, smelly discharge. These are things you have to take care of ASAP.

On my first surgery I had no issue with the adhesive. On the second surgery I had a terrible allergic reaction to the adhesive that delayed healing a lot. I've heard other people talk about that on here. You might ask your doctor about this issue. I was really shocked the doc didn't seem to care much that the adhesive was such a problem on my second surgery. I doubt I'll let them use adhesive on me again.

Hope something in here helped.

Best wishes,

Todd

Careful with Advil. My surgeon recommended I use Tylenol instead of Ibufrofen type meds. Easier on the kidneys. Check with your doc.

I ended up being in the hospital for 1 week. When I got home I was useless for 1 week lol. Please please please take your time. Yes you want to stay mobile and help yourself along, but listen to your body. Pushing too hard will only set you back. Others warned me about this and they were soooo right!! Get on the bowel thing asap too. The constipation was more traumatizing then the surgery ahahaha.

if You are a side sleeper it’s hard to get comfortable on  your back.  I found the hospital recliner more comfortable than the hospital bed. my family moved it up and down inches at a time to help get me comfortable.  I strongly recommend you have a friend or family member with you 24 / 7 for the hospital stay. I didn’t think I would need anyone and I was wrong!  My parents and husband took shifts and I needed them around to help me keep track of pain medicine, getting me up and down to go to the bathroom and Comfortable.  Caregivers and nurses aren’t that good anymore and it’s terrible to suddenly not be able to do anything for yourself.  

Cybball said:

Good to hear.  I'll have my

Good to hear.  I'll have my wife/family there for the vast majority of the time.  Should have lots of help.  Yes, I'm a side sleeper.  I'm sure I'll struggle getting comfy.   Glad I bought a new recliner for home.  Thinking I will be using it to relax or sleep in.

I have lots of stairs in my home. It was a concern for me too. Radical right neprectomy 10/16. 47 staples on the outside.

I was in the hospital 5 days. Stood hours after the surgery got sicked and slept for a day.

I rented a recliner for my home to help me stand and spent alot of time in it. I could do stairs with a side shuffle but it took a very long time and i slept for hours after.

The pain drugs (opiates) created the biggest problem for me with backed up plumbing. An extra pain and fear of hurting the internal and external sutures and the fact i didnt know what was wrong. no one told me what to expect.

Getting off of opioids and on to Tylenol (defintely no ibuprofrin) hurt but was the turning point in my recovery. For weeks i would walk or do stairs followed by hours of sleep. At first it was ten minutes followed by four hours, then 30 minutes followed by 3 hours of sleep and so on.

5 weeks after my surgery i climbed a deer stand hunted killed and cleaned a deer. (It was a goal i set for myself). Then i slept for three days....lol

Its unique for each of us, but you can do it, whatever you set your mind to.