Well I'm in now

MrMark757
MrMark757 Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Kidney Cancer #1
54 yrs old with a hand-assisted Laproscopic Rt Radial Nephrectomy set for Dec 17th.

Saturday, Oct 16 - 2010 , I wake up with an “ache” mid lower right back. Just a
nagging type of annoyance. (Why does this stuff always happen on weekend?) Went
thru the day on Motrin not doing a lot either – just taking it easy. Sunday
morning, it’s still “nagging” but getting better, more Motrin. Monday-Oct 18th,
I’m at work and sometime around noon I would say the “nag” was gone. After work I thought I'd stop in at my Dr.'s office for a flu shot that was offered.
After the nurse did the shot I asked if I could get an appointment. What for?
Well I think I might have had a kidney stone over the weekend. She said just
give me a sample and I can test it and check. Well it came back with a trace of
blood. She said, “stay here, you’re seeing him now.”

So the next day I'm at the hospital, ultrasound. The right side, described as a
“dark mass”. Next the radiologist wants a CT scan with contrast the following
week. Well, now it’s bigger than ultrasound measurements and still a dark mass.
(4cm+). Doc wants me to see a specialist. I do. Then he orders MRI and a MRA
with contrast. I had that Dec 1.

My Doc just called. He got the report 1st and I should be hearing from the
urologist specialist shortly. My Doc says the radiologist is deeply concerned
about this and he agrees, I could end up in surgery. Well the MRI photos are clear as a bell when you compare the two kidneys.

Anybody hand this type of surgery (hand-assisted Laproscopic Rt Radial Nephrectomy)? What can I expect coming out of the anesthesia?

Comments

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #2
    Piece of cake, not really
    I had the laproscopic removal of my left Kidney on 8.1.02. When you wakee up from the anesthetic to the extent you have not taken enough pain medication, it hurts. The Surgeon wrote a joke on my discharge summary, that I was discharged without pain. Two days in the hospital, than a week on the couch at home. Started doing things a few hours a day after that. Generally you have most of your stregth back in about 6 weeks. Of course I was a lot older at 59 back then. Unfortunately this is major abdominal surgery and assuming they get it all you will be pretty much cured. Welcome to the club.
  • JSR
    JSR Member Posts: 12
    #3
    Your in the right place
    Mark,

    Best of luck, Im right there with you, it seems your taking it well..my surgery is on 1/05/11, I'm a bit lost at the time about this, but I wish you the best my friend.

    Take care
  • Martha_R
    Martha_R Member Posts: 6
    #4
    Mr Mark - I had
    Mr Mark - I had hand-assisted laparoscopic Right Radical Nephrectomy 6 months ago. They found 5 cm mass on my right kidney during routine ultrasound, that my new doctor prescribed because I never had one before. CT scan confirmed the mass in right kidney and since the possibility of cancer was extremely high, I had a surgery 4 weeks later. Honestly, it wasn't so bad at all. When you come out of anesthesia, you will have a "pomp" inserted, so you can click the button and get more pain medication if you need. I had some nausea,but they gave me something and it stopped immediately. I was walking the next day, three days later I went home. I was on pain medication (Tylenol, nothing more) for 7 days at home. Today, after 6 months my scars are barely visible and I am 100% back to normal. A lot of depends in what physical shape you are and if you have any other medical problems. And you might be as lucky as I was - my tumor turned out not to be malignant, it was a benign mass (oncocytoma).
  • Blessed4sure
    Blessed4sure Member Posts: 3
    #5
    Hang in there
    Hi Mark, I am a 51 year old female who had a radical nephrectomy on May 22, 2001. I had it the old fashioned way, 9 inch scar on my left side, still numb in a certain area around the belly button. No body in my family has had kidney cancer,or not even much cancer in my family for that matter. So was I surprised when I was diagnosed. It was stage 2, clear cell renal carcinoma, it was 7cm. They found it by blood in my urine and a following ct scan. I am doing great now, get my ct scan every year like clock work. The first 3 years were ct scan and chest x-ray every six months, now once a year. God bless you and best wishes, I will be thinking of you!
  • MrMark757
    MrMark757 Member Posts: 4
    #6
    Martha_R said:

    Mr Mark - I had
    Mr Mark - I had hand-assisted laparoscopic Right Radical Nephrectomy 6 months ago. They found 5 cm mass on my right kidney during routine ultrasound, that my new doctor prescribed because I never had one before. CT scan confirmed the mass in right kidney and since the possibility of cancer was extremely high, I had a surgery 4 weeks later. Honestly, it wasn't so bad at all. When you come out of anesthesia, you will have a "pomp" inserted, so you can click the button and get more pain medication if you need. I had some nausea,but they gave me something and it stopped immediately. I was walking the next day, three days later I went home. I was on pain medication (Tylenol, nothing more) for 7 days at home. Today, after 6 months my scars are barely visible and I am 100% back to normal. A lot of depends in what physical shape you are and if you have any other medical problems. And you might be as lucky as I was - my tumor turned out not to be malignant, it was a benign mass (oncocytoma).

    Followup Martha
    Thanks for your support. 24 hrs from now I'll be in pre-op. Let me ask you if you have any tips for sleep. I am a side sleeper because of a condition (spondylothesis on L5). Rarely sleep on my back. If I do, always a thick pillow under the knees or if on the side, a regular one between the knees.

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