1. < Kidney Cancer

Scheduled for kidney surgery

Posted by mysupportmydr46 @mysupportmydr46, Nov 26, 2024

I am new to this group. Thanks for all your experiences.
The following is reported on my personal health records.
(EXAM RESULTS 002318945 DICT/RENAL QUAD PHASE)
My left kidney has a: "Well defined 3.7 x 3.2 x 3.2 cm complex cyst arising from the medial lower pole of the left kidney."
IMPRESSION: or concluding notes.
"3.7 cm complex left lower pole renal, suspicious for renal cell carcinoma, stable from previous and minimally increased in size from 3.4 cm in August 2022. No new abnormality."
About me: I am 77 years old, active and otherwise fairly healthy at 5 ft 2 and 102 pounds.
My surgeon has 5 * ratings from many of his previous patients and I would like to trust his advice. He is recommending laparoscopic nephrectomy for me in January 2025.
I asked him if a biopsy could be done before the operation as I have read your experiences that many tumors are are found to be non cancerous after the operation. He did not recommend a biopsy because if the tumor is cancerous the cancer could possible spread.
I am thinking to wait and continue to monitor, if I knew the tumor was not cancerous.
Conclusion: I know many of you have similar experiences, and I am not asking for specific advice, just some thoughtful feed back.
Thank You, Fern

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney Cancer Support Group.

jv1715 | @jv1715 | Apr 16 8:27am
In reply to @mysupportmydr46 "Hi again This is Fern I posted in November 24. My surgery was scheduled for Jan..." + (show)
@mysupportmydr46

Hi again
This is Fern
I posted in November 24. My surgery was scheduled for Jan 2025 but was put on wait, due to hospital scheduling. In the mean time i had a complet knee replacement. Now I'm scheduled for sometime in May for kidney surgery. The Dr has a new tool Robot. I agree he can use it. I asked if he could now do a partial, he said no because tumor is in difficult location.

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Hi Fern,
Interesting. I had my kidney surgery with robotic. They removed 10% of my right kidney on 12/12/24.
I just had total knee replacement surgery on 3/31/25.... starting my 3rd week of recovery. Healing well.

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mysupportmydr46 | @mysupportmydr46 | Apr 16 1:09pm

I am considering something to say my Dr so he might reconsider,
Example: Dr J - - , once you are in progress and find there is a good possibility the tumor can be remove, "partial nephrectomy" I give you my consent to proceed. (wishful thinking perhaps)
What was your recovery time for healing, and return to relatively normal activities, like walking and or riding a bike after the kidney surgery.
Thank you Fern

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1 reply
jv1715 | @jv1715 | Apr 17 8:13am
In reply to @mysupportmydr46 "I am considering something to say my Dr so he might reconsider, Example: Dr J -..." + (show)
@mysupportmydr46

I am considering something to say my Dr so he might reconsider,
Example: Dr J - - , once you are in progress and find there is a good possibility the tumor can be remove, "partial nephrectomy" I give you my consent to proceed. (wishful thinking perhaps)
What was your recovery time for healing, and return to relatively normal activities, like walking and or riding a bike after the kidney surgery.
Thank you Fern

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Hi Fern, my partial nephrectomy recovery time was about two weeks.

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1 reply
mysupportmydr46 | @mysupportmydr46 | Apr 17 3:10pm
In reply to @jv1715 "Hi Fern, my partial nephrectomy recovery time was about two weeks." + (show)
@jv1715

Hi Fern, my partial nephrectomy recovery time was about two weeks.

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Thank you

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 24 8:59am
In reply to @hhppau23 "Hello I am scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor in my left kidney on may..." + (show)
@hhppau23

Hello I am scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor in my left kidney on may 16th. I am worried as I had a heart attack in 2020 in Tucson Az and they put the stent in the wrong artery. I had leg lengthening surgery in Minneapolis Mn in 2010 and after they took off the apprentice they cracked my hip on my left side in surgery and didn't tell me. I had too much of a polio vaccine when I was 4 years old in Mexico City and as I am half Ukraine and half Spanish I would have been tall so I have had to shorten my right leg and lengthen my left. I have been in a wheelchair 3 times in my life for a year at a time. I am now scared as I walk ok but have no muscle strength in my left leg that I won't be able to even walk as well as I am now.I am having the surgery at Mayo clinic in Rochester and I live 2 hours south of Phoenix so I am thinking I need to stay in a hotel following my surgry for a week in Rochester to be close to Dr. Thank you for listening to me. Ra

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@hhppau23, with that history, I completely understand why you are nervous about your upcoming surgery. You are in good hands at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

You will find helpful tips from members about where to stay, eat and more in the Visiting Mayo Clinic forum here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/traveling-to-mayo-clinic/

Mayo Clinc offers a free concierge service to assist patients in making plans and locating lodging, travel, getting directions around Mayo and Rochester, etc. Concierge services are complementary.

Here is information for Contacting the Concierge Services:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/concierge-services
By phone 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday: 507-538-8438
Email: concierge@mayo.edu
Online: Request Concierge Services (if you go to the link below, you can link directly to this )

Will you have someone with you when in Rochester?

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hhppau23 | @hhppau23 | 4 days ago

I had a partial nephrectomy on May 16th ,2025. I am now back home but the last two days in pain in my stomach. I have been on stool softeners now for almost 4 weeks. I thought I was healing well and now stomach pain. Has anyone ever had this?thank you for listening . Ramon Silva

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2 replies
gangcarotid1 | @gangcarotid1 | 3 days ago
In reply to @hhppau23 "I had a partial nephrectomy on May 16th ,2025. I am now back home but the..." + (show)
@hhppau23

I had a partial nephrectomy on May 16th ,2025. I am now back home but the last two days in pain in my stomach. I have been on stool softeners now for almost 4 weeks. I thought I was healing well and now stomach pain. Has anyone ever had this?thank you for listening . Ramon Silva

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I'm not a kidney surgeon, but I had an open partial nephrectomy Oct 2024 to remove 2 tumors. I too dealt with slow-moving stools. I can tell you it didn't improve, regardless of the amount of fruits/veggies I added to my diet. Key was, for me, to drink PLENTY of warm fluids: teas, coffee, broth, even warm water. Prune juice was also beneficial. I can tell you my tummy hurt off and on for at least 6 mos. External, not talking of stomach or digestion here... I discovered on Cleveland Clinic website that it was nerve endings coming back to life after being cut in surgery. Remedy was to do circulat clockwise circles with my fingertips, enough pressure the fingernails turn a little pink. Can do this up to 5 min, three times daily. Amazed me how fast it worked. Wish the internal stomach, intestines situation had been as easy to resolve. No doubt moving internal parts around took awhile for them to resettle.

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jmevrs | @jmevrs | 2 days ago
In reply to @hhppau23 "I had a partial nephrectomy on May 16th ,2025. I am now back home but the..." + (show)
@hhppau23

I had a partial nephrectomy on May 16th ,2025. I am now back home but the last two days in pain in my stomach. I have been on stool softeners now for almost 4 weeks. I thought I was healing well and now stomach pain. Has anyone ever had this?thank you for listening . Ramon Silva

Jump to this post

I had left kidney partial nephrectomy on 17mar25. Pain was there where drain pipe was there for two months. For me drain pipe was removed after one month of surgery. pain was there in entire stomach. It was more when I tried to sleep left side because left partial nephrectomy and drain pipe. I hope i answered your question else please ask more so that I can share my recovery.

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1 reply
jmevrs | @jmevrs | 2 days ago
In reply to @jmevrs "I had left kidney partial nephrectomy on 17mar25. Pain was there where drain pipe was there..." + (show)
@jmevrs

I had left kidney partial nephrectomy on 17mar25. Pain was there where drain pipe was there for two months. For me drain pipe was removed after one month of surgery. pain was there in entire stomach. It was more when I tried to sleep left side because left partial nephrectomy and drain pipe. I hope i answered your question else please ask more so that I can share my recovery.

Jump to this post

Stool was very hard for 1.5 months after that it went away. I lost 11kg weight also. I was 110 kg and became 100 kg in 1 month after surgery. Now my weight is stable and good hunger and digestion. I was walking 1600 steps during 1 st mont of surgery. Now I am walking 4000 steps a day. Before surgery i was walking 5600 steps a day

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