Hi, @jewels5. Sorry to hear of your husband's diagnosis. I can understand your concerns. I believe that the growth of cancer is determined by the kind of cancer it is - there is no such thing as a single kind of "kidney cancer." I can only speak to the recovery from surgery part of your question, although as far as I know, radiation or chemo come after the surgery in the majority of cases. I do believe that surgery - at least in the case of kidney cancer - is the way to go. My recovery went quite well. I had pain, but traveled 200 miles two days later, and my life was back to mostly normal in six weeks. I did not require chemo or radiation. Two important points: walking is extremely important - walk as much as possible as soon after surgery as possible. Do not lift any heavy objects. Please Google everything to learn - there's a lot of information to be had. There's also some misinformation, but the more you learn, the better you will be able to judge for yourself. Lastly, I was not working at the time, but it seems to me most post surgery patients return to work in two weeks or less. It depends upon what type of work one does, and, of course, your general health and, if any, complications from surgery.
Good luck!

Thank you for your response. It is helpful to hear from other people going through the same or similar situations. Julie