u/Grlscoutcookies

Hey guys,

Wanted to update anyone who was interested and also give a positive outcome so far to those who are looking for some encouragement for the future.

Had my partial nephrectomy on June 25th and everything turned out great. Surgery was about 2 hours and the doc told me this should be curative pending pathology which I will know in July. I kept 95% of my kidney and estimated blood loss 10-50 ml. This tumor was barely hanging on. I have a picture and it looks like an inflated tick!

Not gonna lie, the few days following were ROUGH. I could barely get up from the bed, it just hurt too much. I have two incisions and alot of bruising on my hip. Most of the pain came from the hip and I was told that was due to the wedge they put me on during surgery. I stayed at the hospital for two days, felt nauseous and barely ate. The pain meds I was given in the hospital didn’t quite cover the 5 hour spread so I was also given morphine. I’d try to sit upright and could barely breathe because again, it hurt too much. No drain with my incision but I did have a foley and holy shit, did that suck when it was pulled! People talk about gas pain and yes, I felt that too in my shoulder and shoulder blade but it wasn’t the worst and it’s gone now.

I’m home now and things are better. The pain is covered by Tylenol and I’m up and walking, showering, even did a little laundry today. I’m a side sleeper so sleeping on my back sucks but I deal. Now I can just sit at home for the next two weeks and play Diablo! Hoping I can go back to work after.

Hang in there guys! I know my situation could have been much worse and there are still some unknowns but keep up the fight! Hope this is a light for those needing to hear something good.

I’ve never posted on reddit before so please go easy on me but I’m 33F and in May, I was told I have a 4.5 cm mass on my left kidney and surgery is scheduled for June 25th. Single port surgery, partial is what I was told. According to my CT results, it’s a exophytic cystic and solid lesion. 2.9 x 4.5 x 4.0 cm, 6mm in thickness.

Funny thing is I was actually planning to donate a kidney to my brother. Went through all the testing and scans in KC and the only red flag was blood in my urine, microscopic. Was told I needed a cystoscopy to rule out bladder cancer and then I was home free and good to donate. Instead of leaving town again, I found a urologist where I live and scheduled an appointment.

After meeting with my urologist, he ordered my scans from KC and got my cystoscopy scheduled. Days later, he called and left me the most terrifying voicemail saying he got my scans and “sees something that was missed or not noted” and referred me to get another CT. I got with my donor coordinator immediately after hearing the voicemail and she confirmed with another doctor there in KC that something was missed and to get another scan.

Fast forward, I had the cystoscopy done, bladder is “pristine” but then we spoke about my mass. 4.5 cm, Bosniak 4. That’s all I know. There was no mention of biopsy, just straight to surgery.

Thankfully, I work with incredible people and they supplied me with insurance ASAP (Part time and now going full time) because the hospital called with an estimate of 115k for the surgery.

I think I cried the whole week after I found out. Scared that it was going to spread if it hadn’t already or wondering how long it had been there since I’ve dealt with back pain for the past 10+ years. I immediately thought death sentence. Also, just feeling very guilty about my brother. He’s barely hanging on as it is and will more than likely go into dialysis soon… but now, I am at the point where I’m just ready to get this thing out and find out what it is.

Thank you for any input or advice you guys might have. I’ve gone back and forth on posting here but I’ve read stories on here that calm my mind and give me comfort. I’m hoping that if I spiral again, I can come back here and read some encouragement.