Hello Taffykins, 

Thank you for sharing your story and a warm welcome to Cancer Chat! Your experience will be very helpful to others who are currently going through this, for example to those who are currently taking the same painkillers and experiencing similar issues such as constipation or are also trying to avoid DVT. 

I am so glad you were looked after so well at the hospital and that you had such a fantastic surgeon. I hope that your follow up appointment to remove the catheter goes well. Keep us updated if you get a moment on how it all went and fingers crossed that they remove the catheter!

Others on the forum will have been through this before and I hope that they will be along shortly to share their story with you. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Good morning Taffykins,

I hope you are well and fully recovered 

I am due to go into hospital on 23rd March to have my left kidney and ureter removed.

I would appreciate any advice that you could give me regarding this procedure as I am getting more and more nervous as each day passes.

Many thanks,

Happysailor 

It's now 2 months since my nephrectomy, I had a cystogram and CT scan last month and all clear.

Exercise is very important, I'm now walking up to 3miles a day. Re the op, are you having open surgery (which I had) or keyhole. A friend of mine had keyhole and was back home in 3 days. This was not an option in my area ; I could have had it in London or Manchester but I didn't fancy that in the middle of covid. One kidney can, eventually, do 80% of the work of 2. Alcohol is off for the first few months! Constipation can be a problem,take every precaution,in the end I took Cosmocol. You'll have a catheter, mine was in for 6 weeks, keyhole less. The kidney tissue is the same as the bladder lining so can spread there but as long as it doesn't go through you'll be ok.

Anything else, don't hesitate to contact me. The very best of luck.

Good morning Taffykins,

Many thanks for your reply, it is very much appreciated.

Fortunately I have been informed that my cancer is stage 2 with no spread.

I am having keyhole surgery which is a bonus I think!

So glad to hear that you have been given the all clear.

How long did your operation take?

Many thanks,

Happy.Sailor

8 hours, yours will be less methinks

[@Taffykins]‍ 

Thank you for sharing your experience of this procedure - I am pleased that it appears to have achieved the desired outcome.  I am due to undergo the same operation very shortly to treat TCC in the left renal pelvis.  The advice you give regarding bowel movement and exercise is is very helpful.  Post operatively other than surveillance have you been given any support on managing the changes associated with only having one kidney - I ask as somebody with elevaged blood pressure that has been managed with medication for many years.

Take care and best wishes

S.

Not really, the only thing the surgeon said was eat plenty of red meat for protein and monitor blood pressure.

4 months after the op, I can have the occasional glass of wine and have coffee some mornings without feeling ill the next day.

Bowel movements are back to normal thank god.

Exercise; I walk 20 miles per week, no golf yet but that's a result of the open surgery instead of keyhole.

Best of luck

[@Taffykins]‍ ,

Thanks for your reply - very helpful.  Pleased ot hear you that the walking is going well and that you are starting to enjoy wine/coffee again.  Hopefully the golf swing will come back in the not too distant future.

Take care and best wishes

S.

You too