hi I would like to address the post from Thistle as it is entirely accurate to what I am going through. I had my left kidney removed two weeks ago, it was done by keyhole surgery . I got home from hospital on day 3 and was very sore. I took high dosage of pain relief. No way could I have walked any further than the bathroom and stayed in bed for five days as my family did everything for me. Then I began to decrease my pain relief. The pain became a discomfort but bearable. I have been out to the shops three times with my partner though don't walk very far. I would say I'm back to 70% of my former self. Still can't sleep on my side but have lots of comfy pillows in bed at nights. Bring a pillow downstairs during the day. My wounds are healing well and I am going to see my Consulrant for a follow up in the New Year and to see if it was actually a renal tumor as the team had thought. I wish you all well and for anyone about to go through the procedure, put your faith in these great doctors. Contact me if you need. God Bless. Mary