Had a radical nephrectomy and adrenalectomy 4 days ago

Hello everyone, 

I guess I’m really looking for reassurance. My lesion was discovered by accident following a particularly bloody episode of diverticulitis. 
I was told all was okay, slow growing not to worry. I had a biopsy, which was apparently unusual, so it was sent to some other medical facilities for their opinions.i was told my kidney would be removed in around 6 weeks. 2 weeks after seeing the consultant I received a phone call to say he didn’t want to wait that long and could I go in this Tuesday, he wouldn’t be able to do the removal himself as his list was full, but he completely trusted the surgeon who would be doing the op.i was expecting to lose a kidney, but not the adrenal gland as well, plus some other incidental tissue. Should I be worried about the short timescale and adrenal removal? Sorry my post is so long - scared 57 year old female.

  • Hello IsabelsYiaYia, 

    What a stressful time it must be for you. It all went really fast from having the biopsy to the radical nephrectomy and adrenal gland removal. Are you recovering ok from the operation? I hope that you are not in too much pain. Try not to worry about the short timescale, it's always good for things to be dealt with sooner rather than later. I am not sure why the adrenal gland was removed and hopefully you will find out more soon at a possible follow up appointment or do get in touch with the consultant so that they explain to you exactly what is going on and what the next steps might be. 

    It might help you to talk things through with one of our cancer nurses so don't hesitate to pick up the phone and ring our free helpline on 0808 800 4040 - it is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

    I hope you get a bit more clarity on this very soon and that you will hear from other forum members who have had a radical nephrectomy and adrenalectomy too in the past. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Thank you Lucie, you’ve calmed me down quite a lot 

  • I am waiting for an appointment to have a partial nephrectomy. My pre op is on the 8th May. I think that six weeks is the standard wait time for cancer pathway. I wish you well for your radical nephrectomy and recovery

  • Thank you EJ7861, I wish you well too