2 days after Robotic Radical Nephrectomy

Hi, I had the same procedure in Nov 2024. I was also in hospital two nights. It would have been one, but I was sick early on the second day, probably from painkillers. 

Walking around was a struggle, so I just did little bits, gradually building up over time. 

There was the usual pain around the surgery site and moving my bowels wasn't very much fun. Neither was sitting down or getting up. 

It's weird, but the thing I remember most is the shoulder pain and feeling really bloated from the gas they pump into your abdomen. Peppermint tea helps.

All this lasted about two weeks, though I also had fatigue that lingered around for a while.

Happy to answer any questions.

Wishing you and your husband the best of luck.

I was in ITU for 5 days, but should have been transfered to a urology ward but no beds. Discharged from ITU and recovered at home. I was up and walking slowly around on day 2. Didn't sleep well in bed and found my reclining chair more comfortable for 14 days as trying to get in and out of bed was causing me lots of pain. After 4 weeks I was able to move much easier but still in pain but manageable. I had open surgery so had to have 36  staples removed 14 days after. 8 weeks now and finally can drive again with some discomfort but can safely emergency stop if required. I am still having some pain at times around the area but more inside. I also ended up with right testicular pain which I was not informed is common in males due to stopping blood flow whilst removing the kidney. This pain started a week after surgery. My advice is dont rush the recovery. Try not to sit around and do gentle walking which I did from room to room. Listen to the body and be guided by it. I made sure I stood up ever hour for a couple of mins then repeated the walk an hour later. This is just a brief summary and each person is different and is not intended as medical advice. I made sure I was signed off work for 3 months in total has internal surgery takes much longer to heal even when the outside looks normal. I hope my quick summary helps to give some idea of my own personal experience. Here for you both if needed and sorry you are going through this. 

Thank you for taking time to reply - he is in awful pain with his chest and shoulder as well, ill get him to try peppermint tea x

oh god that sounds awful - open surgery is such a huge thing to have to face - thank you so much for sharing - it really does help to understand what my husband is facing now. xx

Does he have orimorph? I was given tamadol and paracetamol for mine at first but then called the GP for something a bit extra to just help witn morning and evening. This also helped when having a shower with assistance too. Dont be afraid to ask for more medication if its not working. Might be worth looking at some simple shoulder chair exercises which he can do sitting down which will might help too maybe x

HI Maddie. 

Just checking in and hoping the weekend as been okay.  Best wishes. 

Hi there. I had a robotic radical nephrectomy mid December 2025, so I'm about 8 weeks in...

I was in hospital for four days due to some breathing complications following my lungs collapsing.

At first anything that involved my core muscles was problematic. Getting out of bed from laying flat was the most difficult thing. 

The nurses gave me a cough cushion which helped a lot. However, I did think I might die when I squirted a syringe of oramorph into my mouth and it went down the wrong way and I couldn't cough because of the pain lol.  I also survived a double sneeze! 

I would say that by week 3 or 4 I felt significantly better physically. Laying flat was difficult and I invested in several pillows. I can now lay on my side where my wound is with support from a pillow.

Outside has healed well but inside still feels sore if I do too much. Fatigue seems to be an issue and I've had several nights of not sleeping whatsoever. 

Pain wise, mine has been more of an ache internally than a pain where the wounds are. My chest hurt a lot if I coughed. I had codeine, oramorph and paracetamol in hospital. At home Ive only needed paracetamol 

Hope your husband is back on his feet soon.

Good luck 

Hi, hes on Dihydrocodeine - it really helps at first but tends to wear off after about 2 hours - he's been sleeping sitting up all weekend and Ive just bought him a pillow wedge that will hopefully make him more comfortable tonight. 

Thanks for that - really nice of you to ask x he has noticed that his left buttock cheek has swollen and is a bit numb - i googled it and it seems that it can happen due to the position he would have been in during surgery - Im gonna check with the GP today to ensure its nothing to worry about.

Oh no bless you - that must have been so scary after a major operation - it does really help when we find out what others who had the same op have gone through - sending love x