Discomfort 6 weeks after op

Hi - I'm pretty sure I've read the nephrectomites post that this is standard.  It's a big Op you've had impacting big muscles and they are going to take some time to heal fully.  6 weeks is not a lot for abdominal surgery.  People with direct experience will post soon and their replies are more valid as I didn't have surgery - I've just read half the community posts on it!  

Hi EmJayEs, 

Yes this is normal after an operation where they have cut into nerves and muscle, on the outside all is healed but on the inside it takes time for all the body to mend, try not to do too much work up slowly steep hills are a killer normally without surgery, did they give you a plan on how to work slowly to regain your strength Sandy

Hiya,

I had a radical robotic nephroureterectomy and had this reply from an email I sent my CNS, I thought it summed up perfectly

it was a major op. Because there’s no ‘shark bite scar’ you can forget how big it was. Continue to relax but still move to your ability, don’t rush to feel 100% 

x

Thanks for the replies everyone! Glad to hear it's usual. I'm feeling twinges in different spots every day now, sometimes my flank, sometimes my groin. I keep wondering could the cancer be back but I know that's irrational as it's unlikely I could be feeling something from that after only 7 weeks considering mine was a low grade...cancer can really play mind games with you! 

Hello, my experience was that I felt more or less fully recovered after about 4 weeks but after about 6  or 7 weeks, I started to get some pain near the large incision scar,especially when getting out of bed. I think I must have overdid it a bit, though not sure how - but it did settle down again after another couple of weeks. So yes, be a bit gentle with yourself for a bit longer.

I had my kidney removed dec 23.l am still getting some pain and discomfort. Sometimes around the large cut especially when pulling myself up to sitting position . Still find it uncomfortable to sleep on my side.l sleep with lots of pillows.l get quite bad back pain if l over do things. Not quite back to normal yet. Everyone is different. It is a large operation. Be kind to yourself. 

Sounds familiar. I did way too much too soon as felt after 3 weeks I could start strength building, mild 90 sec jogs within a walk etc. Week 6 I crashed so badly where I had to more or less stop doing stuff. I'm 7 weeks in and have now learnt that healing is personal to the individual, and for me, despite being a fit runner beforehand, my body has only just started to heal and it's taking ages. It's like 1 step forward, 2 steps back. For me I had a false sense of healing way too early. This week I saw the consultant who mentioned I shouldn't be doing any rehab for at least 10 weeks  after surgery - totally different advice from the discharge sheet. So I would say -  good luck, take it slow, practice acceptance, have loads of patience and listen closely to your body. Googling won't help as everyone is different - it can say 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months etc

Had my partial nephrectomy in October - to this day I still get twinges to this day - nothing too painful.