Kidney Cancer

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What to Expect After Surgery

Immediately after the surgery you will be taken to the recovery room and transferred to your hospital room once you are fully awake and your vital signs are stable.

  • Post Operative Pain: Pain medication will be prescribed initially in the hospital by IV, and then by mouth. A prescription will be given when you go home for an oral pain pill. While you are taking narcotic pain medication, you should not drive. Once you are taking Tylenol or no pain medication, it is fine to drive. You may experience some minor transient shoulder pain (1-5 days) related to the gas used to inflate your abdomen during the laparoscopic surgery.
  • Nausea: You may experience some nausea related to the anesthesia or pain medication. Medication is available to treat persistent nausea.
  • Urinary Catheter: You can expect to have a urinary catheter. This will be placed in the operating room while you are asleep. It will remain in place for approximately 1-2 days after the surgery. It is not uncommon to have blood-tinged urine or burning on urination for a few days after your surgery, but this is temporary. Occasionally patients must go home with a catheter.
  • Diet: You can expect to have an intravenous catheter (IV) in for 1-2 days. Most patients are able to tolerate liquids the day after the surgery and a regular diet soon thereafter. Once on a regular diet, pain medication will be taken by mouth instead of by IV or shot.
  • Fatigue: Fatigue is common and should start to subside in a 3 to 4 weeks.
  • Incentive Spirometry: You will be expected to do some breathing exercises to help prevent respiratory infections through using an incentive spirometry device (these exercises will be explained to you during your hospital stay). Coughing and deep breathing are an important part of your recuperation and help to prevent pneumonia.
  • Ambulation: It is very important to get out of bed the morning after surgery and begin walking with the supervision of your nurse or family member. Walking helps prevent blood clots, pneumonia and helps the bowel function to return. You can expect to have SCD's (sequential compression devices) to prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. These are cloth sleeves wrapped about your ankle and pumped with air. They are removed once you are walking.
  • Hospital Stay: The length of hospital stay for most patients is approximately 2 days.
  • Constipation: You may experience sluggish bowels for several weeks. Suppositories and stool softeners are usually given to help with this problem. Taking mineral oil daily at home will also help to prevent constipation.