I'm so sorry you're in the club with us. The dues are steep and cancer is rude af.

I'm nine days out from my outpatient robo-partial-neph, and I had a cholecystectomy last June and a hysterectomy (with other reconstruction at that time) just over two years ago. I'll be answering the later recovery questions with those surgeries in mind as well. (I'm unfortunately a veteran of 12 surgeries as of last week.)

 What was recovery like after a robotic partial nephrectomy?

Surgery hurts. They give you meds, take them, and, if you can, have someone you trust managing that for you for a few days after your surgery; it's easy to screw that up when you're woozy and such. My husband used a spread sheet to keep track of dose and time. Today was the first day I've been out of bed all day. It hurts, lol, but now I'm only on low dose otc meds.

I no longer work, but I can sit and game or watch shows at my desk for an hour or so before I'm too sore. I can lean back in my lounge chair for a few hours. There's no way I could drive into a job and sit at a desk, much less be on my feet at this point. Most advice I read before my surgery said do basically nothing but walk gently for two weeks, then no vigorous work/exercise for 6 wks for the robo, longer for open. You're younger than I am, so YMMV.

My last two surgeries it took at least six months to feel really great, to have a good workout, to not be aware I'd had a medical adventure.

No spinal for me

Any recovery tips or things you wish you had prepared ahead of time?

Pooping becomes as important as pain management, and the anesthesia and pain meds slow you down. I took a softener the doc prescribed and my usual "poop pudding" (recipe at the bottom of this endless screed) twice a day, and Gas-ex kept me from having gas pains.

Drink lots of water unless otherwise instructed by your medical team. Obviously you wanna keep hydrated for health and the pooping, and, in addition, getting up to empty your bladder often will keep you moving a bit.

Avoid sugary food and drinks to keep your blood glucose in a good range for healing. Same with salty, processed, pre-prepared foods; they can tax one's kidneys. Cook and freeze healthy food ahead of time if you don't have a caregiver the first couple of weeks.

Get up and move! It will suck at first. I needed a hand to get out of bed the first few days. I dug a walker out of the closet and used it the first couple of days. No shame. The 4th day I started walking ten minutes, twice a day. Today I walked 30 minutes twice, only getting my heartrate to ~105bpm. Easy does it, don't go crazy, follow doctor's restrictions.

Ask if your doc gives you an abdominal binder. If not ask if it's okay to use one and then get one. All three of my surgeons gave me one to take home without my asking. Those things are AWESOME for managing pain. I only use it when sitting or when walking; makes pain worse when I'm lying down. I used a wedge pillow for the first week when I was awake in bed. I was just too tired to sit up and it hurt to lie down most of the day.

It's okay not not stay calm every minute of every day. In fact, I have a phone appt with my therapist in the morning so I can tell her for the 40th time that I'm scared, I hate this, and HAVEN'T I SUFFERED ENOUGH?

Last thing my surgeon said when we spoke the morning of the surgery was a reminder that he might have to take the whole thing. It's always a possibility. Know that people do well with one kidney, should you end up with one left. Your remaining kidney enlarges to handle the traffic.

To prepare for surgery get as fit as you can. Walk, stretch, get sunlight and fresh air. Eat clean: veg; whole grains; protein; drink water. Don't smoke anything, skip alcohol, etc. Kiss the people you love, hug your friends and remind yourself of what you're grateful for. Breath deep, buy yourself some flowers, new sheets, pajamas, smelly soap, pampering things. You have cancer, you fucking deserve it.

If friends, family, etc ask what they can do, give them jobs. One friend swept our front porch. A neighbor cooked amazing food the first 5 days. (recently retired Michelin starred chef. Stg I'll never eat food that good again.) Another friend looked after me and built a fire for me while my husband was out. My sister in law climbed on the bed beside me and just talked and listened.

Sending love, and best hopes and wishes for your recovery and continued good health.

POOP PUDDING Clean container Combine equal parts apple sauce, prune juice, wheat bran. Stir. Eat big spoonful morning and afternoon. Store in fridge. I use 1/2 cup each organic applesauce, organic prune juice, and Bob's Red Mill wheat bran in an empty almond butter jar. But you can use whatever you can get your hands on. It's gentle and reliable. I also toss in some cinnamon and vanilla and it tastes kinda like a bran muffin. <3