Recovery from RPLND

[Amy]

My 21 year old son is scheduled to have RPLND surgery in April. He completed 4 rounds of BEP at the end of February and is feeling much better now and back at work fulltime as a mechanic. We are not looking forward to the surgery, but feel that it is necessary. Can anyone give me an idea of how long he might need someone with him at home as he recovers? The surgeon said he would probably be hospitalized for 4 or 5 days before going home. We are trying to schedule days off from work and/or family members from out of town to come and help if necessary.

[Already Bald]

Amy, My RPLND was pre-chemo, I understand that post chemo RPLND may be a little more involved... He likely has Teratoma that needs to be removed.
I took about 4 weeks off of work after the surgery, and lost a considerable amount of weight. Sloan-Kettering put me on 5grams of fat/day for three weeks, not all centers do that, you may want to ask about that.

He will be walking the day after the surgery, and should be strong again in six weeks.
He is 21- he may want to bank sperm.
Stool-softeners are important!
This should be eaiser on him than the chemo
Best of luck!

[Chris'Mom]

Hi Amy, my son had RPLND surgery two years ago after chemo...and he was in Sloan about five days recovering, but once he was home he just had to take it easy and eat fat free for two weeks....but he did much better than we thought....the first few days after surgery are the hardest....and now his scar is very faded....take care and keep us posted...Mary Ellen

[dadmo]

Amy:
Welcome and I'm sorry. The RPLND is indeed as scary as it get's but the guys here who have had them all seem to recover quite nicely. To answer the immediate question your son should be good able to work in a month but my concern is that he will have lifting restrictions for about 6-8 weeks. Can he avoid lifting anything more then 10 lbs at work?

[honeybee]

Amy,

My son had RPLND surgery in December. The first two days in the hospital were kind of rough -- recovering from the anesthesia made him nauseated and the incision hurt when he moved around. But once he was up and walking the halls, his recovery was amazingly quick. He was in the hospital for 4 days, and when he came home, he really had no problems. He was not tremendously active, but was able to move carefully. He was also on a regular diet the last two days in the hospital and when he came home. It wasn't as bad as we expected it to be.

Jennifer

[boyce]

My RPLND

Done post chemo on Nov 27 2006.

At Sloan-Kettering by Dr. Sheinfeld (the best, I swear!)

I was in hospital for 6 days and no food or water for the first 5 and yes it is tough! I walked a mile- i nlittle tiny increments- the day after surgery in incredible pain. They need to get your intestines moving again and walking is absolutely a must.

I flew back to NC and was laid up for a week after that, and then I went back to work a half a week later (total out for 2.5 weeks). However, I have a cushy desk job, and do not think I could have done mechanic work in that time frame (It's just very sore and hard to move, expecialy bending)

I could care for myself as far as getting around the house, eating (yes, no fat at all) bathroom, shower, etc. If your son has similar experience, I think somewhere in the 4 week range is reasonable to go back to work, but he may:

No be a wimpy as me
Deal with pain well
Heal better or faster than me

Please ask more questions, as I gave you the short version here.

Above all....the surgery is worth it. Unlike chemo, you feel a little bettert each day post surgery. And a CURE is possible!!!!

[Amy]

Thanks for all the input about RPLND recovery. David will probably recover pretty well from the surgery if his recovery from the orchiectomy and chemo are any indication. His workplace has been really good about letting him do light duty work and only work when he feels up to it. We will make sure that he doesn't try to overdo it. My whole family is going on an Alaskan cruise in early June (parents' 60th anniversary celebration), and we're hoping that he'll be in good enough shape by then to enjoy it. By the way, he did do sperm banking twice before he began chemo. The oncologist recommended it and we are happy to have the "insurance".