How Long Does It Take to Recover from Kidney Removal?

Nephrectomy is a surgery to remove a part of or the entire kidney. Majority of the times it is done to remove a benign tumor or treat cancer of kidney. In certain cases, it is done to treat a seriously damaged or diseased kidney. In case of donor nephrectomy, a healthy kidney is removed from a donor to be transplanted into the recipient. What is the recovery time after removal of kidney?

Recovery Time for Kidney Removal

Time of recovery after the surgery and for how long you will stay in the hospital depends on the type of nephrectomy done and your general health. The urinary catheter stays inside for a short duration during the recovery period.

You may suffer from numbness and discomfort near the area of incision. Pain killers are given as required after the surgery. Although coughing and deep breathing may cause pain as the incision is near the diaphragm, yet, breathing exercises are recommended to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia.

You may remain in hospital for one to seven days depending on type of surgery. You can perform light activities after surgery as soon as you feel like doing them. However, heavy lifting and strenuous activities should not be done for up to six weeks after surgery.

Recovery time for kidney removal is about three to six weeks. Initially, you may feel low in energy and it may require up to three to six months for you to feel fully energetic again.

Your physician will provide you detailed instructions regarding your post-surgical activities, diet and restrictions.

Recovery Instructions after Kidney Removal

Activity

Diet

Medicines

Incision Care

Follow-Up Care Forms a Vital Part of Treatment

Make sure to be regular with all appointment. Call your physician or nurse line in case of any problems. You can also keep a list of medications you take and know the results of your tests.

Monitor Your Kidney Function

Majority of individuals can function quite well with one full kidney and partial second kidney or only one kidney. You may likely require checkups for monitoring the below mentioned factors in relation to functioning of kidneys:

How to Take Care of Your Healthy Kidney

After you have a complete kidney removal or a partial kidney removal, your overall function of kidney may be normal. To preserve your kidney function, your physician may recommend eating a well-balanced and healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity and attending regular medical checkups for monitoring the health of your kidney.

In case you develop reduced function of kidney due to chronic kidney disease after partial or complete nephrectomy, your physician may advise additional changes in lifestyle such as changes in diet and taking care about over-the-counter and prescription medicines.

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