[ladycat]

My mother has a tumor in her kidney that they are almost certain is cancer. But it can't be biopsied because it's enclosed in a "skin" and they can't chance bursting it.

So she is scheduled for a right radical nephrectomy in 5 days. There will be major cutting going on because they have to lift the kidney completely out and may have to remove it (probably will have to remove it).

She is 73 years old with congestive heart failure. Her heart was left damaged from untreated rheumatic fever that she had as a child.

She and us kids are worried about how her heart will hold out during major surgery like this. I know there are wonderful medical advances. How is a patient like this handled during major surgery? Will they have her hooked up to machines that can keep her heart stable?

How worried do we need to be?