post nephrectomy deformity

My husband had his right kidney removed 10/06 for a primary Stage I carcinoma.  Immediately post-op, we were joking that they removed the kidney and put a football in its place.  The problem is that it has now been a year and he still has a football on his right side when the incision is, even larger than it was immediately post op.  He had CT scans 01/07 which determined it was not herniated bowel or other organs, and an MRI 10/07 which determined the same thing.  The only thing we have been told is that some nerves were severed during the procedure, and he now has no muscle tone in that area.  The bulge is very hard and gives him varying degrees of pain during the day, some of them we call 'zingers' as they are sharp and shooting.  We have been told this is neurogenic in origin.  His waist size has increased by 6 inches due to this bulge.  His posture is off balance now and he is experiencing low back pain more frequently.  He can no longer wear a belt, only suspenders.  His primary recreation had been water sports, but now with this deformity and the self-image issues associated with it, he has lost all interest in this area.

There is a lot of other reconstructive surgery done for procedures that result in facial, breast, and limb deformities.  What are the options for this type of situation?  We were told some type of mesh implantation might be possible, but could result in more chronic pain (but could it also produce a better outcome?).  We have some major quality of life issues here and are seeking options to try to resolve them.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

[cjjelectrical]

A related discussion, abdominal defect after neufractomy was started.

[tonita12345]

A related discussion, partial nephectomy was started.