Jump to content

Tom K

Members
  • Posts

    241
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    Tom K got a reaction from the1truereblangel in We need info from those of you that have had lobectomies   
    Hi Kelly,
    I also had and upper right lobectomy. My experiences were very similar to the others that posted here. I had an epidural inserted before surgery and it stayed in for a couple of days which made the pain tolerable. After surgery, the doctors inserted a chest tube to drain fluid. It was very uncomfortable. The chest tube was removed after 3 days and I started feeling much better very quickly. It is important to cough up the mucus in your lungs after surgery. Coughing was painful even with the epidural, but it was doable. Some people found hugging a pillow helped them. I continued taking oral pain meds for about 10 days after surgery then found I no longer needed them. I did all the breathing exercises frequently and I started walking for a ½ hour a day about 2 weeks after surgery. I was able to go back to work about 4 weeks after surgery ( I work in an office). After surgery, I received concurrent chemo-radiation treatments which were a lot more difficult than the surgery. Today, I still have some minor residual nerve pain that runs along a rib from the scar to the front of my chest. It is not so much pain as it is sensitivity to touch. I am told this is very common. For the past 14 months I have been very conscientious about doing aerobic workouts at least 3 times a week (for weight control). The aerobics have had a huge impact on my lung efficiency. A PFT in December indicated my lungs are now at 104% of expected efficiency. So 2 years after surgery my lungs are not causing any limitations to my life. I strongly recommend you agree to the surgery. It is your best chance for a cure and in the long run, it should not greatly impact the quality of your life.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.