ken f. Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 well that was quick and lucky. after surgery wed last at 4 p.m. where part of upper right lobe and part of lower right lobe were excised with lots of nodes, they had me walking in ICU within 12 hours of surgery, to a ward within 20 hours and discharged altogether in 4 hours under 5 days. thanks to the docs for epidurals and thanks for the stuff i'm taking now! what a rush and mix of emotions with the depression of the morphine and being able to do guided mediation even with a thick head. i expect to be able to lie down within a couple days and am pleased as punch to be able to sit and watch a video and tease my grandkids. pathology reports should start mid weed with the holiday delay which is soon enough for me. my surgeon, an all business kinda guy who does crack a grin from time to time (sort of) set me for follow up in 14 days. before that if i want him its emergency. i am just amazed that the slice they stapled shut is healing, that i'm not seeing red with pain or anxiety as i did with an abdominal surgery some years back, and that the sun still shines. Quote
Nancy B Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Oh my gosh Ken, sounds like you are doing great (after what you have been through!!!). Just be sure to take it easy and don't over-do (it's easy to do that). Just take it easy for a while and take care of yourself. Prayers for continued healing and good recovery for you. Hugs, NancyB Quote
stand4hope Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 . . . .and that the sun still shines What a refreshing thought, Ken. Thanks for posting that. I'm glad to hear you're doing so well, but like Nancy said, be careful and take it slow. Love, Peggy Quote
cindi o'h Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Sounds real good, Ken. Take it easy and mend up. I usually try to make a game of it to see if I can get those guys to crack a little more smile than they are used to. Sometimes, I have to get quite tricky about it. Good luck. Cindi o'h Quote
Nushka Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Ken, Sounds like you are doing really well. I slept in a recliner for almost 4 weeks but I slept well with the help of those little pain meds. At 4 weeks we went to Las Vegas for a little family trip before chemo began the day after we got home. I hope your path reports are all good and that the nodes are all clear. The sun does shine and the birds do sing. Glad to hear from you. Nina Quote
shineladysue Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Hi Ken, Sounds like you are doing great. You make everything sound like a piece of cake. You have a marvelous attitude... keep it up. Take care of yourself. I will be having only good thoughts about those pathology reports. God Bless sue Quote
Frank Lamb Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Sounds like a remarkable recovery.Good job and wishing you well. Quote
Snowflake Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Expecting to be able to lie down - flat - may be a pretty big goal. I was a recliner sleeper for three weeks and then slept in bed with pillows propping me up. You seem to have the raw pain managed, though. Good news on THAT front! ...and hey, that "depression" may not be your medication. I think it's a natural reaction to what is going on in your mind and body. I know when I got home from the hospital, I was afraid to go to sleep for fear I wouldn't wake up....not normal for me, by far.... Keep tabs on your feelings, they're sure to run the gamut. Glad to see you back! Becky Quote
Fay A. Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Ken, Glad to hear things are going so well. I, too, had parts of the upper and lower lobes removed in my first surgery. Just wanted to let you know that Snowflake is probably correct about being able to lie flat. If you have the kind of incision that starts under the breast, runs along the side in a curve, then ends at the back at the shoulder blade you may find that ribs have been cut or removed, muscles and nerves cut. It takes a while for all of that to heal well enough to be able to withstand the strain of lifting your upper body up from a reclining position. (For me the problem was not when I would lie flat, it was trying to get up from that position.) If you had Video Assisted Thoracotomy then it's my understanding that the surgery has a much easier recovery. At any rate you sound as if you are doing extremely well, and I am happy to hear it. Welcome back... Quote
Lisa O Posted December 5, 2004 Posted December 5, 2004 Welcome back Ken... Keep us posted on those path reports! Quote
Kaffie Posted December 6, 2004 Posted December 6, 2004 Sounds like you're doing great, Ken! Congratulations! I think Fay is right about the type of surgery and recovery time. I had the Video Assisted Thoracotomy and was able to lay flat in no time. My surgeon had warned me that he wouldn'd know for sure what would be done until he did the actual surgery but the Video Assisted Thoracotomy would have a quicker recovery than surgery because it is much less invasive. Either way please take it easy and don't over do it, you had major surgery and your body needs healing time even if you do feel great. But....Enjoy yourself and by no means just sit in a chair and do nothing, have fun and enjoy life Kathy Quote
J.C. Posted December 6, 2004 Posted December 6, 2004 Ken. You are doing well, keep it that way and please give us the report of the tests. J.C. Quote
ellakc2 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Wow! Never heard of anyone getting a surgery like yours and being up and around so quickly!! Good for you. You must be one strong guy. Take care and good luck to you. Quote
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