emp Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 My Mom will be having surgery soon. I would appreciate any feedback you can give me on how well your breathing is after either a wedge resection or a lobectomy of the upper right lobe. Are you able to go back to a "normal" life or what are your restrictions. We are trying to decide between the two options. Thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 It depends on her lung function going into surgery as to whether a lobectomy is possible or not. The lobectomy definately offers the best chance against having a recurrence, but if her pulmonary function is not good enough to withstand having an entire lobe removed, a wedge resection is the next option. In my situation, my pulmonary function was at 90% going in and the surgeon said that after the surgery if I did what they told me, that being exercise and breathing exercises, and really pushed myself, I would get all of my lung function back. I did what they told me and I don't get short of breath and can do everything I did activity wise that I could do beforehand. Probably even more because I don't smoke anymore. Good luck and I hope this helps. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justakid Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Don;t know what my lung function is now. After surgery I had no problems, it wasn't until radiation and chemo that I had breathing problems. After surgery I was fine and felt I was back to where I started in no time. If I can stay healthy I am supposed to go to pulmonary rehab, but between being sick and the heart problems, I have not been able to go. Hope this helps, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayos Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Pulmonary Rehab does work wonders for those with lost lung function...lost for any reason....cancer, emphysema, fibrosis, PH, etc. The program teaches a patient 'HOW' to breathe...when coughing, when walking up/down steps and during the all important "Six Minute Walk Test".. which is how far one can walk in six mins. In my case...I couldn't praise these programs enough. A Pulmonary Rehab program could also be incorporated into your mom's recovery if it's OK'd by her Dr. If you're looking for numbers as far as lung function loss after surgery goes...I lost my right upper lobe and it equaled a 12% loss. Due to prior dx of PPH my pulse ox stayed ~94 before being hit with lung cancer. Since surgery I've maintained a 92/93 pO2. Like some of the others have mentioned earlier....I think a good conditioning program could raise lung function in my case too. I hope you can add everyone's thoughts and experiences together and maybe come up with a good program that will work for your mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I had an upper left lobectomy a year ago. I have all my lung function back for most activities. I can walk very fast for a mile on flat ground and not have a problem. I did lose some though. I noticed that before surgery I could walk up very steep (80%)mountain slopes, and although I had to breathe deeply, I could get enough breath. Now, after 50 feet or so, no matter how deeply I breathe, I cannot get enough breath and have to go slower or stop for a bit. Of course, I am 30 pounds over weight, but I was overweight before surgery too. Only 2 more years to retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I have an O2 sat of 97% now, that is normal. I had one lobe removed. Before surgery they told me I had good lungs and could tolerate a whole lung removed ( thank goodness I did not need that!) Again as others have said the PFT's ( pulmonary function tests) are usually done prior and they are a good indicator of what you can tolerate. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I had left lung removed.This is a painful surgery.There is a long time after that things still hurt.Lost ability to do a lot of things but am still able to do quite a bit.I keep trying to do more all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emp Posted February 8, 2005 Author Share Posted February 8, 2005 Thanks so much for all your input. It is really appreciated. Good luck to you all. Lets beat this thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed70 Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 Hi Chloesmom, My mom had a lobectomy 08/04 and is now on oxygen- hopefully tempory. DO NOT let the ICU give her morphine for pain!!! It suppresses the the respiratory system!! I believe that had the ICU doc not given it to her she would not have had a pulmonary emblolism (still on coumadin) which lead her to having to intebated (sp? it's a tube down your throat- painful) about 3-4 in her 16- day hospital stay. A family friend a doctor and he has said the morphine never should have been given and believes it is the culprit. God Bless you and your family!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken f. Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 hi, wedge resection is not generally fovored way of proceeding at ucla because of margins and recurrance risk. i had 2 wedge resections of upper right and lower right lobe. lung capacity pre surgery is an important factor to capacity post. there is no doubt that some capacity is lost on any lung surgery. in my case, i can still hike without losing breath at least at low altitudes. i look forward to seeing what happens at 10000 feet! love, ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teresag Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I'd like to reply to the post about morphine and pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism is a risk of any surgery - it occurs because a blood clot forms in veins of the legs or pelvis, then breaks loose and lodges in the lung. It is caused by immobility and by changes in the clotting system that occur after surgery (predisposing to clot formation.) It is not caused by morphine. Morphine is an excellent pain reliever. It is also a sedative, which of course can represent a risk, like any opioid. However, morphine is used very widely and very safely, and has been for many decades. Especially in the acute post-operative period, opioid analgesics are the standard of care. Thoracic surgery is painful, and opioids are the way to treat moderate to severe pain appropriately. There is no need to refuse morphine unless there is a prior history of adverse reaction to it. Pain relief is essential to mobility and to the coughing & deep breathing that post-operative patients must do to prevent complications. "Toughing it out" is counterproductive. So make sure your Mom gets good pain relief, uses her incentive spirometer (the thing with the plunger) and gets out of bed as early as she possibly can. Snowflake once posted a whole list of post-op do's and don'ts - but I'm not sure exactly where it is now. Anybody else know? Best of luck to your Mom, Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 http://lchelp.com/community/viewtopic.p ... hlight=abc Took some searching, it used to be a sticky! ...and there was this one, too: http://lchelp.com/community/viewtopic.p ... highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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