After Lung surgery

[nctcancer14]

I had a right upper lobe lobectomy and now have an empty place where the lung was....the area seems to take in air when I laugh or breath deep and seems to burp or gurgle...is this normal?

[Donna G]

I had the upper right lobe removed. I remember waking up in ICU and the nurse was listening with her stethoscope to that area. I was still not thinking good with the drugs and anesthesia in my system. I thought she was nuts to listen there.

I am a nurse and should have known that when a part of the lung is removed the rest of the lung left enlarges to fill the space the best it can.

I had no logic at that point though. The nurse knowing that I was a nurse wondered what I was thinking!

I am now thinking that no one explained to you that the rest of the lung would fill the space.

Hope you are doing well.

Donna G

[jde512]

Everything in your chest cavity adjusts and changes shape to fill the empty shape and maintain tight pressure. I can really see it on the X-rays. My diaphragm on the right side is pushing up at a sharp angle to help keep thing tight. (Upper right lobe removed last September.)

[nctcancer14]

Thank you for the feedback. You are right I was not advised of this possibility before or after the surgery. I did attempt to get an educated answer to my question from my surgeon's office. My surgeon was out of town and her office told me to go to the closest emergency room. So I did just that and they did an xray and determined that I had some pressure on the heart from the air in the lung...then they did a ct scan and determined a small collapse as well. At this point they want to transfer me to the Hospital where the surgery was done but no beds available. After 18 hours on an er gurney, a 2 1/2 hour ride in an ambulance and 7 hours in the surgical er. They called in the thoracic surgery team and they will read the ct scan to determine the condition. After about 5 hours I am informed that they cracked the cd of the scan and they will have to read the written report but think that all that I am experiencing is normal lung repair. Two hours later they do an xray and determine that combined with the written report of the ct scan that it is all normal. Not loving the medical profession at this point.