Nerve pain 4 weeks after VATS surgery

[tvf60]

Hi everyone. Looking for experiences and advice. I am a bit over 4 weeks post VATS surgery to remove my upper right lobe. I am still experiencing a lot of nerve pain on my right side. It seems to be radiating from where the drain tube was but,l has since been removed before I came home from the hospital. I have been on Gabaplatin 100 mg 3x daily for almost 2 weeks now. That seems to make me tired but, nothing seems to alleviate the constant nerve pain. The only thing that slightly helps is having a sports bra on constantly. I'm also pain free when I lay down in bed. Can't lay down in bed all day though. Any ideas or suggestions would be extremely helpful.

[SusieJo1948]

i don,t know what to tell you i had nerve pain for three years,it was awful. yours was 4 months. i,m glad youdidn,t last as long as i did i didn,t think i was going to make i took all kinds of pain meds. didn,t seem to help. i done a lot of crying. i hope yours go soon. Its awful susiejo1948

[JeanE41]

I found that keeping the surgical area warm helped. Also, are you also taking anything in addition to gabapentin for the pain? I would check with your doctor to see if there is something else he or she would recommend. My nerve pain lasted for many months, gradually decreasing. It is still sometimes there after 3 years, but in a low grade form. It takes a long time for all those cut nerves to heal.

I hope this helps.

Jean

[tvf60 in reply to JeanE41]

Thank you Jean. I don't like taking pain meds, especially opioid based. They just make me foggy and constipated 😊. I guess this will be my new normal for a while and hope for small changes daily.

[JeanE41 in reply to tvf60]

I completely agree about taking opioids and was thinking more in terms of Tylenol or nsaids. At four weeks I was taking Tylenol and naproxen with the surgeon's approval.

Hope you find relief.

[tvf60 in reply to JeanE41]

I'll ask my doctor regarding tylenol and naproxen on Monday. l have an appointment then. Thank you JeanE41.

[Laurie622]

I had vats to remove rul last feb, still have nerve pain. I take gabapentin 3 times a day. It gets better, then cold damp weather bothers me. Having left adrenal removed on tuesday, at least no nerve pain from that one.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Plan a good 6-8 weeks recovery time. Talk to your dr about increasing gabapentin during the day when you’re moving about more. I’m grateful your dr didn’t go for the Big Bang with 300mg 3xday.

My vats was to place a Pleurx catheter and a pericardial window. That was 6 years ago and I still have some discomfort but have not needed anything for the pain in about 4 years.

Because of the location of my drain tube I required physical therapy which helped reduce pain somewhat. Not everyone qualifies for that though.

[JRuthI1946]

Have patience. Every thing takes time.have you looked into CBD oil?

[tvf60 in reply to JRuthI1946]

Thank you Ruth. You are right. I need to have patience. I now see this could go on for years. I don't know what CBD oil is.

[GailO]

I didn’t have VATS but did have my entire left lung removed. Yes, patience is a big part of your recovery. My surgery was in 2010, and I noticed a little pain yesterday. Nerves take a very long time to heal. When I first had neuropathy in my feet, I took alpha lipoic acid and it seemed to help. Ask your doc if it might help you. (Its and OTC supplement.) Best of luck.

[tvf60]

Well, just an update. Seven weeks out from my upper right Lobectomy, the nerve pain has subsided compared to the original post. I have numbness now but, very little stinging and burning. Sharp yet fleeting pains happen but, I'm sure that is forever. Thank you all for your support and understanding. You are my heroes and I hope and pray we all get through this journey with happiness in our lives.

[FtB_Peggy]

Beautifully said, thank you and I am so very glad you are on the mend.