New here. Still in pain almost 2 month... - Lung Cancer Support

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New here. Still in pain almost 2 months post surgery

11 Replies

I had the right upper lobe removed on Jan. 10th. Ended up spending 16 days n the hospital due to an air leak. Doctor ended up doing a talc procedure on me that was extremely painful.

Has anybody on here gone through that procedure? How long can I expect the pain?

Good news is the cancer was contained to the mass and it was stage one so no further treatment is necessary!

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11 Replies
JeanE41 profile image
JeanE41

Welcome to the group. Sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time. I had 2/3 of my left lung removed in 2015. I did not need the talc procedure, but the pain persisted for a year or so gradually decreasing with time. I have also had a persistent cough and shortness of breath with exertion. Many of these symptoms have decreased with time, but can still be bothersome. I think it goes with the territory. At 2 months from surgery I was still pretty debilitated. If you feel the pain is worse than it should be, contact your doctor to make sure everything is as it should be.

I hope this helps and that your symptoms improve quickly. Keep us informed of your progress. There are many of us who have been or are currently going through something similar.

Jean

in reply to JeanE41

Thank you Jean! I expected it to be like other surgeries and you start feeling betting after six weeks , now I at least know that's not the case

Memaw0100 profile image
Memaw0100 in reply to JeanE41

I had my upper left lobe removed 3 years ago. I was told to expect a year or 2 recovery. I was shocked, but did take a long time. I got a lot better fairly quickly, but feel chemo slowed me down. I still have some rib pain occasionally where the chest tubes were, but not intolerable. Good luck to you and be patient!

Kristan25 profile image
Kristan25

Hi Judy,

I had the lower right lobe removed on August 8, 2016. I was in the hospital for 17 day with an air leak, as well. I am approaching the 7 month mark and still have discomfort. If I recall correctly, at about 4 months it becomes tolerable. This surgery is definitely not for a sissy... You are fortunate to be stage 1, I am stage 3b. I have since gone through 12 rounds of chemo therapy and have had 15 of 23 radiation treatments. Good luck to you Judy!

in reply to Kristan25

Thank you Kristan! I guess what I'm experiencing is normal. That in itself brings some peace of mind.

I'm am very fortunate to be at stage one. Wishing you the very best with your treatment!

Denzie profile image
DenzieModeratorVolunteer

Was The removal done by standard thorachotomy or video aided thorachotomy (vats)? Either one can take several months to recover. During the course of the surgery nerves get cut and sometimes bones get broken.

My Vats surgery was to do a talc procedure but it was not successful and they wound up doing a pericardial window so I can't help there. Does the pain feel like you're wearing a bra several sizes too small? If yes that is nerve damage and Gabapentin helped me tremendously. Bone pain can can persist for several months.

Helenmcq51 profile image
Helenmcq51

Hi I had the middle and lower lobes of my right lung removed. I have had several surgeries over the years 2 c-sections, open heart triple bi-pass and none of them compare to the pain I experienced with this surgery. It's been a year and I can honestly say I have not had pain for 6-7 months. I had chemo and do have bone n joint pain from treatments. Good luck Helen

FtB_Peggy profile image
FtB_Peggy

Bless you and welcome!

uplockman profile image
uplockman

I had the talc procedure and it was extremely painful and I have had 20 surgeries and 22 broken bones at one time in an auto accident. Even though the procedure was very difficult, it was effective.

FtB_Peggy profile image
FtB_Peggy in reply to uplockman

My goodness, talk about a warrior. You are amazing!

uplockman profile image
uplockman

I don't know why I just attract health issues. 10 days ago I fractured my pelvis so the hits just keep on coming and I've outlived 2 spouses. I try to keep smiling and be optimistic for the most part. Of course, I hit some rough spots but short-lived. Thank you for the compliment. 😊

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