Lung surgery

[lilwil]

I've been advised to have my lower left lobe removed because I have 3 tumours there. I'm a bit apprehensive about having the operation. Has anyone else had this op?

Any advice appreciated,

Lilian

[jillygirl]

Hello there lilwil, Please dont worry too much about your operation. I had a Pneumonectomy (whole lung) removed 2 years ago and no problems , except a little out of breath. Have a chat to your Lung cancer nurse specialist for any questions you need answering. If you havent got a Lung cancer nurse ask if there is one. You can also get information from the Roy Castle lung foundation too.

Stay strong you will be fine.

[lilwil in reply to jillygirl]

Hello Jilly. I do have a lung cancer nurse and I'm due to see my oncologist in 2 weeks. I just thought I would get some info from brave people like you before I go armed with all my questions!

Many thanks, Lilian x

[Sheeni27 in reply to jillygirl]

Wishing you well with what ever decision you make, please keep posting and let us know what u decidex

[lilwil in reply to Sheeni27]

Many thanks for your good wishes Sheeni x

[Jules-55]

Hi Lillian, there wil be such a lot of questions you will want answered over the next few weeks, its a huge rollercoaster with appointments, scans ect. I had the middle and lower lobe of my right lung removed 7 months ago, its been a long road to recovery but im now back at work and feeling fine ! Good luck with whatever you decide and keep us posted. Julie x

[lilwil in reply to Jules-55]

Many thanks to you too Jules! x

[palooka]

Hi Lillian, you don't give any other details other than you are having surgery. However surgery is one of the best chances of a cure. I had an upper Lobectomy of my left lung which was 26 years ago.

Good luck

[lilwil in reply to palooka]

I was diagnosed 5 years ago and since then have had lots of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which has kept it at bay. I have recently had lung ablation on 2 tumours in my right lung which was successful. I have 3 tumours in my left lung which are too near other vessels to be safely ablated so I've been given the option of surgery. Otherwise it's more chemo or radiotherapy. I'm spoilt for choice! x

[Hidden]

Hi Lilian, there are quite a few of us on this site who have had surgery and it can affect us in slightly different ways. You can read some of our posts and see how we have all coped with various effects of our ops. A couple of things I would say is to make sure to exercise as much as you can,mainly walking, and eat as healthily as possible both before and certainly after the lobectomy. Lorraine or Beth will also probably give you a link to some useful information on the Roy Castle site.

Good Luck with everything.

Rab

[lilwil in reply to Hidden]

I agree with you about exercising as much as possible. Unfortunately, my arthritis does hinder me at times but I get out and about as often as I can.

Many thanks for your good wishes x

[littlenanny]

All the best whatever you decide but like Palooka said surgery is one of the best chances of a cure.

all the best xx

[lilwil in reply to littlenanny]

Thanks for your good wishes. Everyone has been so kind. x

[searsop]

I had surgery 2 yrs ago this Jan upper Left lung lobe removed I was advised by my surgeon this was the best option and so far so good.I still get some pain from the surgery but nothing I cant cope with .I am able to do most things walk as far as I want and lead a pretty normal life.You do get tired quickly at first but your body soon adapts.Only in hospital 10 days a slow recovery at first and chemo made me ill but once that was over picked up ok.

Best of luck which ever way you choose,

Regards Phil

[lilwil in reply to searsop]

Thanks for your reply Phil. I am feeling more positive about surgery after hearing all your stories. x

[searsop in reply to lilwil]

Good pleased to hear that,its not easy to be positive no matter what anyone else says so my thinking was the sooner its done the better so you can start moving forward.

I wish you all the very best (keep marching into the bullets} you will win out Ime sure

Phil

[miele]

Hi lilwill,

I had my right upper lobe removed 3 1/2 years ago. My surgeon used the visually assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) procedure. It's a minimally invasive procedure where small incisions are made between the rib spaces instead of opening the entire chest. You might ask your surgeon if this procedure could work for you. The recovery is easier and faster. I was up and around fairly quickly after the surgery, but it took several months for my stamina to come back. My lung capacity it the same now as before the surgery, I guess losing one lobe doesn't affect that too much. I tire a little more easily now than I did before, but all things considered it was a good outcome. I wish the same for you!

[goldiemc in reply to miele]

HI,

Where did you have the VATS procedure? Who was your doctor? I am looking for an experienced surgeon for a lobectomy.

[Hidden in reply to miele]

I am about to see surgeon for keyhole forgot to ask oncologist what type and stage I am at. I think it's stage one as its 2.5 never been so scared in my life shaking with fear ..I have a handicapped daughter to look after how am I gonna manage is anyone else just had that keyhole done...

[lilwil]

Thanks for the info about the VATS procedure. I will add that to my list of questions when I see my oncologist. I will let you all know what I decide.

Again, many thanks to you all x

[LorraineD Partner Roy Castle]

Hello Lilwil

Lots of good ideas and support from the community. Surgery is a prospect that can feel quite scary. Maintaining your fitness but also pacing yourself and recognising recovery from surgery does take time.

We do have a booklet on surgery which you can order from us, either from the website roycastle.org; emailing [e-mail] or give us a call on our Freephone helpline 0333 323 7200 option 2.

best wishes

Lorraine

on behalf of the Information & Support team

[lilwil in reply to LorraineD]

hi Lorraine,

I did order the lung surgery booklet and it has just arrived. I will have a good read of it this afternoon.

Many thanks for your help,

Lilian x

[ericbyrne]

Hi Lilian,

I had a upper right lobectomy in January 27th 2008,so its just about my seventh anniversary.I did worry that the surgery would be unbearably painful and leave me a breathless invalid,these fears and others I am sure filled my brain,I have such a vivid imagination LOL.However,nothing of my fears came even close to becoming a reality,I really sailed through the whole procedure,as I am sure you will.

Best Wishes,

Eric.

[lilwil in reply to ericbyrne]

Eric you have all certainly made me feel much more positive about having surgery. My imagination is not quite as vivid as it was before!

Many thanks for your reply,

Lilian x

[elja]

Hi! I've just seen your post as I haven't been on the site for a while. I had my lower left lobe removed in May 2011. Obviously, it's a major operation and takes a while to recover from but I was well on my way 8 weeks afterwards. My breathing was a bit worse than before but not very bad. I was a bit unlucky as they found anther tumour in the upper left lobe and I had that removed in Aug 2011. With only one lung, my breathing is a real problem now but, if your experience is anything like mine, you should recover well from the lobectomy as you won't have lost all that much lung volume. I needed no chemo or radiotherapy and, as far as anyone knows, am still cancer-free.I wish you all the best - those of us who can have surgery are the lucky ones.

[lilwil]

Thank you so much for telling me your story Elja. I saw my oncologist last Friday

and am now waiting for a pet scan. If that doesn't show any other tumours, I'll go ahead with the surgery. I have been concerned about my breathing afterwards because I had a lot of radiotherapy 5 years ago on my right lung which caused a lot of scarring. I also had 2 tumours ablated last October in the same lung. Consequently, the right lung capacity is only about half of what it should be.

However, I'm feeling more positive now, particularly after all the support I've had from everyone, so hopefully all will go well.

Best wishes, Lilian