Lobectomy

[Jeanbeavers]

Hi my name is Jean. Thankyou for welcoming Me. I had an upper right lobectomy last November. Went for post op Check up in January this year. Doing well, but nerve paralysis. Is this permanent

[jillygirl]

Hi it should get back to normal but can take a few months .

Vitamin B6 is what they gave me. X

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hi Jean,

Welcome to the site and good to hear you are doing well after your surgery.Some people have damage to nerves during their operation. This can cause some pain which often runs along the operation scar. For most people it gradually reduces over a couple of years as the nerves repair themselves. But for some people it may continue for longer.

See the attached link. lung-cancer.emedtv.com/lobe...

Kind regards,

All the team at the Roy Castle Helpline

[Jeanbeavers in reply to RoyCastleHelpline]

Thankyou

[JanetteR57]

Firstly well done on your progress so far. Was your surgery done keyhole (VATS) or open surgery (thoracotomy)? Open has more scope for nerve disturbance and damage but not everyone is able to have the keyhole version as it depends on location of tumour. Just to reassure you that it will improve - I had left upper lobectomy in December 2010 (diagnosis January 2018) and it took a few months for some of the symptoms to improve despite general good progress. I got back to my normal quite quickly and resumed swimming which I was able to build up well despite still finding the stairs at home a struggle with breathing/breathlessness. The breathlessness continued for a while especially if I was carrying anything and walking or trying to speak at the same time as walking. That improved with time. Some things come and go (nerve pain being one) -sometimes I bend down suddenly and am winded in line with the scar but at the front under the ribs but generally the nerve pain reduces as the months/years progress. I don't do things that would involve extensive bending (gardening for example) and find swimming has stretched muscles out and helped no end.

Nerves are strange - like going to the dentist and having your teeth disturbed! Surgery moves nerves out of the way, cuts through muscle/bone so it does take time for them to repair/resolve themselves. I had a trapped nerve in June 2015 in my elbow affecting my dominant hand (writing/driving/picking up things etc) and the pain/effects were terribly debilitating (yet it was only one nerve (ulna) trapped but it runs from neck to little finger) and eventually had it surgically relocated. I still get twinges if I hold something for a long time so in a way am thankful for the sheer amount of nerves impacted from my major lung surgery, that it did improve for me. good luck.

[JanetteR57 in reply to JanetteR57]

typo - diagnosis January 2011!

[Hidden]

I had a right upper lobectomy open surgery in 2015 not wishing to be negative ,but I still experience nerve pain at times for which I take paracetamol or use heat or cold pads on bad days .I sort of manage it now and have got used to it .It generally occurs when I have been busy or if I am tired .I do exercise and stretch my right shoulder over my head to help matters .I hope all goes well for you, there are other analgesia that your doctor can prescribe ,personally I have chosen not to go down that road only because medications tend to have to have side effects . It takes time to accept the side effects from nerve damage and from the op itself let alone a cancer diagnosis .It's a lot to get your head around .Good luck and I wish you well for your future recovery.Diane

[Jeanbeavers]

Thankyou

[Daisy47]

Welcome Jeanbeavers. It’s 13 months since I had R upper lobe removal. I had a fractured rib during surgery. That was the only pain I felt as it felt worse than the operation site. No blame on surgeon as I had a bent rib from a fall years ago. It was a weak spot. Strange moving sensation under my skin from the op site creeping under my right breast and through my upper back area. That has gone now, rib gets achy but not crucial sometimes depending on what I am doing, like lifting, hoovering etc. Still it’s better than what we all had living in our lungs. I Hope all goes well for you.