Hi
I am 3 weeks on from my surgery.upper right lobectomy by robotic assisted method. Generally OK except a chest infection knocked me back for about 01 days. I wondered if anyone else has suffered from a persistent cough and also a persistent quite severe pain under my right breast.I take max Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, and Oromorph during the night to keep it manageable.
also how far are folk managing to walk by week -3 /4?
Many thanks
Hi, I had a similar lobectomy 7 weeks ago. I had a chest infection whilst in hospital for 6 days but it cleared after 3 days at home. I also had atrial fibrillation and had medication for that. After 3 weeks I found sleeping so difficult even with the medication. I told my GP who prescribed me some antidepressants (fluoxetine) to help me relax. The sleeping is generally much better now. I initially had a wedge pillow that helped but after a bit I changed to a pillow in the bed on my right hand side. This stopped me rolling over and I’ve been sleeping on my back or left side since. So sleeping does get easier but I found the anxiety rather overwhelming.
Walking. I went for 2-3 short, fairly brisk (for me) walks daily. After a week post op I could walk about 200-300 yards but became tired quickly. Now I can walk as far as I wish but have to take it easy and stop for breath going up hill and now and again.
Coughing. I was given Carbocisteine to help me cough. After 3 weeks or so I realised that food was just running straight through me, even though I was taking the Oromorph as prescribed. After taking advice I stopped the coughing medication. Coughing is worst in the morning but eases off in the day but can be very unpleasant. I wasn’t coughing before the op but now I seem to be permanently coughing. My chest seems very tight on the right hand side but is less painful than before. The surgeon said this tightness pain wasn’t the healing but nerve pain. I understand this takes time to improve and some of the numbness may always be there. I did think I might ask for some medication to reduce the huge discomfort but it’s now improving very slowly.
With the heat, I’m planning to stay in today and tomorrow and not overdo the exercise.
Well, I hope you’re feeling improved soon. It can be quite miserable for a bit but keep going and it will get easier. Be kind to yourself, rest when you need to and spoil yourself. Wishing you all the best xx💐
Many thanks for taking the time to reply it is helpful to hear other experiences
Hi Daisy, I had a upper right sleeve lobectomy last late December and with regards to the cough I used my inhaler (advised by the cancer support team) for a few days and the cough went. The sharp pain I had was just healing I was told and that also went. There is a good life waiting after surgery. Walking now has been so important to my recovery and we do lots of country walks, some days 25k. Take care
Siobhan
Many thanks Siobham really encouraging
HiI had open surgery a year and a half ago for lower right lobectomy and had terrible nerve pain afterwards which felt like hot needles. My GP prescribed codeine which didn't work and after speaking to my macmillan nurse at the hospital she advised GP to prescribe pregabalin, which worked. I was taking them for quite a while and it was a gradual process to come off them but apart from occasional "stabbing" sensations I am alot better now. With regards to walking I just gradually built up the distance but at 3 weeks I was only just walking for about 10/15 minutes at a time as far as I can remember. I hope this is of help and wish you well in your recovery.
Many thanks, really helpful
Hopefully you've been given medication for the infection? That's crucial to help recover some of the symptoms adding to the situation. I had open surgery in Dec 2010 and initially recovered well. However I have had severe chest infections on occasion since - between 2015 and 2019 was hospitalised annually - all turned out to be different types of infection and all eventually resolved with appropriate meds but some took longer to recover from than others... as you're already 'weaker' regarding lung health after your surgery, be patient. Even without the surgery, infections can impact breathing, coughing etc and the heat will only be making things worse. Keep hydrated - I usually find hot drinks better to relieve cough but know you're probably avoiding them in the heat but cold drinks tend not to have the same impact... I slept propped up with pillows after my surgery and always do so when I have a chest infection to stop too much mucous gathering on the chest that then requires extra coughing to expel it... there are plenty of hints and tips in this recovery booklet that may help. good luck on your recovery. roycastle.org/app/uploads/2...
Hello,
A persistent cough can be very annoying, and this cough could also be contributing to the pain you are experiencing. I would recommend that you get in touch with someone from your team such as your CNS or even your Gp, someone to examine and listen in to your chest, to check that there is no residual infection still there and ensure that the surgery is healing as expected.
After lung surgery sometimes pain can last for a longer time, this pain this type of pain can be nerve pain also known as neuropathic pain and typically runs along or near the site of the operation scar. For most people it gradually reduces over a period of time as the nerves repair themselves, for a few people this may continue for longer.
Sometimes this type of neuropathic pain can be difficult to get under control. It is very important to make your specialist nurse or surgeon aware that you are experiencing any type of pain.
Commonly used painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen don't always help nerve pain. But there are other medicines your doctor can prescribe. Some types of anti epileptic drugs and anti depressants work very well at controlling this type of pain.
If you would like to discuss anything you can email ask the nurse at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org or call our free phone nurse led helpline number on
0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600
Kind regards
The Roy Castle Support Team
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