I had right lung lower lobe segmentectomy three weeks ago and have been experiencing excruciating pain from muscle spasms. This usually happens if I've slept for longer than 3 hours either propped up with pillows in sitting position or on my left side. I'm woken with a tight, gripping feeling and regardless of doing gentle movement and stretches before attempting to move, intense, repetitive spasms start when I try to get up or immediately after I have stood up. The longest time this has lasted is 40 minutes, with spasms and shooting pains around the front, side and back of my rib cage as well as shooting pains in my chest area. The pain was excruciating. I had to walk around doubled up rubbing and holding/applying pressure to my side. After much trial and error I am managing this now by taking 5ml oxycodone at 10.00pm before bed, getting up at 1.00 am, doing pacing, stretching, side to side waist movements etc to loosen up my right side and then taking another 10 ml oxycodone at 2.30-3.00 before going back to bed. The problem is that this doesn't allow for any quality sleep and I feel fatigued and exhausted. If anyone else has been through this it would be really helpful to know what you did to manage it and how long after the operation it stopped happening.
VATS Segmentoctomy - Post op nerve pa... - The Roy Castle Lu...
VATS Segmentoctomy - Post op nerve pain and muscle spasms
Dear Trace2025
Sorry to hear of your ongoing painful muscle spasms, and for some people this can be quite common after lung surgery and sometimes there can be a degree of nerve pain.
It sounds exhausting trying to manage the pain and get a good night sleep. It may be worth having your pain reassessed and there may be something else they can give you to relax the muscles prior to sleep that will cover you through the night, perhaps contact your GP or you could ask your local pharmacist for advice. There are other medications available that may be able to help you, so although this can be normal it is not something that you have to tolerate without help.
It is different for everyone, but symptoms can resolve from 4-6 weeks up to a few months. This link is for our surgery booklet and provides information on what to expect in recovery and timelines to recovery: roycastle.org/app/uploads/2...
Your lung cancer nurse may be able to refer you to the pain management team if nothing is having a good response for you.
We offer one to one phone support or online support groups through zoom, you can view and register for these through this link: roycastle.org/help-and-supp... or you can email our support coordinator Ellen Knapp at ellen.knapp@roycastle.org
You are welcome to contact our ask the nurse service, our helpline number is 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600, alternatively you can email us at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org
I hope you feel better soon and manage to get some sleep.
Kind regards
Ask the nurse support team
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
my husband is going through the same problem but he’s getting a better nights sleep taking GABAPENTIN 300mg at night .
During the day codine 15mg every 4/6 hours tor pain relief. Now awaiting ablation.hope this helps going forward.
Hi Trace2025I've had exactly the same op as yourself 3 weeks ago.
Although I can't offer any solutions,I can sympathise and let you know that you're not alone as I'm suffering exactly the same as yourself. Sleeping is definitely a struggle, what I have been told is that it does get better and 3 weeks is not that long ago and we just have to let our body heal, not that easy for someone like myself who likes their sleep.
Hang in we will get there
Sorry to read of your pain following lung surgery. I had open surgery (thoracotomy) for my upper left lobe in Dec 2010 before keyhole/minimally invasive surgery was available. I came off pain meds too quickly - having had a bad reaction to morphine immediately post surgery that was switched out for diclofenac and another I think co-codamol but I feared I may become addiction so reduced the dose as soon as I came home. I found sleeping propped up with pillows on my back was the most comfortable for me despite previously being a side sleeper - usually left side but that was impossible at the time. Nerves are disturbed during surgery and then often we adjust our posture inadvertently impacting other internal nerves/muscles/structures - just as if we have a limp we start walking awkwardly often affecting the other side. Have you reported your pain to your surgeon or secretary? When I had my stitches out and later when my wound started to open up at its base and I visited the practice nurse she helpfully explained the need for 2 different family of painkillers to be used - and stronger just after surgery tapering down the strength as the healing process took place which is also going on internally not just the external wound we see. She explained that many painkillers are long lasting but also need to be in the bloodstream all the time then these should be supplemented by another painkiller from a different 'family' to avoid overdose of any single agent that would be more short acting to ride the peaks and troughs of pain as she described it to manage the pain when it is 'middling' rather than getting to excruciating when pain relief is much harder to achieve. I explained about the constipation I'd experienced on discharge from hospital and that pain was worse than the surgical pain and I didn't want to experience that again (was taking lactulose at that point) and she said nobody needs to be a hero after such surgery. It's not a sign of weakness, addiction is rare and short term pain relief is a necessity - her words reframed my mindset a lot. I recovered well and think at the moment if you're only a few weeks out, I'd ask for advice from the surgical team and nurse on what painkillers may be best for you, taking into consideration any other conditions/medications you may be taking.
Are you keeping mobile or are you sitting/lying around after your op? My surgeon told me the best thing I could do for my recovery was to keep moving and the more I did so, the better for my lung's redevelopment it would be - not vigorous exercise or marathon running etc but walking was suggested. I started as soon as I came home - around the house, then down to the post box gradually increasing what had started out as painful/difficult each day to improve. It will get better .... the booklet recommended by Roy Castle lung cancer foundation was initially developed by the surgical centre where my surgeon worked and adopted by the charity and regularly updated with input from clinicians and patients. it has many hints and tips as well as expected recovery milestones. hope your clinical team can suggest something suitable to improve your situation. good luck with your continued recovery.
Thanks for the replies, I've found them really helpful and it's reassuring to know that I'm not alone with experiencing this. JanetteR57 I spoke to my GP about the excruciating pain from prolonged spasms and she prescribed diazepam (muscle relaxer) to take before bed and during the night. The good news is that I haven't experienced severe spasms for a few nights now so I've reverted to taking 10ml oxycodone at 10pm before bed and another 10ml in the night when I get up for two hours. I'm still getting up after 3 hours sleep with my right side feeling stiff and achy and the odd shooting pain but that's manageable. In the day I take 5ml oxycodone every 5-6 hours. I've been doing gentle exercise, stretches, twists several times every day and night and have also tried to get a reasonable amount of steps in each day (I'm averaging 3,000 -4,000 a day). I am also taking 10ml of milk of magnesia (two hours after my morning dose of oxycodone) to prevent constipation. In the day time I find that a couple of hours before my next dose of oxycodone, I get pain around right rib cage and chest. It's a constant dull ache as though I've been wacked repeatedly with a heavy tool, with the odd shooting pain. The chest area also feels tender/sore but when I actually touch it, it's mostly numb still. It's also painful in lower ribcage if I need to cough or yawn and I find myself trying to stifle both. Then for 2-3 hours after taking the pain relief, the pain goes and I can cough and yawn without any issue. My concern now is how long it will take for everything inside to repair. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer and my logic is that once I can sleep on my right side, I'll be able to move about in bed and get a proper night's sleep without any pain relief. At the moment I have to try and get through to my doctor to request more pain relief each week. On Thursday Feb 20th, it will be four weeks since my operation. It would be good to know how long others needed to take pain relief and when it had eased enough to sleep on either side in bed. Thanks
My op will be like yourself 4 weeks on Thursday 20th, have to say it hasn't been easy and like yourself I'm suffering bad bruising underneath my breast , rib and slightly into my stomach area, still feeling quite sore and uncomfortable. The tightness like yourself is worse at night when I am in one position for any length of time for that I take 300mg of Gabepentin with 2 paracetamol about an hour before bed, then another if needed if I wake early morning. This week have found that I can lie down slightly, but am still very sore and stiff under my breast area when waking, but someone did tell me it seems to be worse if lymph nodes were removed and mine were. Daytime I take paracetamol and naproxen. I have been prescribed Tramadol, but I'm yet to try as opiates don't agree with me. Heat pads have been a god send, that and a hot shower.
I think the worst thing for me is that people now think I should be getting better after 4 weeks so I'm trying to do more than I'm capable of
Hi Jaz_123 thanks for your reply and sharing what helps you. Its really hard when family, friends and colleagues expect recovery to be much further along. Im experiencing the same with some sending weekly messages, 'hope you're feeling much better now ....' etc. The truth of it is that I feel pretty rubbish most of the time with glimmers of being pain free and having energy in the initial hours after taking my night time 10ml oxycodone. Apart from that I'm totally lacking in energy. I push myself to do gentle exercise and walks etc , but it's a real effort and I have waves of fatigue where I have to close my eyes for an hour. It's a lot to deal with and very frustrating. The hospital gave me a six week sick note and with two weeks left I'm really hoping that I'll turn a corner and feel better. Yesterday I took paracetamol in the morning instead of 5ml oxycodone, and have done the same today. It's harder to deal with the pain but it's another step in the right direction I guess.
My operation was on my right lung and I've been able to sleep on my left side for a couple of weeks now with a pillow between my legs and under my right arm. Maybe this is something that you could try?
Hi Trace2025 like you I'm suffering from fatigue which is awful, some days are worse than others, I've been told that's to be expected after major surgery it's frustrating as I was always active beforehand, I also have had the surgery on my right lower lung. Don't be afraid to ask for another sick note , as 6 weeks is definitely not long enough to be back at work after major surgery.
I have been sleeping on my back, I find it I sleep on my left side it pulls on my right side and still find it very sensitive if I lean on that side,even with a pillow between my legs
I went out today so did take a Tramadol tablet, just so I could sit comfortably on someone else's settee which did help pain wise.
I do get fed up with the same sentence and "how are you feeling today" I've stopped answering or I've been a bit sarcastic and gone into a long drawn out ins and outs of how I really feel,which seems to have stopped it 😂. I know it's difficult for people to understand and they trying to be kind, but when you're in pain it just agitates
Two and a half weeks post upper right lobectomy.
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Bottom Lobe of Right Lung Removed.
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