breathing

topaz1947

i had my surgery in march some complications but am generally a lot stronger am concerned about getting short of breath whe walking very far and especially when bending over any info will be appreciated i know this sounds minor to many of you and i pray for you every day god blessed me with an earlt diagnosis dont know yet if i will have to have chemo

Donna70

get checked pulmonary function test
Hi Topaz,
The recovery is slow if you had Ivor Lewis. It took me 7 months from surgery. I just wanted to reply about shortness of breath. I had a lot and got worse so my drs sent me to a lung specialist and it was found that my breathing capacity had decreased by 20% but that I also had asthma, bronchiectasis and COPD. This was found on CT scans and also had some pneumonia, this all occurred about 5 months after surgery and what was thought to be normal recovery problems turned out to be permanent damage from radiation and surgery. This might not be the case but if your SOB continues it should be looked into. The good people on this site encouraged me to hound my drs till I got an answer about my breathing issues and now on inhalers and doing much better. It might not be your problem but if you are having a lot of trouble, I could not walk but a few steps, then get it checked. Welcome to the board and so glad you had an early diagnosis. Any questions are welcomed here, that is what makes this an excellent place. take care,
Donna70

BMGky

DONNA70 is correct
She helped us so much following my husband's surgery (Ivor Lewis) and his breathing problems. Before surgery, lungs great. After surgery, he could not walk from bedroom to kitchen without being winded. Seemingly, his lung capacity is rebounding one year post op. Doctors said it just takes time. Now, he didn't experience the severe problems that Donna70 did but similar on a smaller scale. Her encouragement helped him. See what your doctor says, and if it is okay to try to walk short distances, try daily and this will help your lung capacity. We started walking in the house. The treatment really puts your lungs to the test. He also had tremendous back rib and lung pain that has since dissipated. Tell your doctor and see what he says. You might want to keep a log if you notice your breathing is either getting worse or is not improving and recording the symptoms you are experiencing. This may help the doctor figure out if anything unusual is going on. Good luck to you.

paul61

I would investigate with your surgeon during follow up visit
Topaz,

If I remember correctly your surgery was March 28th, so not that long ago. I had IL surgery and I had some shortness of breath for about 4 months after my surgery. I tried to walk every day starting out with short walks and increasing my distance when I felt I could. Some days seemed to be better than others but in general things seemed to get much better after about four months.

I found that my shortness of breath was more pronounced shortly after I had eaten. I found that if I avoided activities for about a half hour after eating a meal it seemed to help.

I would also discuss this with your surgeon during your follow up visit. This early your surgeon may suggest that you give it some additional time, but if things do not get better within the next few weeks I would suggest you go back and demand a consultation with physician that specializes in these issues. As Donna points out, sometimes you need to be aggressive about insuring your recovery issues get appropriate attention and treatment.

I am glad you are doing well otherwise, and hope you will be breathing better soon.


Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!