Facing Surgery

Attanasio
Attanasio Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
I have tumor in my upper right lobe which is 3-3b stage,recently finished with chemo and radiation I'm now facing resection. I would love to hear from any one who has had this type of surgery, to be honest I'm a little scared on the after effects of surgery. Mostly I have read about rib pain, I will have three removed, my questions or concerns center around how physically debilitating this type of surgery is to everyday life. What can be expected any feedback would greatly be appreciated. From Anyone.......

Comments

  • Holly3
    Holly3 Member Posts: 23
    #2
    Hi
    Just letting you know that my Dad had surgery in Jan, to take out his upper right lobe. He had quite a bit of pain afterwards, i think they put him on morphine for a couple of days, but then he was only in hospital for 5 days. He was walking around and didn't have to take home any oxygen.
    Apart from being sore and drowsy after surgery, and having a cough, he has recovered so well. He joined the gym a few months after to regain some strength. Has no problems with it now.I asked him the other day if he got any pain at all now from it and he said no not at all. His breathing is also fine.
    Hope it helped a little,
    Holly.
  • reinstones1
    reinstones1 Member Posts: 92
    #3
    You should read Plymouthean's story. . . you can read it by doing a search for his webpage in the "SEARCH" window above. He's a member of our board here, and also had chemo, radiation and surgery. He's now cancer free. He's an inspiration to many of us here, and I would think you'd find his story very uplifting right now. Good luck to you as you prepare for surgery.
  • Plymouthean
    Plymouthean Member Posts: 262
    #4
    Speaking of the Devil.....Here he is.
    Your case sounds much like mine. I was NSCLC, Stage 3a. I had quite a large tumor on my upper right lobe. It was reduced by chemo/radiation, and removed surgically. I spent a total of ten days in the hospital, - mostly in intensive care. That's probably more than you will go through. I had expressed anxiety (unfounded)about being on a respirator, so the doctor kept me "out" for two days. I have heart problems, which necessitated a more cautious approach. So I spent longer than most in the hospital.
    Post surgery, the most important thing to do, is breathing exercises, and walking, as soon as possible. You will be given instructions about both. My advice... stick to them religiously.
    My recovery started slowly, but within four months, I was partying (literally!) in Las Vegas. FYI, I was 67 at the time of my surgery, so, assuming you are younger, you should be just fine.
    Best wishes and prayers to you. Please keep us posted.
  • MadelynJoe
    MadelynJoe Member Posts: 96
    #5
    Dear Attan:

    I had surgery for NSCLC Stage 1A in June 2005. I am now 18 months cancer free. I would urge you to seek out a surgeon that does the minimally invasive surgery which uses a small incision and requires no broken ribs. I had a lower right lobectomy utilizing this method. I think you will be happier with this surgery and have a much shorter recovery time.

    Best regards, Madelyn
  • mftrees
    mftrees Member Posts: 1
    #6
    A YEAR AGO NOV. 2 I HAD MY LEFT LUNG REMOVED DUE TO CANCER AT THE TOP OF THE LUNG . I FLEW THROUGH THE SURGERY WITH NO PROBLEMS AT ALL AND WAS BACK TO WORK DEC.20TH . I WORK FOR HOME DEPOT AND MANAGE THERE GARDEN CENTER . I DO A LOT OF CLIMBING OF LATTERS AND WALK A LOT OF MILES ONE A DAY . I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND TELL YOU THAT YOU'LL HAVE NO PROBLEM BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR ME BUT I'M DOING FINE . MY ENERGY LEVEL IS NOT WHAT IT USE TO BE AFTER TAKING FOUR SESSIONS OF CHEMO ,THAT BUST MY BUBBLE FOR A WHILE BUT I'M GETTING IT BACK .IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A LITTLE MORE THAN I HAVE . THEY DID MY SURGERY FIRST THEN THE CHEMO . I FOUND OUT ON A FRIDAY THAT I HAD CANCER AND THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY THEY WERE DOING SURGERY ON ME .TO ME IT WAS MY FRAME OF MIND THAT GOT ME THROUGH THIS AND A LOT OF GOOD FRIENDS SUPPORTING ME . I WISH YOU ALL THE LUCK AND HOPE YOU MAKE IT THROUGH THIS LIKE I DID . ALL YOU CAN DO IS TAKE IT IN STRIDE AND DEAL WITH IT
    GOOD LUCK ,
    MIKE FARIES
  • CHG
    CHG Member Posts: 34
    #7
    I had surgery for stage 3A lung cancer. I had chemo and radiation for 6 weeks before surgery. I had an upper right lobectomy. My surgeon removed 20 lymph nodes and one rib bone. All tested negative for cancer. I had two sessions of chemo after my surgery. The purpose for that is to attack and kill any microscopic cancer cells if any are present. I was very sore for the first week. I took pain pills and did walk and rest and used that spirometer that they gave me. About the third week I was still sore but felt pretty much like my old self. I did not have any problems with breathing. The surgery is not great fun but it is doable. My surgery was the first of July 2005. At the end of August I was back at work teaching high school. All of my scans and xrays show that I am cancer free. I am very grateful that I was able to have surgery.
    Carol

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