Question about RFA to the lung/ pain

Lawlak
Lawlak Member Posts: 21
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hello everyone,

I know that I have seen several post concerning RFA to the lung for metastatic colorectal cancer but I can not find the post now. To much chemo the last five years I guess. Anyway, I had a tumor in my right lung hilar region that was hit with RFA yesterday and I am surprised at the amount of pain today. I had a small leak yesterday but it has sealed today. I should have known that cutting a hole in the chest wall and using a probe to burn the tumor would cause some post procedural pain but I was not prepared for this amount of pain.

I would appreciate any information from those that have had the procedure and how much pain it caused. We are set to travel from Tennessee to New Mexico in the morning via air and I am not looking forward to it at all!

Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and thank you for any information that you can share.

Tony

Comments

  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #2
    I Wish
    I wish I had the answer for this Tony, I never had RFA, and wish they would do it for me, I'm at Stage 4 and inoperable as well.

    But am very familiar with post-op pain, since I've had like 6 operations this year, do you have any good pain killers prescribed to you? no matter what you get, you will feel a bit of pain anyway, but I had Percocets at first, which worked great, but my onc took me off of them because there's tylenol in them, which is bad for the liver, I can't take any Tylenol which is ok for me, Motrin work great as well, I'm on Oxycotins, for the long-lasting pain killers, and take 2 Oxycodens, 15 mg each for breakthrough, which this combo works well for me.

    Walking and even laying with a small pillow on my stomach sure did relieve the pressure you use with your stomach muscles as well, holding the pillow to your belly helps, you know when you laugh how it hurts?? well, before you laugh, put the pillow to your belly, it will relieve it too! heehee!

    Do you have a wound vac?

    Hope I helped alittle!

    Hugsss and Have a good holiday!!!
    ~Donna
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #3
    Hi Tony
    I had an RFA done to my lower lobe of my right lung last Tuesday, Dec 15th and I didn't experience a lot of pain. I didn't even spend the night in the hospital! I felt at times like I was punched real hard but this is nothing at all like undergoing lung surgery. I do take oxycodone (sp) and it takes the edge off things. I did not have any issues with leaks either. I also had a RFA done in Sept of 07 and had good results with that. With the RFA, all I had was a pinhole in my back from where the needle went in, it was covered by a bandaid. I do still feel some mild pain that is different than my usual pains.

    I hope you feel better. You did have a procedure so it could take a week or so to feel like your normal.
    A very Merry Christmas to you too
    -phil
  • Lawlak
    Lawlak Member Posts: 21
    #4
    PhillieG said:

    Hi Tony
    I had an RFA done to my lower lobe of my right lung last Tuesday, Dec 15th and I didn't experience a lot of pain. I didn't even spend the night in the hospital! I felt at times like I was punched real hard but this is nothing at all like undergoing lung surgery. I do take oxycodone (sp) and it takes the edge off things. I did not have any issues with leaks either. I also had a RFA done in Sept of 07 and had good results with that. With the RFA, all I had was a pinhole in my back from where the needle went in, it was covered by a bandaid. I do still feel some mild pain that is different than my usual pains.

    I hope you feel better. You did have a procedure so it could take a week or so to feel like your normal.
    A very Merry Christmas to you too
    -phil

    Hey Phil,
    Thanks for your
    Hey Phil,

    Thanks for your reply. It has been tough the past week but I am getting better. I am trying to work away from the pain meds and it has been slow going. Because I had so many problems the docs took a lot of scans and all the scans seem to indicate that the tumor may be done for but as you know were really will find out in 3 months. I would go through it again in a second if that cancer is dead, I promise that.

    Tony

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