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Lobectomy scheduled—What kind of home help will I need?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Mar 8 12:57pm | Replies (19)Comment receiving replies
I had left lower lobe removed 9 months ago. I’m pretty independent so my son and daughter in law brought me home, stopped at pharmacy to get scripts filled, waited until I finished putting on my PJs, put water and salty snacks on my bedside table - and left at my request. I had already made meals and had them in the freezer.
Before I left for surgery I had put a mattress Protector under my sheets (good thing - my chest tube hole oozed and it was black because they had used a dye to help the surgeon find the tumor) and put an old beach towel between me and the sheet for first might.
I had moved all drugs I thought I would need to Top drawer of my nightstand.
I slept a lot the first couple Of days. I sent a text to son / DIL every morning that I was still among the living, made coffee and a plopped into an armchair instead Of my bed.
I had a fridge filled with open and eat food like yogurt or chicken salad, so nothing strenuous.
I didn’t walk first day home but second day I showered and put on sweats and walked. Not far and not fast. I have an Apple Watch that detects if I should Fall so I didn’t feel I needed anyone to walk with me but use your judgment and don’t be a heroine. 🙂 I don’t take narcotics and didn’t Tolerate gabapentin so I basically had Tylenol and a bit. of ibuprofen. I felt the pain but it wasn’t intolerable.
Good luck - ask any other questions.
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@minnie528
I will add that I expected my arm on the side of my surgery impacted so Had shampoo and body wash in my easiest squeeze bottles. I had food packaged on the freezer so I could open it with one hand. NOT NECESSARY - no impact whatsoever. And no trouble with showering or dressing.
I did have home health come - every couple of days for a week. I needed a doctors order before I left hospital and Medicare approved. . I needed it to change my bandage where the chest tube hole was and check for infection. It was just on the Back edge of my side and hard to reach. I had to figure out how to lay a gauze pad on the counter with tape facing up, dry off the wound and then quickly slap on the new bandage. I gather that my drainage amount was unusual but I’d still have bandaids and some gauze pads and tape available - just in case.
Home health also sent an occupational therapist to show me some basic stretching with an elastic band he fashioned to hang from top of door. That was really helpful.
The doc will assume that if you have family nearby then you’re good. But the idea that I was going to hold my breast out of the way to let my son change my bandage was a non starter. So I sat down in the hospital on discharge day and said I wouldn’t leave until I had a case manager. Then everything went well after that. In all likelihood you won’t have that drainage issue.