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Pain after lobectomy (lung cancer) surgery: When will it go away?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: May 29 1:58pm | Replies (139)Comment receiving replies
I had an upper left robotic lobectomy 5 weeks ago. Although I am very mobile, I still have pain, mainly in my back and around one of my ribs on the left side (where the scar from removing the lung is). The pain is particularly bad when I sneeze and it hurts when I press on that rib. In fact, it feels like I have a broken rib. Is this possible? I am also noticeably swollen in that area. It is still too painful to sleep on my left side.
Should I just hope that it goes away? I mentioned the pain to my surgeon and he just said that it will go in time, but he did not examine me.
Replies to "I had an upper left robotic lobectomy 5 weeks ago. Although I am very mobile, I..."
Have you had a CT scan since surgery? That should show any new fractures. It is possible to have a rib fracture. That is one of the risks.
It is very possible you have a cracked rib. I had a double lobectomy, and one night I coughed and it took me down ending up in the emergency room. Upon further review of all of my scans, ribs 5 and 7 were initially cracked during removal of my left lobe. Scans showed the crack, which never completely healed. When they performed the lobectomy, they removed the muscle between my ribs. When the remaining lobe started to expand, it went between my ribs and consequently broke my rib. When the rib healed, it heal in and overlap situation. Now, I cant sit in a chair without the rib "sticking" out my back against the chair.
@jill7517 , I also understand your frustration. My pain also lasted more than 5 weeks. It got a bit better, but it was still enough to interfere with sleep. It's natural and will go away with time. Although it's possible that you have a broken rib, your surgeon is the expert on this subject. If he's not worried, you shouldn't be either. Believe me, I understand it's easier to know that than to feel it.
As a side note, OMG, the sneezing! I remember the nurses telling me that coughing would hurt. They told me to squeeze a pillow against my chest, and it would still hurt. But they didn't warn me about the sneezing! It seemed like that was even worse than coughing. Sometimes, if you press your finger at the point where your nose meets your cheek, you can suppress the sneeze long enough that the feeling goes away.
Hang in there. Binge your favorite TV show, eat ice cream, and give yourself permission to be a bum. After what you've been through, you deserve it. I wish you all the best. Keep us informed about your recovery.
Hi Jill,
I had robotic lung surgery 8 weeks ago and I totally understand what you're saying. I was concerned that I may have had a rib fracture too but I didn't. The nerves in the rib area have been severely jangled and that takes time to heal. I feel so much better today than I did at 5 weeks but I still have discomfort but not pain. It gets better but slowly. Use lots of pillows to be comfortable in bed and rest but also walk - keep moving. I can walk at my pre-surgery pace now but I sure couldn't at 5 weeks. My breathing is definitely different than pre-surgery but it's fine. You'll get there!
Take good care and know that it will get so much better.
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@jill7517, I added your question to this existing discussion where @allstaff asked a similar question:
- Pain after lobectomy (lung cancer) surgery: When will it go away? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pain-after-lobectomy-2-mos-post-surgery/
In this discussion you'll also meet members like @pb50 @vic83 @aprilradek and more, who may have some helpful tips for those early weeks.
Jill, five weeks is still relatively recent in surgical terms. Did your surgeon give you any tips to help reduce the swelling?