Pain after lobectomy (lung cancer) surgery: When will it go away?

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.

@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?

Hi Jill..I do understand your frustration. My pain really didn't subside until about 8 weeks, but remember it's going to take awhile before your healed. My biggest problem was lack of patience! Once I was assured that nothing had gone wrong with the surgery (that was my worry) everything seemed to get better. I did start meditation , calm for anxiety and it really helped. It's free on you tube. I'm happy to say I'm now 5 mos out from surgery. I can walk a mile and back to lady putters. I will keep you in my prayers.

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.

I am not scheduled for a Ct scan till a year after surgery.

Is a rib fracture a risk incurred DURING surgery? If so, how? Or after surgery? From coughing?

I think I did not have this type of rib pain til 2-3 weeks after surgery. However, I was on opioids till then.

Is there anything I should do? A broken rib cannot be treated, I think.

I would report the pain to your doctor. I would have it looked at to avoid any potential complications if it is broken or cracked.
Depending on how good (or bad) your bones are, one can break a rib in many ways, even just coughing.

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.

I am going for 3 and half years after my double lobectomy and I also used to ask the question, "when does it get better"? My Dr said that it should feel and get better (fully heal) within 2 years, BUT to be honest you just have to learn to live with the discomfort. Every day is different. Pain gets better but the discomfort will always be there. All we can do is be grateful that we got another chance at life and make the best of the situation. I know it sounds harsh, but that is all we can do. Be positive and believe that you will eventually feel better. Here I am doing gym and doing a lot of other activities and must say that I only started feeling better once I started being active again, like cooking, cleaning, driving (using the muscles). Just breath and believe. 😉

Hi.
I completely agree with you:
The sneezing and coughing killed me. I tried so hard to not sneeze or cough.
It was very hard, but I managed.