Broken Rib

Yes I have. My latest lobectomy 7 months ago resulted in broken ribs and other problems eg blood clot in lung etc which saw me back in surgery 2 days later then back to ICU. My ribcage is still healing and causing discomfort but it is healing thank goodness , just taking time to do so.

That’s terrible what happened to you after surgery, you must have suffered a lot from that along with the surgery pain. I didn’t have any broken ribs from the lobectomy but my lung was slow to heal so I was sent home with the tube they inserted in my chest after surgery, it took a month for them to pull it out, I felt so much better afterwards because that tube was painful inside my chest, I guess we’re tougher than we thought.

In reply to frouke, you too have been thru the wringer but as you say we are all stronger than we give ourselves credit for, it's amazing what our bodies can endure, ha our minds are another matter!! Seriously tho those of you facing any surgery and are scared, which is normal, don't worry about complications happening to you when you read of it happening to others as we are a very small minority of huge numbers of surgeries being done. Stay confident

I had a fractured rib after my lobectomy in September. I’ve also been dealing with a persistent small pneumothorax. My rib healed fine and the biggest issue with my pneumothorax is not being able to fly and concern about going to high altitudes. My hope is that it resolves itself on its own soon. My surgery was more difficult due to crystallized lymph nodes (non-cancerous) and I had to have an open thoracotomy rather than VATS. On the positive side, other than some annoying sporadic aches and pains, my breathing is good and I can do everything I used to do with no limits physically..

I had a fractured rib after my second VATS surgery. It was painful but having the cancer removed made it better! After almost two years now from the surgeries and finally the chest discomfort is almost gone. My next CT scan is next week: keeping my fingers crossed! I wish you many more “clean” scans!