Lung resection at 70: Anyone want to share their recovery experience?

Hi, I am 69 year old female and had left pneumonectomy in Dec 2026, per thoracotomy surgery. I am in good health.
I was very afraid going through the surgery. And worried about how my breathing would be and how I would be able to continue with activities I like to do.
Mine was more extensive due to mass location. I had an excellent surgeon so I felt I was in good hands.
I am now at post op #15 week and starting to feel good and glad I made the choice to do the surgery which was recommended by the tumor team.
Best wishes to you.

Welcome @spotteddog, it is great that you are doing so well, and that the nodule was identified early. Wishing you continued success in your recovery. Was your nodule identified through a lung screening program, or incidentally from some other ailment? How large was the nodule that led to the surgery?

@lls8000 thank you Lisa! The nodule was found incidentally when I went for a CAT scan for pain in my right side. ( which turned out to be a small hiatal hernia) I actually didn't qualify for lung screening. It was an 8mm nodule on the scan. The tumor that was removed was 3.1 cm. I have an upcoming appt with the oncologist but it appears that it may be egfr positive with exon 19 deletion. (I am definitely learning new things)

@spotteddog , It's good to hear that they ran the biomarker testing. There is a lot to learn, and it's going to feel overwhelming, but you'll get through it. Knowing what's driving the cancer, EGFR w/ exon 19 deletion, will help to know how to treat the cancer. Let us know how the oncology appointment goes, and what they recommend. Hugs.

Thank you!

Hi. I went through lung resection with 8 lymph nodes removed from my side. This was done with VATS. Im 64 y/o and I'm 3 wks postop. It has been traumatic for me, mostly because I'm a very active, busy person and resting, especially in the spring, is difficult. The surgery was straight forward. I was up and walking that day. I was inpatient for 2 days, until the chest tube stopped draining. After chest tube removal, I went home. The pain wasn't too bad, took pain med for a few days, then tylenol. The nodule did turn out to be cancer, but they got clean margins and all 8 lymph nodes were clear as well. I have several incisions along my side and back from lymph nodes. The chest tube was inserted under my breat and honestly, that is the most painful area. It's been difficult to get comfortable to sleep which is getting better now. The only really tough part is the nerve pain. For me none of the mods to address it are working. Anyway, it's good to share my experience!

@candyb61 I had a wedge resection 7 months ago. I too was 64 and very active. The nerve pain was the worst part! I also had a paralyzed muscle around the front of my rib cage. I took pregabalin for the nerve pain for several months. It really helped but it did make me quite drowsy and loopy so I had to limit my daytime dose. It really worked to help with sleep. Definitely recommend if your Doctor has not prescribed it yet.

Would like to share my experience . I'm 10 month post operative For EGFR positive . I had 3.5 sm tumor and had RLL Vats surgery. After 2 days inpatient , I was. discharged. Pain was mainly managed by scheduled Motrin's and Tylenol. Pain around upper abdomen was the most bothersome . It feels like a raw sunburn skin. Occasional Tylenol helped. Using warm/cold compress helped a lot. Your body tells you if you are doing too much. Continue with incentive spirometer to open up your lungs. I did develop mild pleural effusion which I still have trace in my lungs . Over all Surgery went very well. I went through 4 cycles of adjuvant treatment chemotherapy. Your team may want to start a target therapy (for 3 years) at the same time as chemo. I got mine mid cycle of the chemo treatment. Im doing much better now and tolerating target therapy with minimal S/E. I know this journey is a big change in your normal self. Embrace the new you and embrace life and those loved ones around you. Wish you all the best.

@azrosegold TX for your story. The nerve pain IS the worst. I first took gabapenting, which did nothing. Ive been taking prevailing for 3 wks now and it doesn't help or make me loopy, though I am sleeping about 10 hrs at night now that the incision sites are less painful. I also tried lidocaine patches and they didn't help either. So looking forward to painlessness from this! I'm curious how the paralyzed muscle in your rib cage affected you? How did you know it was paralyzed? By the way, I also had a crown knocked loose from incubation, went to dentist only to find the underlying tooth had cracked and he couldn't remove the crown which means extensive work and it's a front tooth which will now require an implant which costs thousands 🙁

@candyb61 the muscle was just like a big bulge on my left front ribcage. It just was annoying because it felt heavy and awkward like wearing a crossbody purse all the time! It has slowly improved as my nerves heal. I still have nerve pain every day that just pops in to say hello 😩. Another stupid issue is wearing a bra is still very uncomfortable! The Dr did tell me in advance so at least it wasn’t a surprise. I too tried lidocaine patches and cream but didn’t help. Unfortunately it just takes time for your nerves to heal.