Patti, My lobectomy was the upper right and was a Video assisted (VATS) procedure and you said your surgery was robotic. With respect to trauma to the body and recovery, I do not know if one procedure differs from the other. And also wonder if one particular lobe removed is more or less traumatic than another. I do know that one of my three incisions was much larger than the other two and hurt for a much longer period of time. I did have a shallow cough for a couple months and coughing hurts. But overall, recovery and pain is a slow and gradual process. I don't believe I will ever be my old self. This is my new normal. After two years I still have a tiny bit of chest discomfort when taking in a real deep breath and the nerves around the incisions are still tingling and a bit oversensitive. (But those now are totally overshadowed by the surgery I had on Monday. )
I do think I should have exercised more and kept my heart in shape. After a year, I seemed to be short of breath. And yes, I had less lung capacity, but cardiac testing showed my heart was fine but was in need of a better exercise routine. Hope this helps and best wishes to your continued recovery. . Thanks