← Return to Pain after robotic assisted lobectomy: How long does it last?
DiscussionPain after robotic assisted lobectomy: How long does it last?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Aug 29 10:37pm | Replies (97)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I am due to have minimally invasive surgery in the 24th. I am having a segmentectomy..."
Hi. I had VAT lobectomy 2019 and a VAT wedge resection in 2021. I think your Segmentectomy takes more lung than wedge resection but less than a whole lobe.
Anyway, my lobectomy was overall a bit more painful. For both surgeries, the first day I was up and walking but very painful. Pain was less each day but then around day five, six, and seven it was worse and then improved gradually for the next many months. I was taking the max of Oxycodein, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen for the first few days and off the oxy in a week or so and off all pain meds in two weeks. Was back to most normal activities in 6 to 8 weeks. I still have a tiny bit of discomfort when taking a deep breath and some chest wall nerves are still tingly. Walk and exercise as much as your doctor allows and are able. I was too inactive for too long and had shortness of breath. In my opinion this had more to do with me being out of shape, than loss of lung function.
I hope this goes well for you and they can prescribe agreeable pain medications.
Good luck.
@cmcguire10, it's only been a couple of days since your surgery, but I thought I'd drop a note to let you know I was thinking about you. I look forward to getting your update when you're able.
I quit the opioids almost immediately as it made me throw up and groggy. The nurses thought I should continue to take them to 'stay ahead of the pain'. I told me I could endure the pain easier than how I felt after taking the opioids. My surgery was on left lower lung. I was up and walking very soon - the next day. Moving is extremely important. I had a nerve pain for several months but it was OK with Tylenol (I can't take ibuprofen). And the nerve pain gradually dissipated.