My husband had lobectomy surgery: Mayo was wonderful!

Posted by corgimenow @corgimenow, Jun 18, 2022

My husband Michael had his lobectomy surgery with Dr Cassivi on Monday. We came home as scheduled on Wednesday- released about 2 and on the road for our 6 hour drive home by 2:30. Our experience there went like clockwork and everyone we worked with was incredible. We couldn’t be happier about our experience and the level of expertise and care we received. M is recovering nicely at home. He has some pain but is managing it well. We take slow walks around the neighborhood and the yard. Eat good food and get lots of rest. He uses his lung pillow when he rests in a chair and has big goals for himself for later this summer. Thank you Mayo for top notch care. I know we were lucky 🍀 this time. They will keep an eye on his lungs on a regular basis in the future and we will stay positive that is is over.

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How is your husband doing a year later? Did he ever have an issue with a persistent cough afterwards? I had 2 lobes removed from my right lung 4 weeks ago by Dr. Cassivi (best thoracic surgeon I have had the opportunity to meet). I’m feeling really good besides having a cough. What have follow up appointments been like for your husband? Does he have a CT scan and a doctor visit every year? Thanks!

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@demo0052

How is your husband doing a year later? Did he ever have an issue with a persistent cough afterwards? I had 2 lobes removed from my right lung 4 weeks ago by Dr. Cassivi (best thoracic surgeon I have had the opportunity to meet). I’m feeling really good besides having a cough. What have follow up appointments been like for your husband? Does he have a CT scan and a doctor visit every year? Thanks!

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Welcome, @demo0052. I'm tagging @corgimenow to make sure she sees your post and questions to her.

Has your cough improved over the past week or so?

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@colleenyoung

Welcome, @demo0052. I'm tagging @corgimenow to make sure she sees your post and questions to her.

Has your cough improved over the past week or so?

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Unfortunately my cough is not better yet. I saw my thoracic surgeon yesterday and I am going to try tessalon perles medication and see if that helps. I started them today and not seeing much improvement yet. If anyone has any other suggestions or things that could help a dry cough after a bilobectomy, please let me know. I may need to have a bronchoscopy done again if the cough does not go away.

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@demo0052

Unfortunately my cough is not better yet. I saw my thoracic surgeon yesterday and I am going to try tessalon perles medication and see if that helps. I started them today and not seeing much improvement yet. If anyone has any other suggestions or things that could help a dry cough after a bilobectomy, please let me know. I may need to have a bronchoscopy done again if the cough does not go away.

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Hi Hawaiigirl0906. I had most of my LUL removed in May and a RUL segmentectomy and RML wedge resection done in August. I started coughing 2 days post op with the second surgery. It's a dry cough. It has improved in intensity and frequency over the past three weeks but persists. I have tried the tessalon pearls but they have not helped. Oddly enough, I do not cough when I lay down flat. This helps with sleeping at night. I am hoping it's just temporary irritation to the airways from surgery and will go away in time. I would be interested if you learn anything that could be helpful.

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@eeileen

Hi Hawaiigirl0906. I had most of my LUL removed in May and a RUL segmentectomy and RML wedge resection done in August. I started coughing 2 days post op with the second surgery. It's a dry cough. It has improved in intensity and frequency over the past three weeks but persists. I have tried the tessalon pearls but they have not helped. Oddly enough, I do not cough when I lay down flat. This helps with sleeping at night. I am hoping it's just temporary irritation to the airways from surgery and will go away in time. I would be interested if you learn anything that could be helpful.

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Hi @eeileen. I will definitely let you know the next thing they suggest if the perels don’t work which I don’t think they will. I’m supposed to give it another month to see if things get better on their own before trying something else. For me, the cough gets worse in the afternoon and evening and I cough a lot before bed but when I fall asleep, I can sleep through the night. Cold and hot seem to make me cough more too. I have some small to moderate pleural effusion on my chest xray. My surgeon said it is normal to still have fluid build up but I wonder if my body isn’t handing the excess fluid well. I’ve read some things online that it could contribute to a cough.

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@tmauko

Thank you Mara. Everything is so scary, and I am getting different versions from different doctors, especially my oncologist, she has no bed side manners. I'm Canadian, and have heard wonderful things about the Mayo clinic, not that Princess Margaret Hospital is not a great hospital, I just think it's time for a second opinion. Fingers crossed I get one. Thanks for opening up about your husbands experience.

Tanja

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Hi Tanja (@tmauko), I think anyone here would encourage a second opinion when you are questioning the care, or even when you are not. What are your options for a second opinion in Canada? Or are you looking at coming to the US?

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@demo0052

Hi @eeileen. I will definitely let you know the next thing they suggest if the perels don’t work which I don’t think they will. I’m supposed to give it another month to see if things get better on their own before trying something else. For me, the cough gets worse in the afternoon and evening and I cough a lot before bed but when I fall asleep, I can sleep through the night. Cold and hot seem to make me cough more too. I have some small to moderate pleural effusion on my chest xray. My surgeon said it is normal to still have fluid build up but I wonder if my body isn’t handing the excess fluid well. I’ve read some things online that it could contribute to a cough.

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Good Afternoon- Just a question, have you asked about using a light cool mist humidifier? Or also an air purifier? Is there natural humidity where you are living and is there more in the morning hours and bedtime hours? Just wondering if it might help? Best of Luck to your healing!
Cindy

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Hi, I want to give a shoutout to Moffitt Cancer Center on the USF Campus in Tampa, FL, and relate my experience. My pulmonologist tracked my lungs’ condition for 18 years, during this period I spent countless hours on the internet and YouTube. The day I got the results from a CT scan indicating I had a cancerous nodule, the Dr. said I’ll see you in four weeks, I silently left and made a self-referral into Moffitt. As an 80 yr old man their processing and interviews were rigorous, as a 20 yr retired military this instilled total confidence. A root canal was far more of a negative experience than the lobectomy of the upper left lobe. They gave me a prescription for oxycodone, but that full unused bottle still sits in my medicine cabinet as a reminder.

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