Upper right lobectomy for stage 1 adeno 1.8 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm anyone?

Hi there! I had adenocarcinoma in my Left upper lung. About the same size as yours. I also have other nodules but they are, so far, just nodules. I had my VATS at Mayo in Phoenix on May 24, 2023. I was also so very scared! I didn’t have a clue about how I would be when I woke up. Would I be able to breath? Would I have to be on oxygen the rest of my life? Etc. All normal worries! I woke up just fine. A little tiny bit hoarse but could still talk just fine. That was from the breathing tube during surgery. I did have the chest tube and catheter. I will tell you that I had a bad pain that would go down the back of my arm and we figured out that the chest tube was causing it. That just required adjusting the position I was laying in to help that. When Sitting up or walking it didn’t bother me. Anyway, I was starving! But couldn’t have anything but liquids the entire day. The BEST thing to me was waking up to my husband and grown Son being there. Then realizing I could breathe and then talking and every little thing after. I walked and walked as much as they would let me. Went home on the 3rd day. I had things already bought and set up before I left for the surgery. A table to go over my bed, to eat on. I actually already had an adjustable bed, so that was AWESOME because it is a little difficult to get out of bed and trying not to put pressure on your chest and arms. You can always just use LOTS of pillows! They gave me Tramadol and Lyrica to take at home for pain. The Tramadol I only took twice a day for a week and cut down and off of after the second week, and the Lyrica was two times a day then cut down to 1 a day for another week and then just Tylenol or ibuprofen. Now, EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT! Some have pain longer but I feel I was lucky. Always check with your Doctor on what you feel you want or need to do! I also forced myself to walk, and walk a lot. We have stairs in my house and I did those too. Slowly, of course, but it gets easy pretty quickly. I was walking a mile within the first week. If you’re doing something and you feel pain, stop doing it or do it slower. Not a race to get better. But whatever you do, try to walk as much as possible afterwards. I am now at just close to 8 months post op and I just bought an in home, cheap exercise bike and have been riding it for 30 minutes a day which works out to about 5 miles a day, plus my mile walk at night and working full time. I still have the tingly feeling in the nerve at the front bottom of my ribs, but only when I touch it. I did not have to have Chemotherapy or radiation or anything after or before surgery. Hoping this helps and hoping the best for your surgery and the speediest of recovery for you! Just know that being scared is normal! Talking about it and talking with people on this group helped tremendously!
All the best to you!
Cindy

Fullness inside the lung cavity n the right side.

Thank you for the info.
I am 72 and will have my lower right lobe removed next week, Tuesday.

I have two malignant carcinoids.

I have a small treadmill in my family room. I plan to use it as much as possible.

I am also having it done robotically.

My son-in-law is a nurse and he plans to stay with me in the hospital.
I am having it done at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
I would love to get home on Thanksgiving.
Thank you again for sharing your story! ❤️

Thank you for the info.
I am 72 and will have my lower right lobe removed next week, Tuesday.

I have two malignant carcinoids.

I have a small treadmill in my family room. I plan to use it as much as possible.

I am also having it done robotically.

My son-in-law is a nurse and he plans to stay with me in the hospital.
I am having it done at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
I would love to get home on Thanksgiving.
Thank you again for sharing your story! ❤️

@pb50- You bring up a great point! Normalcy doesn't happen after cancer. It's life challenging, emotionally draining, and changing. I don't know one person who hasn't reviewed their life and changed in even a small way. I certainly did.

Physically you will change too. Your breathing will change and your chest wall's topography will have been changed. You might breathe easier too.

The most important thing is to get out and visit the world after you feel good. You didn't go through all of the pain and emotional toil and fear, not to change your life, right?

Was your rib broken? Mine were spread and then I broke a rin picking up a Thanksgiving Turkey to carry into the house. He was not walking through my yard! And that was very painful.

Can you move your arms without pain?

Thank you for the info.
I am 72 and will have my lower right lobe removed next week, Tuesday.

I have two malignant carcinoids.

I have a small treadmill in my family room. I plan to use it as much as possible.

I am also having it done robotically.

My son-in-law is a nurse and he plans to stay with me in the hospital.
I am having it done at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
I would love to get home on Thanksgiving.
Thank you again for sharing your story! ❤️

Thank you for the info.
I am 72 and will have my lower right lobe removed next week, Tuesday.

I have two malignant carcinoids.

I have a small treadmill in my family room. I plan to use it as much as possible.

I am also having it done robotically.

My son-in-law is a nurse and he plans to stay with me in the hospital.
I am having it done at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
I would love to get home on Thanksgiving.
Thank you again for sharing your story! ❤️

As my friend Scarlett would say, “I’m just pea green with envy” 😁
I had lower left lobectomy May 25th. I’m doing well but don’t really know if ’back to normal’ is something I should expect. I have residual rib & diaphragm pain and exertional shortness of breath. If that improves I will be happy!! If not, I can live with it.

Me too. Following my VAT surgery ULL on May 19th, I never quite got back to where I was. Nerve pain did go away but numbness remains under the left breast. The biggest issue is a crisis in breathing that occurred about 2 months back. I have shortness of breath just getting off the sofa. I tried antibiotics with no change and am now on Prednisone for 6 weeks and that has helped. Suspected alveolitis. Besides the multifocal cancer I have fibrosis - if mild or something more still to be determined.
I can walk more now but with exertion I feel like my diaphragm won't open up and allow me to take a complete breath. I don't know if it is the scarring in the lung or the muscle that is not cooperating. Certainly, surgery can damage nerves and muscles in the area. In my case I even had a fractured rib

Bless your heart. I’m glad you tried prednisone. It helped me a lot on the four days I was taking 20mg. Once I started stepping it down, the benefit stepped down as well. Not as bad as it was but not as good as those four days on 20mg.

So. I’m seeing the positive that the prednisone effect means it is some kind of inflammation. Could be bone or muscle but I want to conquer the inflammation. I see my Rheumatologist the first week of December and I’m going to inquire whether the inflammation could be RA related and can I do another round of Prednisone. There shouldn’t be any source of continued inflammation, so my uninformed hope is that if I can quiet it down, it may not return.