← Return to Increasing pain over time after Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery

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@tashaharley

I am wondering about a similar problem. I had robotic surgery in late August to remove a secondary lobe. A previous surgery was done about a year and a half ago for NSCLC Stage 2A. That surgery went well and I felt fine after a couple of weeks. The second surgery last August was done because there was a spot on a CT scan that turned out to be just an infection, not a recurrence. Again, I felt fine after a few weeks. But about two weeks ago (mid-December) I had a sudden onset of bad pain. It feels like the pain post-surgery in the general area of the incision but it's much worse. It occurs only with movement--picking up a box, reaching for something off a high shelf, bending over. Has anyone had this happen? I'm a little nervous that it could be some new cancer, although I do recognize that my fear that I broke a rib because I now have bone cancer is almost comically catastrophic thinking.

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Replies to "I am wondering about a similar problem. I had robotic surgery in late August to remove..."

Have you brought this to attention of your surgeon or pulmonologist? It is likely not recurrence but everyone gets paid to help you answer that question. So it’s not asking a favor to engage them. I say ring them up!

Hi @tashaharley, welcome to Mayo Connect. It is best to consult with your doctor, but this pain could be caused by a lot of things other than recurrence of the cancer. My team has told me that if the pain is waking me up in the middle of the night, then I should be sure to let them know right away. I agree that any new pain can be alarming, as cancer patients we can be on edge, so it doesn't hurt to consult with your doctors. I have ongoing hip pain that can wake me up, and I've had many radiologists note "degenerative changes" on my reports; a nice way to say that I'm getting older but it's not cancer.
How long ago was your last scan? Do you have one coming up soon?