Pain after robotic assisted lobectomy: How long does it last?

I went for the RSV vaccine the first week it was available. If it had been available before the trip might have not been so bad. The Aspergillus didn’t cause the tumors. The type tumors I had develop over many years. They are often discovered because a person was being checked for other health reasons. I live in FL and was told it’s in the air, the soil. If you research it, transplant patients are very susceptible because the immune system has to be lowered to prevent organ rejection. I had never heard of it. I watched a couple of interviews of people in the United Kingdom who were very debilitating from it. It took years to get the right diagnosis. By then it can be impossible to clear.

You are the first person I know that has had Aspergillus. It is quite hard to treat from what I understand. I wonder if that is what caused the carcinoid growth? Glad everything worked out for you. Getting over the surgery will just take time.
I’m going to Europe end of April to visit family. Maybe I should get vaccinated for RSV before I head out.

I caught RSV & Aspergillus on a European trip. Went to ER directly from the airport and ended hospitalized for 7 days. Was treated for that. Had to take meds for 42 days for Aspergillus. later saw a pulmonologist to check that lungs were cleared up. He ordered a CT and was concerned. Sent me for a PET and a couple of areas looked suspicious. Recommended a biopsy. Went to Mayo and biopsy which tested for typical neuroendocrine carcinoids. When the surgery was done turned out the largest nodule was an inflamed granuloma and a few very tiny carcinoids. It was a slow journey, from June 23 2023 to Jan 20 2024 from diagnosis to surgery. I could have had surgery a little soon, but was told the type carcinoid is so slow growing there was no rush. I opted to wait a couple of months, go thru the holidays, and try to exercise at the Y to help cardio and strength to recover easier.

That is interesting. How did they find it?

The lingula, the part that notches around the heart.

I had a lot of pain after my lobectomy, but was mainly my right side and right breast not so much the back. It takes a long time for things to settle down. Gabapentin worked great for me. After 9 months I finally feel back to normal back to exercising and hiking. You have to be patient with yourself.
What part of the lung was removed?

I had robotic surgery to remove about 10% of one lung. All went well. Sent home day after. Felt great thanks to painkillers for about 10 days. walking 1/2 mile AM & PM. Follow-up X-ray was good. It’s been 16 days since surgery and for last 5 days I have back pain. Only one incision in the front aches sometimes. If I lay down, in about 30 -45 min the backache calms down. Wonder if this is due to incisions that went between ribs? I don’t feel up to walking or going to the gym because when I’m up moving around I last about 1 hr before the pain starts again. I have a muscle relaxant med and tried it, but doesn’t seem to help.
I don’t want to keep Tylenol ongoing, not good for the liver. Have you had similar experiences like mine? Suggestions?

Unfortunately I didn’t get one but I will grab the couch throw pillow or just hold my arm against my side and my hand over the front incision. I’ve also learned trying NOT to sneeze is worse than just breathing with it and letting it out. Nothing wrong with saying OUCH! Afterward. Lol!

Great report, Cindy. I hope the return to work is going well. Are you keeping that surgery pillow handy for sneezes and yawns?

Hi Colleen- Thank you for the reminder! I am doing good. Actually started back working (from home) last Wednesday for 6 hours a day. Next week I will work, from home, 8 hours a day. My check ups went well. I had one for my lung the week after surgery and one for the breasts 2 weeks after surgery. Healing well, and pathology came back on lymph nodes- NO carcinoma! No carcinomas in breast either. My cancer was Adenocarcinoma acinar predominant (40%) with lepidic (30%), papillary
(15%), and micropapillary (15%) subtypes. Staged at pT1bN0. As it had not spread anywhere else I do not need any further treatments just to return every 6 months for a CT scan for the next 2 years and then down to 1 annually if all stays clear🤞. Only taking 50mg of Lyrica twice a day for now. Planning to end that pretty soon as well. The only way to explain how I feel is, I think the Implant removal has been more painful than the lung surgery! For the lung surgery, only a tender area in the front left rib area right below the breast area. (Separate incision for lung surgery not breast) where that incision is. I Still get the “double breath” every once in a while, but that’s ok. I have found that sometimes doing a big yawn is a little painful but sneezes are not as bad as I thought they were going to be! Still walking about a mile a day and relaxing a little more than I used to. I have realized that I don’t always NEED to be busy and doing things. It’s okay to sit and look out the window at the bunnies or flowers or birds, and just relax and enjoy. I’ll be zooming around soon.
Best to ALL!
Cindy