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

I am being monitored while on the treadmill, so it is interesting to have so many data points for my oxygen levels besides the usual blood pressure heart rate. Sitting around at night I have high 90s, sitting immediately after exercise I have 94, but at a certain exercise intensity, my oxygen drops below 88. They have a good oximeter that tells them when they are getting a good reading. I have tried usual good breathing technique but that does not bring it up. So they lower intensity. It has happened twice now, so next time I will slow speed and increase grade to see what happens. But I didn't feel any differently at the time. And I don't plan on doing any heavy work ever!

hahaha

Hello and welcome. I'm sorry that you are still uncomfortable but I think that you will be uncomfortable for the next few to several weeks at least. I had my right lower lobe removed by open chest surgery- "the old fashion way" because robotic surgery wasn't in use then for this kind of surgery. All surgeries that take place inside the chest wall interrupt the lung's topography. Most chest surgeries hurt afterward. It's been 10 days so give yourself a break, rest, move slowly, take slow deep breaths, and baby yourself.

Use youtube to find out how to do different tasks. You should have had some form of PT while you were in the hospital and they should have given you directions on all of this. And every day you need to get up and walk. This will help keep you from getting pneumonia and get you back to your life sooner.

Are you having any problems like coughing up blood or seepage that is very worrying?

Hello and thank-you for your interest. I have turned a corner on my pain management and feel much better. I do walk each day and do my arm exercises. As a swimmer, I am anxious to get back in the pool. I feel very fortunate to have had wonderful support.

Another question related to symptoms after a lobectomy. Its been 4 weeks and I need to get a build up of fluid removed from my treated lung via thoracentesis. Has anyone else had that experience?

I'm curious as to what systems you had or how did they know you had fluid build up and believe that call it pleural effusion?
I had some fluid on the 6 months lobectomy follow up CT.........but it went away on its own and one year follow up did not see any.
I had VATS wedge resection surgery last November and my 6 week surgery follow up xray did not show any fluid. My 6 month CT did show pleural effusion). Some fluid is possible but mine was a a bit more than expected and had thoracentesis in April. Testing showed mine may be related to the lymphoma that I also have. I had a late June follow up and had some recent deep breath pain and found the fluid returned and had another thoracentesis on Friday and am waiting on test results. Am expecting it is lymphoma caused and not surgery related.
Thoractesis is a pretty quick and easy procedure. Not much pain. You can see a procedure on youtube. Am guessing they will test the fluid.
Let us know how it goes.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I had RAT surgery, removed lower right lobe. Cancer was contained in the lobe. I wonder why the fluid buildup occurred? I hope getting fluid removal doesn't become a regular need! Fluid was found at my 4 week post -op xray. The xray 4 days after surgery showed no fluid - that's when the chest drain was removed. So much to learn, everyone's experiences are quite helpful!

They only related to me that some fluid is totally normal due to the surgery. Once the chest drain is removed, it has to accumulate until the body normally and gradually expels it.
When they do the thoracentesis and test, they'll have to answer your questions. Then they'll decide how to watch you in the future. Anyway, that's from my experience.

@kkckkjm

There are three different approaches that your surgeon can use to remove part of your lung: VATS, RATS, and thoracotomy. VATS stands for Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. RATS stands for Robotic-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. A thoracotomy is a larger incision made between the ribs, requiring rib spreading. A VATS and RATS approach are both considered to be minimally invasive with small incision sites made.

For those of you confused by all the different acronyms for lung lobe removal here is a good explanation:

Lung resection is the removal of a part or entire lobe of your lung. There are different ways that a lung resection surgery can be performed.

There is more than one reason for fluid to build up in your lungs after surgery.
Fluid around the lung (pleural effusion) is one. Pleural effusion occurs when fluid builds up in the space between the lung and the chest wall. This can happen for many different reasons, including pneumonia or complications from heart, liver, or kidney disease. Another reason could be a side effect of cancer.

Pulmonary edema describes when fluid builds up in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Most often, the buildup of fluid is caused by a pressure imbalance within the heart, but other causes can also send excess fluid to the lungs. If the fluid is arriving at a faster rate than the lungs can clear it, parts will fill, making it difficult—if not impossible—for the lungs to take in oxygen and deliver it to the rest of the body, as they are meant to do.

Did your doctor explain to you what he thought caused your need for the drain? Was it painful when they put it in?

I too had robotic lung surgery in February of this year. The top lobe of my right lung was removed. Fortunately cancer was stage 1 and all lymph nodes tested were negative. I exercise twice a week but thinking I need to do more. I'm guessing that will help with shortness of breath I sometimes get. High humidity definitely doesn't seem to be helping. I also am experiencing a cough at times that makes me nervous. Do other folks have a cough too? Hoping it will eventually go away