dad had his lobetomy but......

• By ST1528
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 2:17 am
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I had a pneumonectomy to remove a carcinoid tumor in August. Initially, Drs thought they could do a lobectomy because they thought the tumor was only about 6 cm. This was after 2 CTs, a PET, and Octreatide scan. When they got in there, it was actually 15 cm so the entire lung had to go. Apparently, the tumor had been growing inside the lung and the 6 cm portion had torn through the lung to the outside, which is what they were able to see on the scans. My tumor had not grown to that size in the time from the scans to the surgery (which was only 2 months) but I guess was just not completely visible on scans.

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• By slm-dem
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 5:46 am
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David had ull removed with a 1and1/2 cm cancer, got afib also, docs said when u r dealing with cancer near the heart this is not an uncommon result. doc says it usually goes away quickly. David was on heart meds for 3 months (longer then the a fib usually lasts) and it went away. His pain drugs worked well to handle the pain and he was back to work in a month.

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• By cards7up
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 7:10 am
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If your father is still in the hospital, tell them about his pain so they can get it under control. There is no reason for him to be in this much pain, espcially in a controlled environment. And have them check his oxygen levels. Good luck and take care, JC

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• By kkwv
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 9:16 am
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My husband also had a-fib, and we were told it happens sometimes with this type of surgery (near the heart). Before the end of the month the problem was gone. He had RML and most of ULL removed by "clamshell" surgery. He had pain, of course, but he was given meds to control it. Also, while he was in the hospital, he found it much more comfortable to sleep in one of those lounger chairs rather than the bed. Maybe that would help.

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• By owesly
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 9:27 am
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Hi Candigirl, I have read all of the other posts who have answered you and I think they are all great. In fact, they are all so good that I don't really have much to add, but here's hoping that I can add two cents. Just as everyone has said, when surgery is done near the heart, the heart doesn't like it. Sometimes, if the heart gets "irritated" a bit or "scratched" during the surgery, it will go into A-Fib, but this is a temporary thing. As everyone has well said, it goes away and usually its nothing to be afraid of. Also, the pain of lung cancer surgery can be pretty uncomfortable. What's more, the pain will last a long time usually since they have to cut nerves in order to get into the lungs to remove the tumor and nerves hurt for a long time - sometime for years - as they heal after being cut. Just as everyone has said, I would ask your doctors to make sure that your dad has good pain control medicines. Wow my two cents turned into a long talk, but I hope this helps.

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• By Munker
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 9:46 am
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agree with all the posts. I don't think I was ever completely pain free during my 8 day hospital stay. Some days I didn't think I would make it either and I was a heathy 49 yr. old at the time. I did not have the Af but there were days I felt like i was short of breath..more like suffocating. Not sure if it was physical or in my head cause the docs said I was fine. I also was severely anemic and they threatened to transfuse me! thank god they didn't. Ask the doctors about your dad's blood levels since the shortness of breath can be related to anemia. Also, a small dosage of ativan may help alleviate some anxiety and also help with pain. 1 mg should do it. Next step is for him to get moving! He has go to get out of the bed and walk walk walk, At first it feels like you have an elephant on your chest but it does get better. as owesly wrote the pain and discomfort from this surgery lasts for years although it has never stopped me from doing anything that I did prior to surgery. Tell you dad that he will make it!! By the way I cried for a good three days after the surgery and it helped me let go all of the shit that was bottled up before and after surgery.

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• By kkwv
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 1:35 pm
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I want to add one more thing. My husband was given regular pain medication to "get ahead" of the pain and not wait till it was really uncomfortable. He was able to take less medication as time went on, but in the hospital he had it on a regular schedule. He has no more pain -- just tightness in his chest (5/19 surgery) from the scar tissue which is relieved with stretching exercises.

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• By KMM-NY
• Posted October 31, 2009 at 10:32 pm
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My mom was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer in Feb. 2009. She had to undergo chemo for three months prior to having surgery because the tumor was protruding into her major airway. Thankfully the chemo shrunk the tumor significantly and she had surgery in June 2009. They did a sleeve lobectomy where they removed two lobes of the left lung. She was in the hospital for eight days and she was in a lot of pain. The hospital made her walk 14 laps around the floor each day, which I think she was doing by the 2nd or 3rd day. It was very hard for her to do the laps, but she would walk with the machine and we would take many breaks in the beginning. She was very nervous the day she came home because she barely would walk across a room without feeling short of breath. I believe anxiety and her anemia didn't help this situation. Thankfully after a few more days her strength increased and the more she walked the stronger she got. We would go every morning and evening to a park and do a 30-45 min walk. She is doing really good now. She was getting very strong pain medication (I can't remember if it was codeine), but it didn’t seem to help her. The doctor suggested taking Motrin or Advil because it is muscular pain and it seemed to work pretty good. I think he told her to take 600 mgs, but please check w/ the doctor first. My mom had her surgery done at Memorial Sloan Kettering--and the entire floor was only for lung cancer patients, so we met a lot of people that were going through the same thing. Just keep him positive and know each day will get better. The quicker he is able to get up and start walking the better he will feel. Good luck. Your dad will be in my thoughts and prayers. Take care, KM

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