How long will the pain last

[kla78]

On Dec 16th, 07 I suffered a severe spontaneous pneumothorax.  Since this was the first time it had happened I was admitted to the hospital with and a chest tube was inserted for 4 days.  When I was released I was feeling completely back to normal within a week.

Just two months later, on February 23, it happened again.  Just as severe and sudden as the last one.  I was not doing anything strenuous at the time.  Knowing the signs I immediately went to the ER and a chest tube was once again placed in my right side and I was admitted.

I spoke to the surgeon and it was decided that he would remove the unhealthy tissue from my lung .  Once they began surgery, more than 48 hours had passed since it occured, they could not find what they went in looking for.  Pleurodesis was his backup.  For the next three days everytime they turned off my pump my lung would start to collapse again.  9 long days later I finally was released with strict orders to take it easy.

Now that you have my history... My question is how long should this pain last?!?!  It's been nearly a month and the shortness of breath has passed, but the tenderness to my entire right side has yet to subside.  Even the water in the shower feels like someone punching me over and over.  I had lost feeling in my side for the first couple of weeks following the surgery and I was worried about getting it back.  Now I would rather not be able to feel anything than this continuous pain.  I am still having sharp pains in different areas of the lung.  They usually only last for an hour or so, but it's enough to bring me to tears. I'm not expecting to be able to run a marathon or anything, I would just like to feel like I didn't need pain medication to be able to make it through the day.  

Is the pain that I'm experiencing normal after this long?  Am I just impatient?  Any information provided would be much appreciated.  I'm not sure if the pain is something I should call the doctor about at this point or just suck up and see if it passes.

Thank you

[Lilkim703]

In my experience, the acute post-surgery pain will subside after 2-4 months; however, it's been over 2 years since my pleurodesis & pleurectomy and I don't think the pain will ever completely go away.  I am convinced that with all of the chest tubes, cutting through muscles, pleura and lung tissue, that I have nerve damage

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

Do you have any lung disease? A spontaneous pneumothorax may be due to other lung diseases, which may make control of pain harder.
Recovery time varies with different people. For most about a 6 to 8 week period would cover surgeries that would involve removal of lung segments (I’m expecting that you had less surgical extent, so you should see changes within 3 to 4 weeks or so). I understand the desire not to be taking any medications, but if it is as severe as you say, pain medications may go a long way.
It would be best to discuss your pain with the doctor. No doctor would feel pain as unimportant.