post thoracotomy pain

[hurtinginaz]

I had a thoracotomy on Dec. 20 to remove a tumor on the surface of my lung near my spine.  Luckily, the tumor was benign.  However, I'm still experiencing quite a bit of pain, especially near my shoulder blade and along the incision.  

Currently, I'm taking Ultram 50 mg every 6 hours during the day.  I'm scheduled to return to work a week from today, and I had hoped that I would be pain free by now.  I have a follow up appointment with my surgeon in mid March.  When I went to see him 2 weeks ago, he said some people have pain for a longer period of time than others and we need to treat my pain until it subsides.  That's when he gave me the perscription for Ultram.

I was wondering if anyone out there has had a thoracotomy and could let me know if it is atypical to have pain 6 weeks after surgery. I have read about post thoracotomy pain syndrome and I'm concerned that this is what I'm experiencing.  I sure hope it will get better because I can't imagine having to live with this pain for the rest of my life!  Any advice/information would be appreciated.  I'm especially interested in advice about long term pain management after a thoracotomy.  Thanks.

[bob24655]

No. I came to that conclusion after four and a half years. This is the type of pain that drives you to madness. Pain killers work sometimes but then you are labelled a drug addict. I have been fighting with my Doctor for four and a half years. He is convinced I like the drugs and the pain is secondary. Needless to say that is a dafamatory comment and if I could deal with him with my fist I would. Did I mention that getting over anger is hard. So is revenge. So is knowing that the pain isn't leaving. I don't think the medical field has yet found a way to do less damage when it comes t this kind of surgery. I do know that my pain came from the Doctor pulling a tube out of me that had become attached on the inside. The pain was undescribable and should have never happened. Igonorance of a Doctor not knowing to loosen a tube before removal (and having no assistant present) has cost me the better part of almost five years. Hard plastic tubes being used are ridiculous and softer tubes made out of silicone with a reinforced inner shell should be the norm to lessen or alleviate inner damage. For anyone who goes through this make sure the Doctor specializes in what they do. I had an idiot who didn't. To this day I would like to kick his *** too for his negligent actions. I wish I had brighter news but that is my story. I have tired just about everything. I wish all of you the best of luck.

[peppy25]

I just had a combination thoracotomy/thorasopy done a month ago and 'm still in pain.  I had four chest tubes and they were all on my left side.  I have numbness along my stomach and pain under my left breast almost at the breast bone.  I also have pain at the incision sites which have not totallly healed up.  Does this ever end?

[wendyro]

I am a 24 year old female that was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a (children's) bone cancer that occasionally pops up in adults. I have had extensive leg surgery and ended up needing a thoracotomy of my left lung because they discovered an 8 mm nodule in my lung and didn't know what to do with it since it didn't meet protocol (1 cm) for it to be cancerous and they were unsure whether or not to remove it, but overall my doctor didn't want it there. I had a thoracotomy (9 days prior to my extensive limb salvage surgery on my leg) and they found 2 additional small lesions and removed them. Turns out the 8 mm nodule was cancerous, so my cancer spread to the lung(s). I had a chest tube for a few days and had a pain med pump for after the surgery. Not sure what medications they used that time besides the Ativan to calm my body down. I was only in the hospital for 4 days, then I just laid around recovering at home. I just recently had my right lung operated on (another thoracotomy), but this time was a more exploratory surgery. After surgery I had a sharp, paralyzing pain occur one day and it shocked me/scared me so badly. My ribs and incision got very tight and I felt like my body was burning inside. I want to mention that I have a VERY high tolerance for pain and I will tell you...this is some of the WORST pain I've ever experienced. It feels like your incision is on fire inside and it goes all the way around to the front of your rib cage. I have to take my Dilaudid pill(s) and Ativan for it to help and I noticed if you try and relax your body it will help the pain go away faster. We were told by the surgeon to put heat on it, I find that it helps the pain, but so does ice. I'm not sure when this pain will go away, but I will say that I never experienced it with my first thoracotomy. I hope the information in here will be able to help someone, somewhere...

[stevn2685]

i am 26 i got stabbed in my right lung when i was 20 i have deep pain in my scar in my shoulder and in the muscle in my stomach ive been to the doctor and all they do is run xrays and havent had pain medicine since i left the hospital they tell me nothin is wrong i knew it had to b somethin deeper

[207Gypsy602]

I had a Radical Thoracotomy May of 2000 in AZ. They ran though a list of what the diagnosis was daily once I was out of the hospital and told I had 6  months to live.
I have lived since then in pain like I would never have expected anyone to have to live with. I have tried almost everything out there, which most just makes a person high, and not care about pain, not reduce or remove it.
The medical Doctors tend to not know what to do, and then of course think we are crazy because they can not figure it out.
I can not even fathom that I am still alive today, how I smile, how I can enjoy a moment, when all my dreams, thoughts and desires were washed away so long ago. Each day is a struggle to remain as close to "normal" as everyone else so not to be labeled.
I was lucky to be born with a innate outlook that possibly tomorrow it will be better, just make it though this moment.  Meditation, creative thought's, heat, stretching, my inversion table, and my DO that does adjustment and acupuncture away from my pain so the rest of my body does not become reactionary are all what keeps me going, along with a few emergency medications, and my spouse (who I can not understand stands by me).  
I tend to push, and not baby my body, and and have said too many times to count, that a "couch potato" type person would love this, but I dislike being still. Another not so healthy statement was, " it would have been better to let me die, than to live like this".
Now let me say that I have changed as a person. I'm more calm, more wise, more patient, more understanding, and more humbled at life. If there is one thing that has came out of this, is that others have learned from me, and seen me go though what I do daily, and it has caused changes in them.
If you too suffer, as I see so many of those above do too, I send you energy with no sympathy, but understanding, and I say to try to do the best you can. I hope you can find at least on "medical" type person that can in some way validate you, and hopefully more.
Lastly Dr. Oz did a show recently on this subject, (http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/your-chronic-pain-disease-pt-1).
Peace!

[alfie134]

I had traumatic pneumothorax in jan 2010, empyema, pnuemonia, sepsis, kidney failure, lung abcess and received 98% oxygen on ventilator for 14 days, I was in ICU for 4 weeks and 1 week in stepdown, transferred to Glenfield in Leicester for thoracotomy, nearly 2 years later am still having ultrasound on wound which is helping, the whole experience of ICU still plays havoc!! the fact of being told 'you nearly died' is really difficult, but am glad I am still here! I have the same pain as most, numbness under the breast, stiffness in the shoulder, tightness around wound area! Lucky to be here but have decided even with physio exercises and ultrasound the pain will always be there, no complaints though as my life was saved, more time with the grandchildren!!