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numbness and very tight feeling after vats surgery

Posted , 31 users are following.

fluffykitty
fluffykitty

After having 3 collapses within 2months of feb and march, had vats pleurodesis with talc and wedge resection. Its been about 4 months post op and still a portion of my left chest and upper portion of my abdomen  is completly numb. I think the nerves were severed during surgery because my abdominal muscle wont or cant grow back even if i try and workout this part of my muscle. 

Also the left side of my ribs feels like there is a vice or a seatbelt putting pressure and it feels really tight. 

Does anyone else have the same or similar symptoms after surgery?

0 likes, 114 replies

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  • judy44740
    judy44740 fluffykitty

    Posted

     I had my VATS surgery about a year and a half ago and I still have the tight belt feeling around my chest . Some days it's tighter than others and I was just wondering if this could also be infection because sometimes when I take an anabiotic the tightness goes away. They tell me it's nerve damage . Does anyone know if there is any procedures out there that one can get for this kind of tightness after surgery if it's nerve damage. It feels like a belt squeezing you and it is hard to breathe at times. 

    • dan87126
      dan87126 judy44740

      Posted

      Hi Judy

      I’ve also had a Vats done on my right lung over 2 years ago. Many have the same procedure but with a lot of different symptoms and complications. I also have numbness between my armpit and nipple area as well as my lung sticking to my chest wall. That feeling of wanting to expand my chest to unstick it. This is always the case when driving as my body is more collapsed during that activity. I have a TENS machine but have not really used it. I have put in my mind that this will be my life from now on. It’s basic discomfort not so much pain. Good luck and keep sharing your experience. This is a great place to share. Cheers. Dan

    • lin1006
      lin1006 judy44740

      Posted

      Hi judy had vats 14 days ago. It hurts. I have dr apt which is my post op follow up. I had done on right lung. Langerhans disease. My breast feels like they dug in it,and where chest tube was aches like broken ribs. Still on pain meds but they are not effective unless i take 2. I can take 1-2 every 4-6 hrs for severe pain. I manage up to 6hrs in between doses. Thanks to heroin epidemic I think this will be it for pain meds. Any suggestions on what to ask dr for? I see Lyrica? Any advice? I am so uncomfortable,anxious,blood pressure problems which i think is from the pain. I can't imagine it getting worse,but at night I just can't handle it. Getting only about 4 hrs sleep per night and up pacing,praying and wishing i never had done it.

    • judy44740
      judy44740 lin1006

      Posted

       Only 14 days from your surgery, that's really soon so your pain is probably pretty bad right now and it will be like that for a couple months maybe six months but eventually it'll get better I took strong meds in the beginning which helped and then they decreased them.  It got a little more tolerable after about six months but I still have a lot of problems in the chest area with the tightness and feeling like I have an infection.  I have to take anabiotic's and prednisone.

      Its a rough surgery and it takes a long time to heal. I hope it gets better for you. I still have a hard time breathing. 

    • Jirj
      Jirj lin1006

      Posted

      My pleurectomy was done four and a half months ago.  I havee the same pain and discomfort everyone is describing but it’s getting better very slowly. I take three 300 mg gabapantin a day and that helps a lot.  My wife massages the area from my breast to my back and along the rib cage every night with vitamin E oil. This seems to help. I also do a stretching exercise like making snow angels standing up straight against the wall or lying on the floor.
    • wngnut
      wngnut dan87126

      Posted

      I had VATS surgery for a lung biopsy for cancer about 8 months age. I was doing pretty good until the 6 month mark. I started o have more pains on the right side and a pain from under my left arm to my breast area. Then pain in my back when I tried to sleep, which stimulated the pain under my left arm it and my breast area, which gets numb. The Dr told me to take 600-800 mg of Ibuprofen every six hours and 1000 mg of Tylenol every 12 hours. I just started and I am hoping this will help the pain as I have bee  sleeping in a chair. If I sleep in bed laying down causes enough pain in the breast area that I cant sleep. Not sure what to do next if this does not work.
    • Adele37
      Adele37 wngnut

      Posted

      I take oxy as tylenol and ibuprofen gabapentin does not help. the oxy only takes the edge off so I dont even want to take them

      I feel the same way you do

      the recovery sucks and its been 7 mos. they didnt even give me the heads up about pain swollen abdomen numbness ribs sighing in me

    • Adele37
      Adele37 judy44740

      Posted

      totally have everything u described. its 7 mos for me plus abdomen swelling and numbness

    • jackie69677
      jackie69677 Adele37

      Posted

      I am 6 months out now and I can finally say the awful feeling is finally easing a bit. Some days I don't have it at all and then out of the blue it starts in again. I do find that the busier I am the better it gets. If I sit around it seems to strike. My doctor did say that exercise could help so I suggest trying it. Just don't over do it as I found this could make it worse. I stopped taking taking everything except Ibuprofen as needed. Best of luck.

    • Adele37
      Adele37 judy44740

      Posted

      I can tell you your not alone. I have that tight belt feeling some hours worse than others. I also have my ribs digging into me and causing burning feeling

  • elizabeth79433
    elizabeth79433 fluffykitty

    Posted

    I am so glad you started this thread. I had a thoracic laminectomy, discectomy in 2012, I to have that numbness on my left side just below my breast. Every now and again I get an itchy tingling sensation, I scratch and can't feel it. The doctors have no idea what to do for me. I'm going crazy trying to scratch . I was told the numbness would go away in a year, 5 years later I am still waiting

    • kwiklip
      kwiklip elizabeth79433

      Posted

      Thanked for posting but ugh, your post isn't good news for me. I had a thoracic diskectomy and fusion done about two months ago. The numbness and "phantom" pain and itchiness dr8ves me crazy sometimes and I don't notice that it's improving any. Looks like I shouldn't necessarily expect that it will. Thanks again for posting, it's nice to commiserate.

  • dan87126
    dan87126 fluffykitty

    Posted

    Hi

    I have had a VATS over 2 years ago and have the exact same symptoms. Numbness from my right armpit to my chest nipple area and my abdomen is numb but also hurts more right after I have eaten. My thinking is that we feel the food going through the intestines more because it’s somewhat numb. And yes, the numbness is causes from going through the ribs where the intercostal nerves have been cut and have not reconnected. I was also on Lyrica because I was getting electric shock attacks right after my operation. Anyways, I doubt all this will get back to normal. I’ve embraced this and moving forward but it sucks. Good luck and keep sharing here. It’s a fluck that I found this place and discovered I was not alone. Cheers. Dan

    • lin1006
      lin1006 dan87126

      Posted

      Hi Dan...same just awful pain from nipple area to back. I don't know how to put in words. Had 2 weeks ago. Post op visit tomorrow. I am loss of words. Had awful nursing care,discharged 4 days 1 day after chest tube pulled,live alone and without help. The little bit of hands on help i got was aThanksgiving meal. Thankful. Watching news writing this and feel terrible complaining while such awful things on news. I thankful to fluffy kitty for starting this thread. Any suggestions ? Thanks

    • Adele37
      Adele37 dan87126

      Posted

      my doc when I told him my abdomen was still numb he told me your lungs have nothing to do with your stomach really

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