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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

114 Replies

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  • joanne88433
    joanne88433 fluffykitty

    Posted

    Hi I had VATS surgery a year and half ago in my right lung. Since my surgery I always feel the numbness and pinching in my right rib from front to back. It’s very painful feeling everyday.  I always have my therapy and back massage to ease the pain. I always do breathing exercises every 3hre using my spirometer to improve and expand my lung. Sometimes I’m really scared because the pain is there everyday.  I want to try Yoga lesson But I’m not sure if this will help. 
    • bgoorland
      bgoorland joanne88433

      Posted

      Hi Joanne.  Is they pain any  better? I have the same pinch pain and it really sucks.  My surgeon shrugs it off and says at least I'm alive.  I've been swimming, but I have to ignore the pain it causes.  It's depressing thinking this pain will be with me the rest of my life.  Has anything helped the pain?

    • Adele37
      Adele37 joanne88433

      Posted

      I am experiencing the same after 7 moss. oxy is the only thing that takes the edge off

    • Adele37
      Adele37 joanne88433

      Posted

      I'm right with you sister. I thought the hard part was gonna be the surgery but recovery is the worst

  • bo88907
    bo88907 fluffykitty

    Posted

    I get bubbling, crackling noises. They tell me that my staples are rubbing across my chest lining causing inflammation I’ve been dealing with this since October of 2016. I’ve seen so many specialists but they haven’t gave me an actual diagnosis other than chest wall pain, and plurodisy (inflammation of the chest wall caused by pneumonia or my staples rubbing accross my chest wall lining). I’m at a loss. Nothing helps but the lyrica painkillers and intercoastal nerve injections at the same time. My intercoastal nerve injections last at a max of 3 weeks. The steroids kill your immune system so they won’t do them back to back. I don’t know what to do with the pain anymore.
    • bo88907
      bo88907

      Posted

      I had 5 collapses within 3 days, had to return to the hospital after a vent was placed on my chest, then 3 chest tubes. And cats surgery with the talc and rubbing of the chest wall to create a large scar.
  • patricia83724
    patricia83724 fluffykitty

    Posted

    I had VATS wedge resection on march 2nd on the right lung, then on march 16th i had VATS wedge resection on the left lung. I know call me crazy but I wanted to get it over with. Now I have so much nerve pain it feels like I have extra tight pants on pulled up under my boobs. My surgeon put me on gabapentin 600 mg 3x a day. i have noticed that if i stand to long or walk to long the pain gets worse and my abdomen gets very hard and tight. I need to quit my job because I do home care and I cant even take care of myself or my home, so I know I cant do my job. But I just take it day by day. I pray alot and do things to keep my mind off the pain. I pray for each and everyone on this discussion that you will get relief from your pain.
    • jack93715
      jack93715 patricia83724

      Posted

      Prayer is better than any drug ... but prayer and Hydrocodon 10-325 PLUS the gabapentin is the only thing that worked for my pain when it over the 4-5 threshold ... which I had for 4-5 months after my surgery/pleurodesis ... the gabapentin alone is only useful to take the edge off of the occasional "throbs" of nerve pain ... which I continued to have after the bad pain subsided after that first 4-5 month nightmare ....and then I would take just one Tylenol along with each dose of it (the gabapentin seems to make Tylenol or hydrocodone WORK BETTER ... but by itself is not that much use except to cloud my mind) ... I'm at 8 months now and PRAYING the nerve pain goes away totally EVENTUALLY ... I will also pray the rest of you find relief too ...but I recommend if your surgeon is not treating your pain adequately go to a PAIN CLINIC ... some of these doctors are more interested in winning the award for prescribing the fewest pain killers than taking care of YOUR PAIN properly ... it's SAD ... I guess they never felt pain themselves or their attitude would be DIFFERENT .,. anyhow ... God bless ...

    • Arteaga4209
      Arteaga4209 patricia83724

      Posted

      That’s how I am right now, this pain under my chest is really painful 

      And I just had another pneumothorax on my right side and this numbness idk how long ima take but it’s just hard

    • mark69964
      mark69964 patricia83724

      Posted

      hi i had the same opp 10 monthes ago and i am still in pain nerv damage at the site where the drain was 

      are you working or not . i am working but it is killing me to do it .

       

  • Rendar
    Rendar fluffykitty

    Posted

    hi so i was wondering about the muscle has it ever regrown at all and did they tell you that might happen as its been about 2 and half months since my vats and my left muscle there isnt even visible and when i asked my dr who did the surgery they had nothing to say about it and its very upsetting as ive been overweight underweight and as just recently managed to achieve a normal weight and start becomeing happy with my appearance only for this to happen and its really upsetting for me.
    • mark69964
      mark69964 Rendar

      Posted

      Hi it has been 12 months since my opp and I still have nerve pain and the muscle is still dead. Due to the pain my work are letting me go at Xmas not good.

  • mark69964
    mark69964 fluffykitty

    Posted

    hi i am had my vats i am getting swelling in my side have you had this two ??

     

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