Hello,
I had a thoracotomy ten months ago, removing the lower and middle lobe of my right lung, due to a typica carcinoid tumor (malignant). I was 37 at the time, never smoked and very healthy/active. The tumor was found early and staged 1B, all margins and lymph nodes clear.
Recovery has been an up and down hill road and currently I'm experiencing more pain than I was a month ago. When this happens, my mind jumps to fears of recurrence which I know is not very common with carcinoid a found so early.
The pain or soreness wraps around my rib cage and trickles down to the small of my back causing a lot of soreness. Sometimes my arms get numb and tingly as well. I'm not on any medications except for OTC Tylenol or Advil.
Im a 38 year old female and very slender, which I was told makes me more likely to experience post thoracotomy pain?
I get frustrated that I'm still dealing with pain almost a year later. Is this normal? I would just like to get back to life and be able to be active again without hurting worse afterwards.
Thanks for any response :)