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Gonna lose some lung tissue

Might be out the end of next week, 20th, depending on. No rehab here on weekends/holidays, so besides this one, 21-23 would be pretty quiet/useless.
 
Morning John. Thanks for keeping us updated. And the pictures, yeah, keep them coming.
 
Might be out the end of next week, 20th, depending on. No rehab here on weekends/holidays, so besides this one, 21-23 would be pretty quiet/useless.
Do you have an idea of your convalescence? Will you need a lot of PT? Do you know the regiment?
 
I truly hope it's just convalescence and PT, and not added treatment because it has jumped somewhere else...!

;)

Here's another pic of the whole lobe (collapsed/flattened), with a hand there for size. The opening or pit in the middle right is where the initial chunk came from (first pic). Look back to that pic and tho it seems big, it's a closeup. That first piece fits into the gash you see in this one.

My right arm/shoulder muscles are kind of funky since for all the surgery it was stretched above my head so my ribs were exposed. (arm or hand was probably tied or taped down in that position for 5-6 hours)

IMG_6484.JPG
 
The hard part is done, so now just chill and get better. Not a race or an instant fix, so when you feel like shit, that's part of recovery too. Progress is not a linear curve. Don't worry about what you can't control. Trust the medical technology and pray to whatever makes you feel better about it. Me I like thinking about positives in my life as a form of prayer.
 
Holy moley, that is a huge piece of lung … that you are now missing. Take it easy. I hope you have friends and loved ones taking care of you now.
 
Yes, get well soon. Just take it easy during the rest of the hot season and be ready to enjoy the beauty of the autumn foliage.
 
I wish you a smooth recovery, @jdd. I hope you'll be home soon.
 
An update:

Everything seems to be working out about as expected--I'll be checking out tomorrow (21st), and even got the bill just now. (9/4 - 9/21, inpatient and all treatment = ~¥120,000 (plus an added ¥138000 on me for the private room))

I stopped all pain meds two days ago. I was apprehensive at first but it now seems okay. Rehab so far has only been the bike/stair machine I used in the spring, but at lower resistance and a slower pace. That will be good enough to transition to walks with our dog (who is old, small, and on the slow side), maybe also trips to the supermarket, and so on. My weight's been under 82 for a couple days, which will probably jump a little after I get started on food at home.

I've noticed some lung capacity difference when talking. There's not as much oomph behind my voice, and I can't continue talking on the same breath as long as before--gotta pause and breathe in more air! That situation may last (permanent?), and I'll get used to it, or it may get better as I get used to managing with less lung volume. Via PM someone suggested an electric bike, but I'll wait till spring before deciding on anything like that.

There's a pre-checkout talk with a doctor or two before I leave tomorrow, and there may be some instructions/warnings about how much to do, kinds of activity, etc. Any word on the seriousness (or not) of what they found won't come until the 30th, a week from Monday, so I'll have to be patient till then. I'm not anxious or worried, and since this was found early, I'll probably be okay.

And, how can I get thru this update without posting another pic? ;)
IMG_20190915_105517212.jpg
(square patch on the end is where the drain tube was)
 
That is good news John.
 
thanks for the vivid updates. one does not get a lot of chances (unless in that line of work) to see these things up close but it's what we're all made of and it's great to be able to learn a bit. hope the results are good and recovery speedy
 
Best wishes for your recovery. Being back home will quicken things, I'm sure. Using daily chores are great rehab.
 
To check back in on this, ...with good news.

On Thursday, we got the final summary from the doc on the various tests and analysis. The doc said no surprises compared with what they thought before surgery. The tumor was no larger than measured before (1.7cm, long axis), and while the cell analysis showed it was cancer, it's not a disastrous type. And, importantly, the five lymph nodes they tested were all negative/clean/clear. Staging remains as before, IA2.

Because of that staging/classification, the doc says there will be no further treatment. In spite of that the doc says there's about a 10% chance that something could develop in the coming years (so, some periodic followups). A friend here suggested that caution is a cover-your-ass tactic on the part of the docs/hospital--i.e., my friend thinks it's completely gone, but they're saying 10% to cover the outside chance that something else does pop up, or that they can't actually say they're 100% sure it's gone. Or, another way to look at it, at almost 68 I probably have a 10% chance of most anything happening.

So now, apart from missing the upper lobe of my right lung, I guess I'm okay.

(Oops, not quite--next step, prostate.)
 
I thought I posted on this before but probably on my phone and backed out before the post posted.
A guy in my club had a similar operation a few years ago(in his 60s).
He's ok.... still riding...

Hope you heal fast and well...
 
To check back in on this, ...with good news.
Great to hear that you are most likely done with that SOB tumor. What are the next steps as far as rehab is concerned? Do you need PT to make better use of what remains of your lungs?
 
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