Hello, I’ve posted on here before. I got my surgery on Wednesday 9th April, just out of hospital today and feeling very sore, my neck swelled up on Friday night 11th April and felt crunchy when touching it…I was given an X-ray and told I had surgical emphysema in my neck and chest…my neck was very swollen , very sore and uncomfortable when swallowing, I woke up on Saturday morning feeling bit better but was told the emphysema may get worse before it gets better….anyway even though I can still feel the bubbles in my neck I got home today…I had lower lobe removed on lung, the worst part about being in the ward after surgery is the drains attached…I got these taken out on Friday morning so was good to move about freely…when I came into the hospital the day before my surgery I was told I had signs of MRSA in my nose from pre op swab, so I was put into a room of my own during my stay which also made it that wee bit better…I got plenty pain relief back home with me , to give myself injections into my stomach for next 10 days to prevent blood clots…to get follow up chest X-ray in 3 weeks and consultation with the surgeon in 4 weeks time…I have a smaller tumour in my left lung , but this is too small to operate on so will be given additional CT scans over the months/years…the big recovery starts tomorrow, small steps and day by day is the way to go.
Hello SRN
I am glad to hear that your surgery has been done and that you are now home and recovering. It sounds like you had a pretty rough time and I hope that things go more to plan now.
I had the same injections after my cancer surgery and they can be pretty uncomfortable. I found alternating sides and avoiding any bruised areas helped. Also I found putting the needle in slowly and pulling it out slowly also helped. It still stung though. I did try holding an ice cube (in a cloth) in the area first and it may help.
It sounds like they are going to keep a good eye on you with the follow up CT scans and X rays.
I hope that your appointment with the surgeon in 4 weeks goes well. In the meantime we are here if you need us.
Recovering from surgery is not easy and small steps day by day is a good plan. I found listening to my body was best. Do give the Support Line a call if you need to talk to someone. The number is below.
I wish you well with your recovery.
Jane
