dotmitzvah
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Hi Erashid,
My mother just had a left lobectomy on May 12, and is recovering well, but has similar symptoms.
The pain in the right shoulder may be related to the surgery – if they had to cut through her diaphragm (which I can almost guarantee they did with the extensiveness of her surgery), they could have antagonized the phrenic nerve, which connects to the right trapezius muscle. It can cause an extreme amount of pain, but will eventually fade.
The gas can also be related to surgery – if it’s really uncomfortable, maybe your doctor can prescribe a PPI, or you can try something over-the-counter first, like Nexium.
As for the slowness, this is a huge surgery, and will take her some time to recover. My mother’s surgeon said that as long as she walks a little every day, her strength will improve.
Good luck!
Thanks guys! She woke up after a nap last night, sans nausea, gleefully ate, slept most of the night, and woke up with only minimal discomfort. Hopefully the Zofran is effective, and like Lainy mentioned, this is just par for the course.
I have been waaaaayyyy out of the loop with the rollercoaster of my mother’s illness! I’ve been blogging a bunch: check it out!
doyouevencancer.blogspot.com
Hope you’re all well!
Hi Gang –
Sorry it’s been so long. I’m on a bus en route home. After an angiogram last week, she’s having radioembolization on the 29th. She’s not feeling great, but her labs are still normal and she’s not jaundiced, so we’re hoping the treatment will at the very least aleve her pain and fatigue.
To answer the questions about her CT: the U/S, CT and biopsy all showed the same thing: a large mass with shitty margins (sorry, can I curse here?) presenting as ICC.
I oscillate between blind rage and sorrow, wanting desperately to lash out at something or someone for this horrible situation we’re all stuck in, but know that’s not going to be helpful (although, heaven help every telemarketer who has called me since my mother’s diagnosis).
I’ll be in VA for a couple of weeks before my shows pick up, so I’ll definitely check in and see how everyone is, and thanks for your support!
Hi Sammi,
I’m only at the beginning of this journey with my mother, but my heart is heavy for your current state with your dad. It’s easier to say “lean on those who love you” than it is to actually do it, but I’m sure (or, at least, I hope) you have a wealth of support around you to help you help your father transition. XOXO
Hi guys, sorry for the delay. I appreciate all of your loving thoughts. To answer some questions, my mother is 70 (and has told her oncologist that she simply CANNOT die at 71, as she is obsessive compulsive and would hate dying on a prime number
), and will be treated at Norfolk General. My parents live in Virginia, and Norfolk is the only local hospital that does radioembolization.To answer your question Catherine, the hope is that the treatment shrinks her tumor enough to consider surgery. She’s had appointments with four different doctors (an oncologist, an interventional radiologist, a radiation oncologist, and her surgeon), and although she has four different series of input, they think if embolization is a success, they can attempt resection. My mother is very practical, and her only real hope is that her symptoms (intense fatigue and pain, for now) will be relieved by the embolization. Surgery seems like a distant plan, but I remain cautiously hopeful.
Thank you guys so much for all of your support.
