What happens after a lobectomy?
After your lobectomy surgery, here’s what happens:
- A provider will stop the medicine that keeps you asleep.
- You’ll go to a recovery unit and receive medicine for the pain.
- When you’re awake enough, your healthcare team will remove your breathing tube. Most people don’t remember this.
- You’ll go to a recovery room (most common) or intensive care unit (ICU). You’ll move from a recovery room to a regular room after you recover from anesthesia.
- You’ll have one or two drains in your chest to remove extra fluid and air from around your lung. A healthcare provider will remove the drains when there isn’t much coming out anymore.
- Your care team will encourage you to cough regularly and do breathing exercises. This will require good pain management.
- Your providers will monitor you for irregular heartbeats.
- You’ll receive blood thinners to prevent blood clots in your legs while you’re in bed. You may also have compression devices on your legs for this reason.
- Your providers will help you walk the day after surgery.
How long does it take to recover from a lobectomy?
With a VATS or RATS lobectomy, your hospital stay is typically two to three days. Recovery tends to be faster due to less pain and bleeding with VATS or RATS compared to an open-chest procedure. This means a faster return to work and regular activities.
Lobectomy recovery after an open-chest surgery typically requires three to four days in the hospital.
When you go home after VATS or RATS, you’ll have a one-week supply of strong pain medication. Most people don’t need a refill. When you leave the hospital, you should be able to care for yourself. But it’s good to have someone nearby who can help you if you need it as you recover.
You may receive oxygen therapy after your hospital stay. Most people will need this for a brief time while they recover from surgery.
After a VATS or RATS, you can drive again once you stop taking strong pain medicine. In general, you may be able to return to work at a desk around two weeks after going home. You should take four weeks to recover for jobs that require lifting.
When should I call my healthcare provider?
Contact your provider if you have signs of infection, like a fever, chills and fatigue.
You’ll have a follow-up visit seven to 21 days after your surgery. Your provider can talk with you about your test results then. You’ll have a chest X-ray, and your surgeon will assess your wounds and your recovery. Also, they’ll give you more guidelines about your activities, return to work and what to eat.
Depending on the cancer stage, your provider may refer you to an oncologist. For any stage, you can expect to have CT scans for the next five years. You may worry about lung cancer coming back. This is why your provider will schedule a CT scan every six months after your surgery.
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