The comfort of the Internet

It is funny how the times have changed. People always say that because time is change - pretty much by definition. I look at how it was maybe 10 or more years ago with trying to get diagnosed with Cushing's or finding a doctor at a hospital no where near my home. I would had needed personal referrals and had to search for doctors in a way that is almost nonexistent today - phone books.

I have been suffering with these really sharp pains that can only be described as electrical shock and fire in my chest. The pain can be pretty severe, right under my right breast and armpit mostly, but a little bit in my back near my incision areas. I am just over ten weeks out from surgery now and didn't think I would start experiencing a new pain from the surgery. I knew I had been numb in those areas since the surgery and my surgeon said the feeling would come back, I just hadn't been prepared for it to be so painful!

So, up at 3:30 a.m. I decided to get on the Internet to see what the problem was - why was I experiencing such massive pain now?

Apparently my nerves are "waking up" post surgery after having been cut through and reconnected to new tissue, etc. After a VATS RML (Right Middle Lobectomy), this is common. I found that most people who wrote about their experiences took pain medication to cope with the sudden shock-like symptoms. One person explained the feeling as like "being poked with a sparkler" and that was another great description.

It's amazing how reading about other people's experiences can help us feel better, more confident, and directed. I don't feel like I need to run off to the ER because of my pain. I will wait to call my doctor on Monday and then go from there. I took some (1000 mg) ibuprofen and have just tried to stay still for the last few hours. I think it has helped. Now, of course, I will need a nap to recover from a night with no sleep!