I wonder if anyone has had a similar experience...

[bottomofthehill]

6. It gets better.

It took a little bit, my surgery was in January, by the middle of the summer I was mowing the lawn. I was fortunate, middle age and mostly healthy and it was rough. Don’t be afraid of a surgical option, the VATS surgery is minimally invasive, it is still a bit much but the surgery help the healing by getting a lot of the pressure off the lung by getting the fluid out. Also, although they seem silly, the breathing games, both inhaling and exhaling help! It takes a while to build the lung capacity back but now, stairs, the lawn, whatever. It took some time, some in pain, but always moving forward. I hope the best for you but please know and keep in mind, it gets better.