#1 ·
Hey everyone,
I’ll try to keep this brief and skip the fluff so I don't bore you. After suffering through three separate lung collapses, the doctors at Springfield General decided it was finally time for a VATS procedure—video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery—to excise a bleb, an unstable air blister that kept causing these constant leaks.
The surgery itself went off without a hitch; I just have three little 2cm incisions that are currently healing up just fine.
Here’s the catch: it looks like they nicked a nerve during those small cuts, because even two weeks post-op, I’m dealing with significant numbness in two specific spots. There is one roughly 10x10cm patch on my chest and a smaller area on my right arm near the armpit. It feels about 50% deadened, and the skin there has become incredibly hypersensitive—even something as simple as drying off with a towel can actually be painful.
Has anyone here dealt with something similar, or perhaps gone through this already? I'd love to hear how you managed it. My doctor claims that nerves take a massive amount of time to regenerate, potentially a year or two, but I've heard conflicting advice—some suggest stimulating the area with various textures, temperatures, or sensations to "retrain" the brain to recognize the signals, while others swear by acupuncture as a way to speed things along.
Best regards from a very numb James. 👍
I’ll try to keep this brief and skip the fluff so I don't bore you. After suffering through three separate lung collapses, the doctors at Springfield General decided it was finally time for a VATS procedure—video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery—to excise a bleb, an unstable air blister that kept causing these constant leaks.
The surgery itself went off without a hitch; I just have three little 2cm incisions that are currently healing up just fine.
Here’s the catch: it looks like they nicked a nerve during those small cuts, because even two weeks post-op, I’m dealing with significant numbness in two specific spots. There is one roughly 10x10cm patch on my chest and a smaller area on my right arm near the armpit. It feels about 50% deadened, and the skin there has become incredibly hypersensitive—even something as simple as drying off with a towel can actually be painful.
Has anyone here dealt with something similar, or perhaps gone through this already? I'd love to hear how you managed it. My doctor claims that nerves take a massive amount of time to regenerate, potentially a year or two, but I've heard conflicting advice—some suggest stimulating the area with various textures, temperatures, or sensations to "retrain" the brain to recognize the signals, while others swear by acupuncture as a way to speed things along.
Best regards from a very numb James. 👍