Monday, April 21, 2008

My entire right lung was removed on November 18, 2005 as a result of lung cancer. I have been experiencing burning on the inside of my right side of the body. Is this due to nerve restoration post-surgery?

From your limited description, it’s hard to tell where your pain is and what the nature of the pain is, but the symptoms you describe could well be due to inflammation or irritation of the nerve. Surgery that involves opening the chest (thoracotomy) is notoriously painful and many patients have pain long after surgery.

However, it could also be due to a condition called shingles, due to herpes zoster (the same virus that causes chickenpox), which is usually associated with a rash that breaks out in the area of the pain sometime later.

If the pain is persistent or very bothersome, be sure to talk to your doctor. There are some remedies that can at least lessen the pain, if not eliminate it.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Lung Cancer Center.