Post by hytheseeker on Oct 14, 2017 16:14:32 GMT -6
Hi,
I recently had surgery to remove a large schwannoma tumor growing on my T8 nerve root sheath and am having sequelae that I haven't heard or read of anyone having and would like to know if anyone else has had this problem.
Although my tumor was quite large ("snowball-sized"--a quote from my surgeon), I didn't have neurological symptoms to speak of because it was growing in towards my chest cavity and putting pressure on my lung and aorta. My surgeon said it had also started invading the spinal canal but he felt it got it all. My surgery was different that what most people describe in that because the nerve root was so engulfed in the tumor and the tumor was mostly in the chest cavity, the neurosurgeon sacrificed the left T8 nerve root, snipping it through an incision in my back (and cleaning out the tumor from the spinal canal), and then a thoracic surgeon removed the tumor, nerve root and all through a thoracotomy (incision in my side, spread the ribs, collapse the lung and pulled it out). Needless to say, I am completely numb on my left side in the T8 nerve root distribution which I totally expected. What I didn't expect is that right from the time waking up from surgery until now (I am six weeks post op), I have what feels like muscle cramps or contractions continuously in my chest and back. Although the location and severity change, I am never without these. Sometimes it feels like someone has put a narrow belt around my chest and pulled it so tight I feel like I can't expand my rib cage, other times it feels wider, like a band instead of a narrow belt, and yet other times it's the same sensation only just on the left side of my chest. I've spoken to both the neurosurgeon and the thoracic surgeon about this, and both feel like it's probably from nerve irritation pain from the thoracotomy, however, I can't find any information (medical, forum, or otherwise) online where anyone has had the sensation I'm describing, either after a schwannoma removal or a thoracotomy for other reasons. It seems like everyone is complaining of "pain" of one kind or another, and I can't characterize this as "pain", it's more like a compressive pressure. Has anyone had surgery like mine and, if so, what were your post operative course and/or symptoms like?
I want so much to get back to even just walking for exercise but this sensation keeps me from doing even just that because even just walking for an extended period of time will aggravate this sensation.
Thanks for any input, it's greatly appreciated.
Wanting to Move On
I recently had surgery to remove a large schwannoma tumor growing on my T8 nerve root sheath and am having sequelae that I haven't heard or read of anyone having and would like to know if anyone else has had this problem.
Although my tumor was quite large ("snowball-sized"--a quote from my surgeon), I didn't have neurological symptoms to speak of because it was growing in towards my chest cavity and putting pressure on my lung and aorta. My surgeon said it had also started invading the spinal canal but he felt it got it all. My surgery was different that what most people describe in that because the nerve root was so engulfed in the tumor and the tumor was mostly in the chest cavity, the neurosurgeon sacrificed the left T8 nerve root, snipping it through an incision in my back (and cleaning out the tumor from the spinal canal), and then a thoracic surgeon removed the tumor, nerve root and all through a thoracotomy (incision in my side, spread the ribs, collapse the lung and pulled it out). Needless to say, I am completely numb on my left side in the T8 nerve root distribution which I totally expected. What I didn't expect is that right from the time waking up from surgery until now (I am six weeks post op), I have what feels like muscle cramps or contractions continuously in my chest and back. Although the location and severity change, I am never without these. Sometimes it feels like someone has put a narrow belt around my chest and pulled it so tight I feel like I can't expand my rib cage, other times it feels wider, like a band instead of a narrow belt, and yet other times it's the same sensation only just on the left side of my chest. I've spoken to both the neurosurgeon and the thoracic surgeon about this, and both feel like it's probably from nerve irritation pain from the thoracotomy, however, I can't find any information (medical, forum, or otherwise) online where anyone has had the sensation I'm describing, either after a schwannoma removal or a thoracotomy for other reasons. It seems like everyone is complaining of "pain" of one kind or another, and I can't characterize this as "pain", it's more like a compressive pressure. Has anyone had surgery like mine and, if so, what were your post operative course and/or symptoms like?
I want so much to get back to even just walking for exercise but this sensation keeps me from doing even just that because even just walking for an extended period of time will aggravate this sensation.
Thanks for any input, it's greatly appreciated.
Wanting to Move On