If there are no complications in the postoperative period, most patients will be discharged home after about 7 days in hospital. Complete healing of the incision takes about 6 weeks, and no lifting or strenuous activities should be done until after this time. Light activities or part time work can sometimes be started as soon as 3 or 4 weeks after surgery.
Surgery that removes part of the lung will necessarily result in some loss of function. Fortunately, there is enough lung reserve function, that a person can live and function even if one entire lung is removed. Obviously, the less lung removed, the less the disablity. Usually, a person who has no other respiratory or heart disease, will be able to resume normal activities after removal of a lobe of the lung or an entire lung. Strenuous activities may result in shortness of breath that was not present before surgery.
If the patient has significant chronic obstructive lung disease or chronic bronchitis before surgery, the effects of surgical resection can be more serious, and shortness of breath can occur even with minimal activities. Such patients can sometimes require supplementary oxygen at home on a permanent basis. Careful pulmonary function testing before surgery will usually, but not always, enable the surgeon to predict which patients will be severely disabled after surgery.