After my thoracotomy, I went looking for real-life details of what was ahead for me in my recovery. I wanted to know if what I was experiencing was anywhere near "normal" for thoracotomy recovery. I wanted the nitty gritty, the week-by-week details. But I didn’t find that kind of help anywhere on the internet. So, I wrote out my experience in hopes that it will help someone like me, someone looking for a reality check.

From One Week Post-Op to Three Years Post-Op, here are the details, hints, tricks, and resources I collected from my thoracotomy recovery.