MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast

From ICU To Independence: A Mesothelioma Survivor’s Road Back

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Episode 6: Katherine Keyes — Life After Lung Removal Surgery


The median survival for pleural mesothelioma with treatment is 18-31 months—yet Katherine Keyes was diagnosed in 2007 and is still thriving 17 years later. In this episode of MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast, host Dave Foster—Executive Director of patient advocacy at Danziger & De Llano with 18 years of experience helping mesothelioma families—sits down with Katherine Keyes, a Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma survivor who defied a one-year prognosis after extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Katherine walks through the rarely discussed post-surgery reality: managing 10-12 medications on strict schedules, oxygen dependency 24 hours a day, and the physical therapy required to retrain a single lung. Her daughters moved in and split day-night shifts to coordinate care. A close friend who worked as a nurse at Methodist Hospital in Dallas stopped by every morning before her own shift to help Katherine bathe and dress. When appetite vanished and weight dropped, marinol helped restore enough hunger to stabilize.

Together, they cover:

  • Post-surgical recovery protocols: 10-12 different medications with alarm-scheduled dosing, 24/7 oxygen therapy using both portable backpack units and stationary concentrators, and the transition from walker to independent mobility
  • Daily radiation at MD Anderson Cancer Center: Katherine leased an apartment near the Houston medical district and completed five days per week of radiation therapy for two and a half months, driving herself to and from treatment
  • Physical therapy timeline and goals: Six months of stretching exercises to prevent chest wall adhesions, maintain lung capacity in the remaining lung, and rebuild strength after major surgery
  • Family support systems that work: Daughters who created medication schedules with alarm clocks, a nurse friend who provided daily care assistance, and employers (Neiman Marcus) who allowed remote work to accommodate caregiving
  • Long-term recovery realities: Katherine was not medically cleared to return to full-time work but gradually returned to part-time employment after several years, learning to balance independence with medical precautions

Whether you're facing mesothelioma surgery, supporting someone through post-surgical recovery, or navigating life after lung removal, Katherine's story offers practical guidance on oxygen management, medication coordination, rehabilitation timelines, and building support systems that sustain long-term survival.

Resources:


MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast is sponsored by Danziger & De Llano, a nationwide mesothelioma law firm with over 30 years of experience and nearly $2 billion recovered for asbestos victims. For a free consultation, visit Dandell.com.

MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast

Episode 6: Katherine Keyes — Life After Lung Removal Surgery

Host: Dave Foster, Executive Director of Patient Advocacy, Danziger & De Llano
Guest: Katherine Keyes, 17-Year Pleural Mesothelioma Survivor
Also Appearing: Anna Jackson, Director of Patient Support, Danziger & De Llano

Key Takeaways

Katherine Keyes was diagnosed with Stage 1 pleural mesothelioma in 2007 and given a one-year prognosis after extrapleural pneumonectomy (lung removal surgery). Today, 17 years later, she continues to thrive. This episode covers the immediate post-surgical recovery period—a phase rarely discussed in detail but critical for long-term survival.

Recovery required 10-12 different medications taken on strict alarm-scheduled intervals, 24-hour oxygen therapy using both portable and stationary units, and physical therapy lasting six months to retrain her remaining lung. Katherine's daughters moved into her home and split day-night caregiving shifts while managing full-time jobs. A close friend who worked as a nurse stopped by every morning to help Katherine bathe and dress before heading to her own hospital shift.

Katherine spent two and a half months living near MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, completing five days per week of radiation therapy. She drove herself to and from treatment, establishing a routine that helped maintain independence despite significant medical limitations. Post-radiation, she began six months of physical therapy focused on chest wall stretching and lung capacity maintenance.

While Katherine was never medically cleared for full-time employment, she gradually returned to part-time work after several years. Her approach balanced independence with respect for medical boundaries—staying "under the umbrella" while testing what she could safely accomplish.

For families facing mesothelioma surgery, Katherine's experience offers practical guidance on medication management, oxygen therapy, rehabilitation timelines, family support coordination, and the long-term adjustments that make extended survival possible. Learn more about mesothelioma treatment options at https://dandell.com/mesothelioma-diagnosis/.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does recovery take after extrapleural pneumonectomy (lung removal) for mesothelioma?

Recovery from extrapleural pneumonectomy is measured in months, not weeks. Katherine spent the first few months primarily sleeping while her body healed, managing 10-12 medications on strict schedules with 24/7 oxygen support. She then completed two and a half months of daily radiation therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center, followed by six months of physical therapy to rebuild strength and maintain lung capacity in her remaining lung.

The timeline varies by individual, but Katherine's experience reflects typical post-EPP recovery: immediate post-surgical stabilization (2-3 months), radiation or chemotherapy (2-3 months), and physical rehabilitation (4-6 months). Full return to normal activities may take a year or longer. Many patients, like Katherine, are not cleared for full-time employment but can gradually return to modified work schedules.

What medications are required after mesothelioma lung surgery?

Katherine managed 10-12 different medications simultaneously during her post-surgical recovery, including pain management medications, medications to regulate body temperature (she experienced extreme hot and cold cycles), marinol to stimulate appetite and prevent dangerous weight loss, and medications to support lung function and prevent complications.

Medication schedules were so complex that her daughters created detailed charts with alarm reminders to ensure each dose was taken at the correct time. Missing doses or taking medications out of sequence could have serious consequences, making family support or professional care coordination essential during early recovery.

Can you work after mesothelioma treatment?

Katherine was never medically cleared to return to full-time work after her extrapleural pneumonectomy and radiation therapy. However, after several years of recovery, she gradually returned to part-time employment, learning to balance independence with medical limitations.

The ability to return to work depends on multiple factors: the type of mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial), the extent of surgery, the success of treatment, and the individual's overall health. Some survivors return to modified work schedules, while others focus on volunteer work or advocacy. Katherine later became active in helping other mesothelioma patients navigate the healthcare system.

For questions about work restrictions and disability benefits, Danziger & De Llano can provide guidance: https://dandell.com/mesothelioma-compensation/.

What is oxygen therapy like after mesothelioma lung surgery?

Katherine required 24-hour oxygen therapy after her lung removal, using both a large stationary oxygen concentrator at home (which made a constant humming sound) and a portable backpack-style unit for leaving the house. The portable unit allowed her to maintain some independence and attend medical appointments.

Oxygen therapy is common after extrapleural pneumonectomy because the remaining lung must be carefully supported as it adapts to handling the body's full oxygen needs. The duration of oxygen dependency varies—some patients wean off oxygen within months, while others require it longer-term. Physical therapy helps train the remaining lung to increase capacity over time.

How do families coordinate care after major mesothelioma surgery?

Katherine's daughters moved into her home and split caregiving into day and night shifts while maintaining their own jobs. Her oldest daughter worked at Neiman Marcus, which allowed her to bring her laptop and work remotely from Katherine's house. A close friend who worked as a nurse at Methodist Hospital in Dallas stopped by every morning before her own shift to help Katherine bathe and get dressed—a small act that made an enormous difference in Katherine's dignity and daily functioning.

Successful family care coordination requires detailed medication schedules, clear role division, employer flexibility, and willingness to ask for and accept help from extended networks. Many families also benefit from professional home health services, which can be covered by insurance or veterans' benefits for qualifying patients.

For caregiver support resources, visit https://dandell.com/anna-jackson/ to learn about Danziger & De Llano's patient support services led by Anna Jackson, Director of Patient Support.

Transcript

DAVE FOSTER: You're listening to MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast, where support, education, and outreach come together for families facing mesothelioma.

Hello, Katherine Keyes and Anna Jackson! How are you doing?

KATHERINE KEYES: Hello, Dave!

ANNA JACKSON: We're doing great!

DAVE FOSTER: We're doing our next segment of our podcast on mesothelioma survivor Katherine Keyes—the lovely Katherine Keyes, the formidable Katherine Keyes, the survivor.

KATHERINE KEYES: You know, Dave has to do that. He just has to say something.

Post-Surgical Recovery: The First Months Home

DAVE FOSTER: Anyway, Katherine, what we want to talk about in this particular segment right before Christmas is—we talked a little bit about post-surgery and what happened, but I want to pick up there again. You've been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you've gone into surgery, you've had a horrific surgery where you had a lung removed. Here you are on the other side of that surgery. What was it like, and what happened in the next six to eight months?

KATHERINE KEYES: Oh boy. Wow. Okay. So I think I remember I was on my way home in August in 93-degree weather. After I got home, I was on so much medication. I was probably sleeping my whole days away. I was on so much medication. I was on oxygen. I was still on a walker.

DAVE FOSTER: A lot of pain?

KATHERINE KEYES: Lots of pain. I was on a lot of medication. Some of it was—as a matter of fact, I had to take all the medication at the appointed time. So I was probably on about 10 or 12 different medications.

ANNA JACKSON: Wow.

KATHERINE KEYES: And my daughters actually had to move into my house with me. My oldest daughter made a schedule with all the times for my medication, and they had to set alarm clocks. I was taking so much medication—so much so that after I would take a certain medication, I would get really cold, like freezing cold, and then the next minute I would be extremely warm and hot. It was kind of going back and forth, back and forth. And I was hooked up to the oxygen machine 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow.

Family Support Systems That Sustained Recovery

KATHERINE KEYES: Then I had one of my good friends who was a nurse, and she worked at Methodist Hospital in Dallas. When she would get off every day, she would come by and she would help me take my bath.

ANNA JACKSON: Isn't that wonderful?

DAVE FOSTER: Wow.

KATHERINE KEYES: I mean, she was just like, "Don't even worry about it. I got it, I got it, I got it." But it was really nice to have somebody do that. You know, I didn't even ask.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow.

KATHERINE KEYES: As a matter of fact, everything seemed like it was just divinely orchestrated because everything just fell into place. When I was in the hospital, I had my girlfriend, and she stayed by my bedside the whole time I was there. She had to leave one day because she had a doctor's appointment herself back in Dallas, and she cried like a baby because she just didn't want to leave me by myself.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow. That's great.

KATHERINE KEYES: Yeah. But anyway, when I got home, I had all this help. My oldest daughter had just started working at Neiman Marcus, and they even worked with her. They told her she could take her computer laptop and work from my house. So they helped me with all of my medication. I mean, it was a really scary time for all of us. But two of my daughters moved in—one took the day shift, one took the night shift.

ANNA JACKSON: Wow.

KATHERINE KEYES: And of course, my husband was out on the road. He was a truck driver. But my daughters really did step up to the plate. They had everything I needed. They made sure I had my meals, my baths, whatever else I needed.

But all of the medication that I was on—for the next few months, all I could do was wake up, eat, take medication, and go back to bed.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow.

KATHERINE KEYES: Yeah. And that was kind of helping me through the healing process, you know, my body healing. So I guess that was, in a way, a good thing.

Managing Oxygen Dependency and Loss of Appetite

DAVE FOSTER: When you were going through all the medication that you were taking, the first thing that came to my mind was feeling confined. I struggle with staying in one place the whole time. I mean, did you even think that, or were you just too medicated to even think through that?

KATHERINE KEYES: Kind of in and out, you know? I was really kind of come to myself. I was hooked up to oxygen. I had a portable oxygen machine, but I also had the big condensed one, the stationary one. You hear this constant humming sound going through when you're on oxygen. You can just hear it. So yeah, it was kind of like being confined to that. Like when I would wake up, I heard this big machine. When I'd go to sleep and wake up, I heard the machine. But it didn't really affect me because I was medicated so much.

DAVE FOSTER: Did you feel like you needed the oxygen, or—and I guess what I'm saying is, you were a runner, you had a really good lung, you were healthy, you weren't a smoker, right?

KATHERINE KEYES: No, I was not a smoker.

DAVE FOSTER: So my question is, was your remaining lung not compensating, or did they just feel like you needed it?

KATHERINE KEYES: The doctors felt like I needed it. And I had to work my way back up to a certain stability point. So after being home for a little while, they put me into physical therapy. I had to go to therapy, and I would do these exercises because—I guess from sleeping on one side of my body—my muscles kind of maybe were sticking together or something. So I had to do stretch exercises to make sure, to keep my breast area, my chest area, to keep that area kind of opened up and to make sure that my other lung would stay strong enough to hold the capacity that I needed, the amount of oxygen.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow. And how long did that last?

KATHERINE KEYES: Oh, probably about six months.

DAVE FOSTER: Wow. And were you getting up and getting around at all, or were you primarily just stationary?

KATHERINE KEYES: At first I was pretty much stationary. Then whenever I would have to leave the house, I would have my little portable oxygen machine, like a backpack that you just throw over and roll with the punches.

DAVE FOSTER: Go with it. Yeah.

KATHERINE KEYES: But for some reason, I don't know what it is—what type of medication—but that's probably why I lost a lot of weight. I just didn't have an appetite. So even after being up and being able to get around and do some things, I had to take some—I think they call it marinol. It gives you an appetite.

DAVE FOSTER: Right. Yeah.

KATHERINE KEYES: So I had to take that to even get an appetite. And that was kind of a little sad area because I was a person—I'll say it—but I like to eat. I mean, I won't go overboard, but I can say that growing up in my parents' house, we would always have three meals a day, and my mom always had something sweet that she would make every week. She'd make cookies, peach cobbler, brownies, gingerbread. I mean, these good things. So I was used to it. And that just reminded me of when I was taking care of my dad. My dad was used to three meals a day. So taking care of him, I had to make sure he had his three meals, his snacks, and his sweets.

ANNA JACKSON: That's fine. Wow.

Two and a Half Months of Daily Radiation at MD Anderson

DAVE FOSTER: So you were there at your house, then you went to MD Anderson, checked into a hotel or an apartment there for a little bit?

KATHERINE KEYES: I got an apartment around the medical area where I could probably get an Uber or something. But my body was in such good shape that after I would go there, I could drive myself. It was only maybe about five or not even ten minutes away. The parking was close. So I would drive myself to my treatments. And as soon as I finished my treatments, I would go through the drive-through—there's a Wendy's or some little drive-through that's close in that area. I would just go to the drive-through, order some food, go back to my apartment, eat it, and then take my nap and be out for the rest of the day.

DAVE FOSTER: So you're there how long?

KATHERINE KEYES: About two and a half months.

DAVE FOSTER: Two and a half months. And so post-surgery, you're there doing rehab. Then what happened? Let me ask you this: what were you doing in rehab? Did they have you walking, treadmills? What were they having you do?

KATHERINE KEYES: Well, when I came to MD Anderson, I was taking my treatments—I was doing radiation. I was there doing radiation for that two and a half months.

DAVE FOSTER: Okay. Yeah. And any physical therapy at that time?

KATHERINE KEYES: Not at that time, really. The physical therapy was after all of it.

DAVE FOSTER: Yeah. Wow. Okay. So you're there. Then what happened at the end of the two and a half months? Doctor Rice says?

KATHERINE KEYES: Go!

DAVE FOSTER: Yeah.

KATHERINE KEYES: Well, he just told me that they didn't release me to go back to a full-time job. But I felt like I could have. But again, like I was saying last time, I wanted to get out of ICU, but when I started doing things, you could tell that I really needed everything. I needed to stay under the umbrella they put me under.

DAVE FOSTER: Right. Yeah.

KATHERINE KEYES: So anyway, after a while—maybe a couple of years or so—then I started trying to work, to do a little part-time.

DAVE FOSTER: Okay. Yeah.

Refusing to Accept the One-Year Prognosis

DAVE FOSTER: So you're told you have the disease, you're going to go through the surgery. They gave you probably a date stamp or a timeline. Did they say, "The prognosis is you have eight months, a year"? What did they say?

KATHERINE KEYES: They told me that the longest the survivors lived was about a year.

DAVE FOSTER: Okay. Yeah. And was that your expectation, or did you think you'd do better?

KATHERINE KEYES: Well, you know, I always have to listen to the higher power. I was like, "Okay, you know, but I don't want to tell them that." And that's not what I'm looking at.

DAVE FOSTER: Right, right, right.

KATHERINE KEYES: And I guess I've always been the type of person that if somebody tells me I can't do something, I got to prove them wrong. I just got to prove them wrong.

DAVE FOSTER: So what I'm hearing you say is you're a bit stubborn.

KATHERINE KEYES: Not stubborn—competitive!

DAVE FOSTER: Competitive, determined, determined. I like that one better.

KATHERINE KEYES: Headstrong!

DAVE FOSTER: So good. I got to reach the other side.

ANNA JACKSON: All right, y'all, be real.

Closing: What's Next

DAVE FOSTER: Okay, so it's been about 15 minutes here. We're going to take a quick break. Katherine, we'll come back and talk about—all right, so they gave you a year to live. You've gone through this horrendous treatment, mental anguish, radiation. And I want to talk a little bit about what's next. Okay?

KATHERINE KEYES: Okay.

DAVE FOSTER: We'll be right back. Got you.

Modern Relevance: Why Katherine's Experience Matters Today

Katherine Keyes' story demonstrates that mesothelioma survival is possible beyond the median statistics when patients receive expert surgical care at specialized centers like MD Anderson Cancer Center, coordinate comprehensive family support systems, and commit to rigorous post-treatment rehabilitation.

Today's mesothelioma treatment landscape includes advances Katherine didn't have access to in 2007: immunotherapy combinations like Opdivo and Yervoy, HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy) for peritoneal cases, and refined surgical techniques like pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) that spare the lung. Yet Katherine's core lessons remain essential: the critical importance of medication management, oxygen therapy compliance, physical therapy commitment, family caregiver coordination, and mental determination.

For families facing mesothelioma today, Katherine's 17-year survival shows that outliving the prognosis is possible with the right combination of expert medical care, family support, and personal determination. Danziger & De Llano has helped over 1,000 mesothelioma families access treatment at specialized centers and pursue compensation to offset medical costs. Learn more at https://dandell.com/mesothelioma/.

Additional Resources

  • Mesothelioma Treatment Centers: https://dandell.com/mesothelioma-diagnosis/
  • Compensation for Treatment Costs: https://dandell.com/mesothelioma-compensation/
  • Dave Foster, Executive Director of Patient Advocacy: https://dandell.com/david-foster/
  • Anna Jackson, Director of Patient Support: https://dandell.com/anna-jackson/
  • Free Case Evaluation: https://dandell.com/contact-us/

MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast is sponsored by Danziger & De Llano, a nationwide mesothelioma law firm with over 30 years of experience and nearly $2 billion recovered for asbestos victims. For a free consultation, visit Dandell.com.

Danziger & De Llano is a nationwide mesothelioma law firm with over 30 years of experience representing asbestos victims across all 50 states. This podcast provides information only and does not constitute legal advice. For a free case evaluation, visit dandell.com.


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David Foster

Host
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Anna Jackson

Co-host