What should yoou expect from a thoracotomy?

Depends: Immediately after thoracotomy, there will be a chest drain that your surgeon will remove when drainage slows and after any air leak from your lung resolves, usually less than a week unless you have bad emphysema. Then a few weeks to few months of gradually weening of narcotics. Shorter if surgeon did not cut the latissimus and/or serratus muscles, i.e. Muscle-sparing thoracotomy.