That was a close call..... collapsed lung
Discussion
Just to continue this, (unfortunately!) the problem is back again 
On monday of last week I was at work and I started to get some pain down my side, I put it down to sitting awkwardly at my desk, but I went out for a walk over lunch, still in quite a lot of discomfort.
It gradually faded and but persisted for slightly over the next few days, the familiar bubbling sensation was back (not all that uncommon over as it gets colder in the autumn for some reason) but on wednesday to thursday I started getting shoulder and arm pain on the 20 minute walk back to Liverpool St.
So on friday morning I decided to get it checked out, walked into A&E and told the lady on the counter what the problem was, before I even had a chance to sit down I was called through, they checked my vitals and an alarm started going off so I was marched straight round the back for an ECG, which was fine and then a quick chest X-ray, within minutes of which I was in the resus unit :/
The xrays showed that my lung was collapsed by 25%, this time from the bottom, but because of the position the A&E medics were not happy to put a drain in, so I was admitted to a respiratory ward.
It was the same ward I had been admitted to the first time around and spent a week there, it was truly grim, seemed poorly staffed, cramped and in a bed room with 6 others who all looked like they were about to croak their last breath. Now in Ipswich, there is only one "visiting" thoracic consultant who only visits 1 day a week and spends the rest of his time in Norwich, along with my surgeon who carried my procedure back in 2004. I really did not want to be there...
So we had a discussion and I said that as I didn't actually feel that bad, could I go home for the weekend and see if some of the air re-absorbs on its own (it should do at a rate of around 1% per day). They said it probably wouldn't make enough of a difference but they were happy to let me go and see if it did improve.
So I'm now back home with an outpatients appointment tomorrow, where they could either put a drain in here, allow me to go to Norwich for it or possibly put a drain in and allow me to rest at home and treat me as an outpatient, which I understand is possible.
It's not what I really wanted given I started my training contract 3 weeks ago
On monday of last week I was at work and I started to get some pain down my side, I put it down to sitting awkwardly at my desk, but I went out for a walk over lunch, still in quite a lot of discomfort.
It gradually faded and but persisted for slightly over the next few days, the familiar bubbling sensation was back (not all that uncommon over as it gets colder in the autumn for some reason) but on wednesday to thursday I started getting shoulder and arm pain on the 20 minute walk back to Liverpool St.
So on friday morning I decided to get it checked out, walked into A&E and told the lady on the counter what the problem was, before I even had a chance to sit down I was called through, they checked my vitals and an alarm started going off so I was marched straight round the back for an ECG, which was fine and then a quick chest X-ray, within minutes of which I was in the resus unit :/
The xrays showed that my lung was collapsed by 25%, this time from the bottom, but because of the position the A&E medics were not happy to put a drain in, so I was admitted to a respiratory ward.
It was the same ward I had been admitted to the first time around and spent a week there, it was truly grim, seemed poorly staffed, cramped and in a bed room with 6 others who all looked like they were about to croak their last breath. Now in Ipswich, there is only one "visiting" thoracic consultant who only visits 1 day a week and spends the rest of his time in Norwich, along with my surgeon who carried my procedure back in 2004. I really did not want to be there...
So we had a discussion and I said that as I didn't actually feel that bad, could I go home for the weekend and see if some of the air re-absorbs on its own (it should do at a rate of around 1% per day). They said it probably wouldn't make enough of a difference but they were happy to let me go and see if it did improve.
So I'm now back home with an outpatients appointment tomorrow, where they could either put a drain in here, allow me to go to Norwich for it or possibly put a drain in and allow me to rest at home and treat me as an outpatient, which I understand is possible.
It's not what I really wanted given I started my training contract 3 weeks ago
Muncher said:
Just to continue this, (unfortunately!) the problem is back again
On monday of last week I was at work and I started to get some pain down my side, I put it down to sitting awkwardly at my desk, but I went out for a walk over lunch, still in quite a lot of discomfort.
It gradually faded and but persisted for slightly over the next few days, the familiar bubbling sensation was back (not all that uncommon over as it gets colder in the autumn for some reason) but on wednesday to thursday I started getting shoulder and arm pain on the 20 minute walk back to Liverpool St.
So on friday morning I decided to get it checked out, walked into A&E and told the lady on the counter what the problem was, before I even had a chance to sit down I was called through, they checked my vitals and an alarm started going off so I was marched straight round the back for an ECG, which was fine and then a quick chest X-ray, within minutes of which I was in the resus unit :/
The xrays showed that my lung was collapsed by 25%, this time from the bottom, but because of the position the A&E medics were not happy to put a drain in, so I was admitted to a respiratory ward.
It was the same ward I had been admitted to the first time around and spent a week there, it was truly grim, seemed poorly staffed, cramped and in a bed room with 6 others who all looked like they were about to croak their last breath. Now in Ipswich, there is only one "visiting" thoracic consultant who only visits 1 day a week and spends the rest of his time in Norwich, along with my surgeon who carried my procedure back in 2004. I really did not want to be there...
So we had a discussion and I said that as I didn't actually feel that bad, could I go home for the weekend and see if some of the air re-absorbs on its own (it should do at a rate of around 1% per day). They said it probably wouldn't make enough of a difference but they were happy to let me go and see if it did improve.
So I'm now back home with an outpatients appointment tomorrow, where they could either put a drain in here, allow me to go to Norwich for it or possibly put a drain in and allow me to rest at home and treat me as an outpatient, which I understand is possible.
It's not what I really wanted given I started my training contract 3 weeks ago
Had a collapsed lung aged 19, had the drain and usual done. On monday of last week I was at work and I started to get some pain down my side, I put it down to sitting awkwardly at my desk, but I went out for a walk over lunch, still in quite a lot of discomfort.
It gradually faded and but persisted for slightly over the next few days, the familiar bubbling sensation was back (not all that uncommon over as it gets colder in the autumn for some reason) but on wednesday to thursday I started getting shoulder and arm pain on the 20 minute walk back to Liverpool St.
So on friday morning I decided to get it checked out, walked into A&E and told the lady on the counter what the problem was, before I even had a chance to sit down I was called through, they checked my vitals and an alarm started going off so I was marched straight round the back for an ECG, which was fine and then a quick chest X-ray, within minutes of which I was in the resus unit :/
The xrays showed that my lung was collapsed by 25%, this time from the bottom, but because of the position the A&E medics were not happy to put a drain in, so I was admitted to a respiratory ward.
It was the same ward I had been admitted to the first time around and spent a week there, it was truly grim, seemed poorly staffed, cramped and in a bed room with 6 others who all looked like they were about to croak their last breath. Now in Ipswich, there is only one "visiting" thoracic consultant who only visits 1 day a week and spends the rest of his time in Norwich, along with my surgeon who carried my procedure back in 2004. I really did not want to be there...
So we had a discussion and I said that as I didn't actually feel that bad, could I go home for the weekend and see if some of the air re-absorbs on its own (it should do at a rate of around 1% per day). They said it probably wouldn't make enough of a difference but they were happy to let me go and see if it did improve.
So I'm now back home with an outpatients appointment tomorrow, where they could either put a drain in here, allow me to go to Norwich for it or possibly put a drain in and allow me to rest at home and treat me as an outpatient, which I understand is possible.
It's not what I really wanted given I started my training contract 3 weeks ago
Out a week later for it to pop again. Back in and then 10 days later went to cardio-thoracic unit and was given a pleurectomy - pleura removed. That was all 23 years ago. The is side still sensitive to bumps and bashes. You might get a pleurodesis...stick the lung to chest wall.
physprof said:
Had a collapsed lung aged 19, had the drain and usual done.
Out a week later for it to pop again. Back in and then 10 days later went to cardio-thoracic unit and was given a pleurectomy - pleura removed. That was all 23 years ago. The is side still sensitive to bumps and bashes. You might get a pleurodesis...stick the lung to chest wall.
They use talc powder for pleurodesis - medical, sterile, non-lavender scent Out a week later for it to pop again. Back in and then 10 days later went to cardio-thoracic unit and was given a pleurectomy - pleura removed. That was all 23 years ago. The is side still sensitive to bumps and bashes. You might get a pleurodesis...stick the lung to chest wall.
Dalto123 said:
really shocked me that it happened to you at 19! Really sorry that it's happened again Best wishes for a speedy recovery
t things can happen at any time so im doing everything i can now expecially after my uncle died at just 51 years old.Muncher said:
Apparently it can spontaneously happen to young, tall, thin men
Makes going on planes 'interesting' btw.
EDIT: Sorry to hear about the relapse. Afaik, my friend also wasn't just affected the one time.
Good thing you know the warning signs now, take it easy.
Edited by blueheron on Sunday 23 September 21:10
Farmerpalmer said:
physprof said:
Had a collapsed lung aged 19, had the drain and usual done.
Out a week later for it to pop again. Back in and then 10 days later went to cardio-thoracic unit and was given a pleurectomy - pleura removed. That was all 23 years ago. The is side still sensitive to bumps and bashes. You might get a pleurodesis...stick the lung to chest wall.
They use talc powder for pleurodesis - medical, sterile, non-lavender scent Out a week later for it to pop again. Back in and then 10 days later went to cardio-thoracic unit and was given a pleurectomy - pleura removed. That was all 23 years ago. The is side still sensitive to bumps and bashes. You might get a pleurodesis...stick the lung to chest wall.
Apparently, prognosis is, if young (18-early twenties) man, above average height, fit & healthy has any pain in middle of chest and/or breathing difficulty.... odds on its a collapsed lung. Think the spontaneous lung collapse is >90/10 more likely in male than female.
Getting chest-drain in through top front of chest is doddle.... if you're fit and healthy, wait you need one in the side of chest (e.g. a second in short time) they wrecked my side chest muscles, with weeks of pain, with the pushing to put drain in. I recall at time it was when I think an England cricketer was injured with torn side chest muscles ... I knew how sore it was....
Muncher said:
I know how unpleasant it was the first time around, hence I am very reluctant to have one in there again if I can avoid it, although I am told the drains they use these days are smaller and less invasive if anyone can confirm?
just ask for lots & lots of morph..... the feeling when you have the pop of the drain penetrating the chest while partial spaced is bizarre....I've had the same happen to me recently.
However mine was the result of trauma and involved a lot of broken ribs and I ended up staying in hospital for 4 days and I had to have the chest drain in for 72 hours.
Not an entirely pleasant experience - especially when they put the chest drain in, without anasthetic through my broken ribs.
However mine was the result of trauma and involved a lot of broken ribs and I ended up staying in hospital for 4 days and I had to have the chest drain in for 72 hours.
Not an entirely pleasant experience - especially when they put the chest drain in, without anasthetic through my broken ribs.
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