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Submit Response is a weblog by Jack Mottram, a journalist who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. There are 1308 posts in the archives. You can subscribe to a feed. This post was made on and belongs in the misc. category. The previous post was , and the next post is .

Spontaneous Pneumothorax

When it’s the day before your birthday, one week before your holiday to New York and slap bang in the middle of work, the last thing you want is a spontaeneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. It really hurts, and more often than not, requires the insertion of a chest tube, which runs from a hole in your side to a plastic water container, which bubbles as the lung reinflates. (It was noted that, with an extra hole in my chest, i could have been used as a human bong.)

Just for fun, I have to have pleurodesis, which involves spraying ‘such agents as talc’ inbetween my lungs and the inside of my chest. This acts as an irritant, binding the two surfaces together. Damn those apical blebs.

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Posted at 10am on 29/03/02 by Jack Mottram to the misc. category.
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  1. Birthday

    Donna and I share a Birthday. Look: This time last year…

    Posted by Submit Response at 12am on 25.03.03

  2. This souns wierd but my dog has copme down with spontaneous pneumothorax. We had her lungs aspirated today andfound 2300ml in hwer right lung and 63000ml in her left. If any one knows any other treatments besides surgery which I cant afford because no hospitals will even think about payment plans please let me know. Today is Mondady June 23. We have to have a decision by Thursday at the latest. THANK YOU

    Posted by Eric hathaway at 4am on 24.06.03

  3. I am also a victim of the affliction you speak of. I am a 45 year old white male which endured numerous episodes of spontaeneous pneumothorax as a teenager. I also had a surgical pleurodesis on one lung and a chemical pleurodesis on the other. This procedure works but chest pains have always been a part of my life. This past week, while shoveling snow, I had another reoccurrance of this troubling problem. My lung that had the surgical procedure evidently collapsed again, twenty-six years after the surgery.

    My understanding of this problem is that there are blisters on the outer surface of the lung, called blebs. Everyone has these blebs to a degree due to friction between the surface of the lungs and the chest cavity. Sometimes these blebs burst and leak air from the inside of the lung. An air pocket is created on the outside of the lung which breaks down the tissue and causes severe pain. A chest tube is inserted to remove the air pocket, which in turn pulls the lung back into the space that was created by the air pocket.

    Usually persons prone to have this affliction are young, slender, white males. Reoccurrance is usually indication of an ongoing problem which will require surgical or chemical intervention such as pleurodesis. After pleurodesis, risk of reoccurrance is reduced however chest pains are not uncommon (from my own experiences).

    Posted by Mike at 1am on 29.01.04

  4. Thanks for your comment Mike - so sorry to hear you had another pneumothorax after all those years - when I was in hospital, there were a couple of older blokes who’d found the condition had returned. Something for me to look forward to, I suppose.

    And you’re right about the chest pains - I get them when it’s cold, and even more when I fly…

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 10am on 29.01.04

  5. Had the same problem. Just come out of hospital last week, after a second episode of pneumothorax, hope the surgery has fixed the problem. I’ve now got to sit around for 2 weeks, as i cant work. Just wondered if anyone has had the problem in both lungs, as my doctor scared me by saying there is a likely chance my other lung could collapse sometime. Great, can’t wait.

    Posted by Matt at 8pm on 28.02.04

  6. Hi Matt - good to hear that you got your surgery after two. Due to a bloody clerical error I had four collapses before anyone even mentioned the possibility of surgery.

    In my case the blebs were only on one lung, but they did warn that having one collapse increased the risk of the other one going… but I’ve been fine since the surgery, which was a good while ago now.

    Fingers crossed it goes well for you too.

    Posted by Jack at 2pm on 29.02.04

  7. I AM A 22 YR. OLD FEMALE AND HEVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS. MY LUNG COLLAPSES EVERY 4 MONTHS AND I AM IN THE HOSPITAL. jUST RECENTLY I HAD TO HAVE MY UPPER RIGHT LOBE REMOVED. IT IS PAINFUL,DEVASTING,SCARY. I WISH SOMEONE COULD FIND A CURE FOR THIS,BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF HURTING.

    Posted by ANNA at 3pm on 07.03.04

  8. Goodness, that sounds awful Anna - get well soon.

    Posted by Jack at 3pm on 12.03.04

  9. I suffered from a pneumothorax last february (2003). I had an operation (thoracotomy) which fixed me up after having 5 drains - oh what fun they are!
    I still have pains if i overdo it or breathe very deeply. I was told there is a chance of the other lung collapsing, but not a big chance - lets hope not.

    Posted by Andy Donovan at 6pm on 13.03.04

  10. Hi
    I suffer from sp on both lungs and it seems to happen at the same time every year. Just out of Hospital in January again. Been for an out patient appointment last week and was told that I need surgery on both lungs. Really scared as they told me I will have 2 chest drains in each time and will be on morphine!!!! The Surgeon said he will operate 1 week, give me 1-2 weeks recovery and then operate on the other side. I was told that this is common in tall, slim people in their mid 20’s, well I’m only 5’1 3/4”. I am suffering severe pain all the time in my left lung and have give up my job because of this and being short of breath all the time does anyone know of any support group for suffers of spontaneous pneumothorax.

    Posted by fiona wright at 9pm on 25.03.04

  11. After having three spontaeneous pnemothorax had to have surgical pleuorodesis that was seven months ago I’m still having pain on right hand side also chest pain and feelings of heaviness on right lung.I’ve been back to hospital for more x-rays but ca’nt seem to find anything wrong I have to go for some breathing tests.

    Posted by Patricia Brown at 2am on 28.03.04

  12. Since Jan,06/04 have had 2 sp.,the last was March 29/04.I go for a CT Scan on April 13/04.The next time will have a surgery.My second occurance was more painful than the first,still having a bit of trouble breathing.The more i read on the subject the more worried i become.After my first one i never recovered completely and whenever i finished work i was quite tired.Even now i figure i will always be out of breath and always tired after doing things.Thanks for Listening

    Posted by Richard at 2am on 11.04.04

  13. I had a pneumothorax one week after the removal of my left testicle from cancer. I was and still am 28 years old. I puffed a smoke the one morning and went back to bed and when I got up I felt the shortness of breath and went to the hospital where I stayed for 5 days. It’s been over seven months and from time to time I still get phantom pains. My doctor says it’s nerves and may last a year or so. He also says I will not have another. I think it’s related to the anesthetic weakening and causing damage and vulnerability to my lung. Not to mention the smoking. I’ve since quit but have been eager to find information on encouraging healing to strengthen respiratory health. Would jogging at this point be beneficial? Please respond. AL

    Posted by AL at 4am on 18.04.04

  14. I am white male 22, 6ft tall. Had my (first) spontaneous pneumothorax in January 2004 and had a chest drain put in for 6 days. I was discharged and told it could happen again (10% chance they said). Three months later I am having strange bilateral chest pains which are pretty annoying. I want to try and get on with my life without worrying about it happening again but I find these pains tend to remind me that it could happen again. With regards to Al above, jogging is beneficial in general to anyone. I have spoken to a doctor (an extremely knowledgable man - a former consultant physician to the Queen) and he says that exercise will not make it worse. I can only imagine that it would improve the condition of your lungs. I am going to start going to the gym again this week after three months. Giving up smoking is all good and jogging will help your respiratory system recover from the damage done. Take it easy though mate and stay of the cigs. Stu

    Posted by Stu at 1pm on 21.04.04

  15. I have had s.ps for the past 4 years or so I have had chest drains as an in patient, but so far have not had surgery, my sps are connected to my monthly cycle, always happening almost every 9/10 months on the first day of my period, I manage by taking it easy and not doing anything too stressful. So far I’ve avoided surgery as it sounds very painful, even years later, getting really fed up now though, have been offered a pleurectomy, anyone know anything about it?

    Posted by Sarah at 3pm on 21.04.04

  16. Hi, I know how everyone feels since I have had one episode of a sp. pneumothorax. I am a tall, slender, 20 year old, asian male, college student. I do not smoke or doing any drugs either. It was my left lung and happened to happen when I was writing a paper on Jan. 28th, 2004. I spent a week in the hospital with a chest tube. However, my lung didn’t heal within that week, so the doctor decided on surgery. The type of surgery I received was Thoracoscopy or often known as VITS. They use microscopes and go into your chest cavity to seal the hole with staples. My surgery took only 1 hour and after that, I was released within four days (Feb. 5th-9th). I also had pleurodesis, but they didn’t use talc since they felt I was too young to have it. Instead, they used something different where they would rub something like sandpaper on the lung wall to make it sticky so my lung would stick, as I breathed, to the wall and thus, hopefully preventing another lung collapse. After the surgery, it was interesting when my doctor pointed out that the hole was about a pin-size one, very little. Since then, I’ve been feeling quite good though I still have some pains when I take a deep breath or when I move from time to time. There is also still a tender, sore spot on my chest from the surgery which I am consulting about with a doctor right now. I don’t know anyone else but me who has had this and I’m concerned about the pains that I have been having since the doctor told me the pains should have gone away about 4-6 weeks after the surgery. It has been 3 months now. It is also very discomforting to know that my right lung may have blebs and it can collapse at anytime. From the CAT scan they did, they said my right lung looks fine, so I’m relying on that. I am wondering if anyone else has received this type of surgery and how well are they recovering? Thanks for listening everyone.

    Posted by Joseph at 3pm on 06.05.04

  17. Hi Joseph - that sounds pretty much the same operation as I ended up having. It took quite a while - maybe six months - for the pains in my chest to settle down, and even now, nearly two years later, I find it diffucult to lie down on my left side and get occasional pains.

    I guess it’s something we just have to put up with - it certainly beats having your lungs collapse all the time!

    Posted by Jack at 6pm on 08.05.04

  18. I have read all the above comments and have had exactly the same thing. In June ‘99, when I was 28 yrs old, I had my first spon pneumo and had VATS to fix it as it collapsed two more times in the hosptial. I have pain in my right lung 5 years later almost on a daily basis. I am the perfect fit, as I am 6’1 and weigh 140lbs. And a smoker. Now 8 months ago, in June, ‘03 my left lung collapsed and I had a chest tube but no VATS. The doctors refused to do it even though they knew I had a previous history of this disease. Unfortunately I suffer severe pain on a 24/7 basis with stabbing pains and severe chest tightness. It is the most horrible pain you can imagine. I live in fear on a daily basis that my lungs could collapse again. I just had a CT scan two days ago (it is now May 25, ‘04) and found out I have more blebs on my right lung that collapsed 5 years ago. The thoracic surgeon told me I was almost 100% assured it could never collapse again as I went through with the VATS. Well, now there are new blebs. The worst thing is my left lung hurts more than my right and I didn’t even have VATS done on that one. I have been to the top doctors at the Mayo Pain Clinc in Jacksonville, FL and they are unable to explain my constant pain. There is something called post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in which 10% of people who have had a spontaneous pneumo acquire. I seem to be one of them. I have tried every single drug known to man to help with this pain and nothing works, not even Oxycontin. I have however been taking Elavil (Amitriptyline) which seems to reduce the pain by at least 50%…it is a tricyclic antidepressant used for nerve pain. At first I thought it was a miracle as the pain seemed to disappear almost 75%..but now, 3 months of daily Elavil, it is not working as much. The only thing they suggest now is trying a nerve block but I am scared of the consequences and have heard they can cause problems elsewhere, or only last for a few days. This is a horrible, horrible problem and causes extreme anxiety and stress on a daily basis. I was even fired from my job as I had to miss too many days from work going from doctor to doctor to find relief from my pain. Now 8 months later, the pain is really no better and all anyone can tell me is that this is caused by damage to the intercostal nerves as a result of the chest tube placement. The only thing I can suggest is for all of you to try Elavil, at least 25mg, it is not a pain medication, so you do not get addicted…it is an antidepressant that helps with nerve pain, it is the only thing that I have found helps at all. If anyone out there has any other ideas or information I would appreciate it. I am only 33 yrs old and suffer chronic pain on a daily basis, not to mention chronic lower back pain as well. I have gone into a deep depression over this and do not know where to go from here. It is very frustrating to hear from the top doctors in the world that they do not know how to fix it.. so we must all live in faith that one day someone will come up with a cure for the pain and a cure for these darn blebs. I sincerely empathize with all of you who have had this unfortunate experience as it is truly the most horrible pain one can go through. And then to hear that it is all in your head by doctors who are incompetent only makes things worse. Please if anyone out there knows of anything else to try, please let me know, I appreciate it, and wish all of you the very best of luck, Sincerely, Todd R., Orlando, FL. Please feel free to email me anytime and I will respond to anyone who emails. Thanks again, and all of you take care, Todd.

    Posted by Todd at 4am on 26.05.04

  19. I am currently suffering through yet another sp right now. I just graduated college and won’t start a teaching job until August, so I have no insurance. Has anyone had any problems with just “ignoring” an sp? I know I shouldn’t, but I seriously can’t afford another hospital visit. I was just there 3 months ago. I’ve lost count of my sps and, though they mainly occur on my left lung, I have had surgery on both lungs. My right lung hasn’t given me any trouble since then (knock on wood), but my left lung is terrible and I don’t know what to do. No doctors I speak with have any solutions and I’m sick of chest tubes and 3-night hospital stays. If anyone has any advice/info, please let me know. I’m getting frustrated and desperate. Best of luck to you all.

    BTW, I’m a 24-yr-old female asian american who has never smoked and I’m only 5’3” and weigh 115 lbs.

    Posted by Carrie at 8pm on 30.05.04

  20. i am a male 66 yrs of age i had my first spontaeneous pneumothorax march 5 o4 had chest tube inserted removed 5 08 sent home from hospital 5 09 had reoccurance 5 12 another chest tube inserted removed 5 14 had another attack 5 17 went to surgury for pleurodesis that day released from hospital 5 23 still have the pain on that lung as well as shortness of breath i tell people it feels like i am carrying a suitcase under my right arm after 2 months it is starting to feel some better at least can sleep at night without pain medication most of the time like all the other people i hope this will be the end of it not much fun thanks for listening

    Posted by robert at 6pm on 31.05.04

  21. Hi
    As a recurrent sp sufferer i thought you people might like to know there is an excellent web site at http://www.blebdisease.com it is the Spontaneous Pneumothorax Patient Network. The site is great for communicating with others in our situation and also is conducting research, has a chat room, forums etc…hope to see you there

    Posted by marianne at 6pm on 22.06.04

  22. Thanks for the pointer Marianne…

    Posted by Jack at 10am on 23.06.04

  23. Hello again
    I left a note on the 25th March 2004. I suffer with sp on both lungs and am still waiting for my operations. My brother who is 17 tall and thin was admitted to hospital last night with severe chest pains and would you believe it he has a collapsed lung aswell. Does anyone know if this annoying disease can run in familys?

    Posted by fiona wright at 10pm on 17.07.04

  24. I have had to Pneumothorax’s, which were both very painful.
    I have now been told i may need an operation where they stick my lungs togeather so that they can not split again but i can not find much information on this operation, any one no of a web site?

    Posted by Kyle at 9pm on 26.09.04

  25. Hi Kyle - that’s the operation I had. It’s not too horrible, so don’t worry!

    You might want to check out the website mentioned by Marianne above - http://www.blebdisease.com - and look for information on pleurodesis (the name of the sticking together operation).

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 3pm on 29.09.04

  26. Hi,

    I suffered my first collpased lung in December 2002. My doctor rold me I was the perfect setreotype for this condition, 22 years old, male and quite tall and slim. My right lung collapsed completely, requiring a chest drain.
    After a year my left lung went, and since then has collapsed 6 or 7 times. I am now on a waiting list for a thoracotomy which should hopefully rectify the situation. Believe it or not the only reason I am on this site is because I am currently suffereing one at work and wanted to see if there was any chance of getting a thoracotomy in the very near future i.e. today!

    Posted by Tom Hawkins at 11am on 06.10.04

  27. i have suffered from 2 sp now i am a33 year old female i sufferded my first one at the age of 30 i am due to go on holiday to florida in 5 weeks time so im hoping that my doctor will let me fly amanda

    Posted by amanda at 5pm on 08.10.04

  28. My wife had a pneumothorax for the first time recently. It’s been over 10 days and after having two tubes (one to side and one to top) to her left chest cavity. She came home after 10 days with the top tube still inserted to drain the air out of top of her left lung, and still no signs of improvement.. I’m just really worried now at this point that she may need to check into the hospital again. She hasn’t had any surgery or glue yet as the surgeon thinks it will heal by itself. She’s a 31 year old female, 5’7” height, and thin, non-smoker.

    Posted by Paul at 6pm on 03.11.04

  29. I had my first right spontaneous pneumothorax on 25 Oct 04 while walking down the vegetable isle at the grocery store, went into the ER on 26 Oct 04 and immediately received a chest tube. The chest tube remained for a week in hopes that my lung would heal on its own…both suction and water seal didn’t do the trick as my lung would continue to collapse. On 03 Nov 04, I recieved a VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery) with wedge reconstruction and pleurodesis. I found that one tube in my chest prior to the surgery was bearable but 2 tubes after surgery was a bit more cumbersome. The most painful part was the removal of the tubes! That wasn’t very cool! It has been over a week now and Im home, bruised and sore with four remarkable wounds (battle wounds I call them). I am very surprised to hear of all the reaccurances that have been mentioned and am a bit worried. As a 2nd yr PT student I cant really miss too much more of class than I have already missed! I am very curious as to how this happened but the doctors really are unsure themselves. They think it may be do to my menstrual cycle as I was suppose to have had it the day my lung collapsed. This type of pneumothorax is called catamenial pneumothorax. Another idea for all those women who are tall, thin, nonsmokers, is that it is correlated to an increase in stress in ones life that tends to create an irregular menstrual cycle.
    Have any of you who have had a pleurodesis noticed a difference in your breathing in that one lung? I cant explain it but I can definitely feel a difference probably due to the limitation of lung movement when I breathe. I also understand that many of you still have the nerve pain months and years from the surgery. That does not sound like fun and something to not look forward too. Good luck to all of you who have had a pneumothorax, are dealing with one, and those who are still suffering from the pain of having one. Carly

    Posted by Carly at 12am on 13.11.04

  30. I am a South African .

    Let me explain my lung collapse experience ….

    I had my first one on the 31st Jan 2000 this was my left lung . This was a gradual process . I play tennis
    And the one day after tennis I had this chest pain and my GP told me it could be an inflamed muscle and he gave
    Me anti-inflammatory which got rid of the pain . Every time I got this chest pain on the left side I popped a pile , until the
    The night of the 31st Jan 2000 when I felt major pain on my left hand and left chest , I thought it was a heart attack. When
    My GP send me for x-ray’s they found that I only had a third of my left lung functioning. So I under went the operation which
    Was not that painful and ever since my left lung never gave me a problem. 2 months later i was playing tennis again and I even flew to the US to do a six month project.

    Well now in 2004 on the 16th Sept while sitting in the canteen at the office sipping on my coffee I felt a sharpen pain in my back
    And I first thought its my muscle , when I stood up I became short breath and my right side of my chest started swelling. I was rushed
    To a doctor who immediately diagnosed it as a phneumothorax. I under went surgery on the 17 Sept 2004 and was discharged on the
    Monday 20th Sept 2004. When I went for my follow-up appointment on the 23rd the x-ray’s showed that the lung did not completely expanded.
    I was admitted to hospital again and a drain connected to my chest with the hope that it would allow the lung to expanded completely. After a week
    With the drain in me there was no improvement. I had to undergo a another operation which was successful.
    This was a painful experience.

    The surgery I under went in 2000 and 2004 was a cut at the back and they scrap the surface of the lung so when it expands it attaches itself to
    The chest wall. (surgical Pleurodesis)

    I now have pain that feels like muscle pain , but the doctor says it is pain caused by the nerve reconstructing itself.He also says that my lungs will not collapse again based on the surgical pleurodesis procedure.

    The treatment and service I received from my Doctor and hospital was excellent .

    Has anyone experienced this nerver reconstruction pains because it is really painfull it even wakes me up at night with a pulling feeling in side . I slight turn in my sleep and it feels like a knife in me.

    Regards
    Hassen

    Posted by Hassen at 7am on 13.11.04

  31. Hassen,
    It has been a little over a week since my R lung VATS/pleurodesis and last night was the first night that I awoke with knife like pain from my sternum to my right side. A finger touch and even my clothing or bed sheets brushing my R side is enough to set off the nerve pain. I know what you are talking about and it is very frustrating. Im keeping my fingers crossed that the pain decreases soon! Good luck with your recovery. Carly

    Posted by Carly at 2pm on 13.11.04

  32. It’s getting busy here again, so I thought I pop in and say it’s been more than two years since the last time my lungs had a major collapse and I had the pleurodesis operation, and I’m fine! Just thought I’d add a hopeful note for everyone…

    Also, as Marianne said above, check out the Spontaneous Pneumothorax Patient Network site - it has lots of information, conducts research into SP, and lively forums.

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 4pm on 13.11.04

  33. I suffered my first sp on the 13th october 2004, they inserted a needle and almost instantly brought my left lung up again. 2 days later i awoke again in the middle of the night with the same pain and went back to A&E they X rayed again and said the lung was 30% deflated, but they sent me home saying it would come up again by itself over the next 7 days. 7 days later i returned for an X Ray and it had not inflated.I was sent home again saying that when (not if) it collapses again they will “stick” it back up. I am going out of my mind now worrying when its going to happen again and panicking at every pain of which there are quite a few.
    Is there anyone else out there in the same situation?
    BTW I am 46yrs old 5ft tall and 7st 2lbs, so I dont exactly fir the stereotype.
    Thankyou for listening.

    Posted by anne eldred at 5pm on 17.11.04

  34. Hi Anne - don’t worry too much!

    As I said above, I’ve had the ‘sticking’ operation (assuming they mean pleurodesis) and it isn’t too bad - pretty painful when you wake up, but that’s what morphine is for!

    I was in hospital for about a week - would’ve been less, but there were slight complications - and was as right as rain within a couple of weeks after leaving hospital. (In other words, it’s not a hideous major procedure requiring lengthy recuperation.)

    Hope your op. goes well, if you need it.

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 5pm on 17.11.04

  35. Hi,
    I had my ‘pleurodesis’op two weeks ago now & my Wounds are healing ok. I was only in hospital 4 four days,which surprised me alot. The day after i was let out, wasnt very good & i was coughing up lumps of blood, after the shock of that things were getting better.
    As i write this i still have my Numbness on the left side where i had the op, does any 1 know when this numbness will go & i get feelings back?
    Im also surpose to be flying on the 4th dec, do you think ill bable 2 fly?
    Write bk if you got time, you may help me out. Thanks Kyle

    Posted by Kyle at 9pm on 18.11.04

  36. Hi Kyle - I was a bit numb down one side for about a fortnight after the op. As for flying - er, best ask your doctor about that one! (Personally, I was given the okay to fly after a few months, but the first couple of times I got quite bad chest pains on takeoff and landing - scary, but everything was fine. Still haven’t had a satisfactory answer on whether it’s safe for me to fly long-haul, though.)

    And, once again: the Spontaneous Pneumothorax Patient Network is the best place for info on the condition.

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 9pm on 18.11.04

  37. Its so amazing that there are people out there that share my story. Carly, you and I have alot in common. My first episode happend in May, 2001. I was 36 yrs old, tall, thin white female. I have always been very active and in good physical shape. I was a massage therapist working on a client and felt a very strange pain in my chest, right side. I finished my session and needed to cancel the rest of the day. I went home thinking I had a bad cold that was causing me the trouble. I awoke the next morning to a very sharp knife pain on my right side under my scapula. I went directly to the dr. who was very confused and told me that my lung had collapsed. The chest tube was the most unbelievable pain I had ever felt. 6 months later, it happen again. I was actually working on the same client. Another chest tube. 4 months later here we go again, this time a decision for surgery had been determined. I was told with the plueradesis and thoracotmy my problem would be solved and I could continue with my life. The explaination I received from the drs. was a gentic disorder, being tall and thin, etc. Well, life was good for about 1 1/2years, I was walking down the street and I felt that old famailar feeling, I waited until the next morning before I went to the hospital, hoping it would go away. I was about 10% pnemo. The drs. sent me home for rest and told me it would reabsorb. It did. A friend who is a clinical researcher asked me if I had my period when I had these episodes, well sure enough. I called the dr and he said, no you don’t have that, its very rare…well I do have catamenial pnemothorax disorder. I am on continues birth control and try to get a handle on it. I have one now, I haven’t had one in 6 months. I went ot the hospital and they sent me home with pain meds. I going back for another chest x-ray. Even with the meds, it still hurts and I can’t breathe without pain. You know the song, it only hurts when I breathe…its true about the lung feeling different. When I am fine and I run, hike , rollerblade I have a problem taking a full inalation without feeling that my lung is stuck, because it is. My thoughts and prays go to each of you.

    Posted by Jane at 10pm on 21.11.04

  38. Hey Jack. Well i asked my doc bout me flying & im really fucked off coz im not allowed 2 fly! takes the piss really! I have a slight problem with my lung @ the mo as the doc sent me 4 an xray yestoday but i dnt find out till monday bt it its bad ill find out b4 then! so i dont really know wots going on, i feel fine but the doc said theres summet wrong. ah well will see what happens! kyle

    Posted by Kyle at 9pm on 24.11.04

  39. Hello everyone! I guess we are all in the same boat here! Also had 5 sp’s, and 2 sugeries. had my front chest cut to the middle of my back 4 yrs. ago. Now living in the world of nerve pain! I go to a pain center and all they do is give me 180 pain pills. Tired of pain kickers. Had surgery to remove 3 nerves alone my ribs, 4 never blocks. And I still hurt! I also want to tell everyone that everything we”ve gone through is making us a stronger person!!

    Posted by sandy at 8am on 14.12.04

  40. Hello Todd. Have you ever tried using a heating pad. I live off of mine. Helps me to sleep better with the pain on my left side. Also been to pain center. And now trying Lidoderm (Lidocaine patch 5%). I didn’t realize how many of us are going through the same thing here! Take care!!

    Posted by sandy at 11pm on 14.12.04

  41. Hi, I too have had problems with my lungs. In October of 2002, my right lung collapsed. I was in the hospital for a week with a chest tube. As you all know this is very painful. In my experience, I was just sitting on the couch when this happened. Many have said that it happens mostly in tall, thin men. I am a 4’11” female and I weigh 90 pounds. Maybe it’s just in thin people. I don’t know. I haven’t had a reoccurence thus far, but I do find I have problems with breathing and chest pains sometimes. I have to pace myself in order to keep my breathing pattern regular. I wish you all the best of luck.

    Posted by Phoebe at 6pm on 06.01.05

  42. Hi all, I had surgery on Sept. 16/04 and I am still having so much pain. I had the left lung done and even in the hospital I experienced pain in my left breast (I am female) which was harder to deal with than the tube discomfort. I had breast implants put in 2 yrs prior and my lung surgeon wouldn’t set up a consultation with my implant doctor saying that it was normal to have pain. It has been 3 1/2 months and the pain is still unbearable. My breast and underarm hurts so bad to even touch or have my clothes rub against them. From reading others comments here I guess it is nerve damage. Not sure who I am suppose to seek help from regarding the pain…lung doc, breast doc…family doc?? If anyone has any info regarding the nerve damage it would be greatly appreciated. I am going to start making calls to find help for the pain. Good luck all.

    Posted by kelley at 1am on 09.01.05

  43. At a guess Kelley, I’d say go back to the lung doc. first, or try asking for advice on http://www.blebdisease.com, where more clued-up folk will be able to give you advice.

    Also, posters to this thread might be interested to know that this page has been getting quite a lot of hits from the nhs.co.uk domain (as in our wonderful, free National Health Service) - lets hope it’s fellow sufferers with laptops in hospital cheekily using the ward ‘phone lines, and not doctors using Google to refresh their memories on what to do when presented with a collapsed lung!

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 4pm on 11.01.05

  44. Hi all I am a female getting ready to turn 28 in six days. I had a hemo pnuemothorax on July 24th of last year,I was in St.Louis at a ball game when my lung collapsed,but I made it through the ball game!I was admitted to the hospitalfor 4 days with a large chest tube to drain the blood.After all of that fun I was released to go home on a three hour drive,but we made it home safely.After a day & a half being at home it happened again. Iwas immediatly admmited to the emergancy room where they inserted another chest tube. After 2days in the hospital they did VATS surgery .I am still having problems and pain >I had an X-ray about 3 weeks ago and I have a large bulla on the top right of my right lung (by the way this has all been on my right lung).I have also been having pain on my left side but I dont know if I am just being paranoid or what.C an anyone tell me what the chances of this happening to my right lung again or my left one period are? Sorry to take up so much time!

    Posted by Christa at 5pm on 14.01.05

  45. I feel your pain Christa. Here’s my story…I started having pain on my right side a year after the birth of my second daughter in 1994. It would occur within the first three days of my period. I really think it has gone on much longer but not as severe as this. I was put into the hospital with a collapsed lung. One doctor gave it a name Catamenial Pneumothorax. He did the surgery, talc, followed by a chest tube. (ugly garden hose sticking out of your side) They thought that would cure it, but I was still having periods and on the third month after the surgery, on the third day of my period, I had a reoccurance. Again, I had a chest tube. This time the Gyno, Pulmonary, and Thoracic Doctor, decided together let’s supress the periods. Great, so I thought. Lupron, then Birth control. Still had pain. This went on until the year 2000. Couldn’t take it anymore. No one understood. Even my husband, I think he thought I was overreacting, being a wimp. I finally had a total Hysterectomy ovaries, too. Slight pain every now and then. But now my 15 year old daughter who is tall and thin, too seems to be experiencing the same symptoms. We need help! She is very active in sports. I never had endometriosis. This has to be hormone related. We live in Ohio. I want to know why by just viewing a few of these forums why so many people have these symptoms but the doctors seem oblivious, and don’t know what to do. Thanks for listening..

    Posted by Kelly Rowan at 3pm on 19.01.05

  46. I had a sp last Feb. and spent two weeks in the hospital. 5 chest tubes and one ugly scar down my side later and I’m still recovering. My problem is all the pain in my incision area. I just went to the doctor’s and he told me it was just my scar tissue, but it feels like it is in my bones. I am having a very hard time with this. It feels like I just had the surgery yesterday! I use a heating pad every night and take Advil as I am sick of how the pain killers make me feel. Does anyone have any advice, please I could really use it!!! Thanks

    Posted by Katie at 6am on 21.01.05

  47. Hi all..Just happened to stumble across this website today.
    In 1992/1993 I had the worst 2 years of my life. As I was in my final two years of high school , both of my lungs gave me hell. My sister , who is two years older than me also had SP’s two years earlier in both lungs.
    March 1992 , aged 16 , I had an SP on my right lung , went to the hospital , and was admitted , and a chest drain was inserted. I was released from hospital 5 days later.
    Over the next 12 months I had 7 more SP’s , during that time though , I had visited a Thoracic Specialist and he had informed me of a Pleurodesis , which will prevent the lung from going down again from SP’s.
    This procedure involved an incision in the side of my chest for a small camera , and another incision in my mid back for a small stapler which , after finding the ‘BLEBS’with the camera , the stapler would insert small titanium staples , pinching the ‘BLEBS’ closed.
    After finding/stapling all the ‘BLEBS’, they would fill the pleural space with tetracycline , which , in turn would cause the outer(parietal) and inner(visceral) layers of the pleura to become inflammed. They would drain all the tetracycline out , and the outer and inner layers would fuse together , kind of like , they scabbed up together and become one.
    I was totally against this idea , as it sounded extremely scary. He (the Specialist) also advised me that if they found a ‘BLEB’ that the stapler could not get to , that they would remove a 3 inch lateral section of a rib , and I guess the surgeon would insert his hand and staple it by hand. they would attach the removed rib back into place after the procedure ha dfinished.
    This last part made my mind up for me not to have it done.
    But after the 7th SP , I was getting sick of it all and was admitted to hospital and had the above Pleurodesis performed.
    They found two ‘BLEBS’ at the top of my right lung and stapled them up. Thank God the stapler could get to them.
    I was in hospital for 5 days , which , even though I felt like I had been hit by a truck , I was glad that it was all over.
    Then , 1 month before I was going to sit for the HSC (Australian Higher School Certificate) I was grocery shopping with my mum , when suddenly my left lung deflated totally , and I knew exactly what was happening.
    I was admitted again to hospital with a chest drain put in immediately. I was in the hospital for 9 days because the lung just kept deflating. Eventually the lung went back up , I went home for 5 days then back to hospital to have the pleurodesis performed on the left lung.
    It has been over 12 years since all that happened , and I have’nt had any trouble at all.
    Touch wood.
    During that time , all I kept thinking was , when is going to happen again. It almost starts to control your life.
    Having the Pleurodesis operation was the best/scariest thing I have ever decided to have done. So , I urge anyone who is still undecided about having it done , go ahead and do it , you can’t live in fear of it happening again. Good luck . Pat

    Posted by Patrick at 7am on 28.01.05

  48. i to have had 10 lung collapses with 10 chest tubes they have done pluerodesis on both lungs and done the talc powder to both lungs and they still are collapsing. i am scheduled for surgery again on monday i hope whatever they try this time works

    Posted by jeannie at 11pm on 29.01.05

  49. Hey All,
    I have just turned 21 and had
    a sp last October. I was just reading the paper and having breakfast when I got such bad back pain I was out on the floor. I thought it was a muscle as I had been to the gym the day before. After two days of pain killers and going to work and uni I went to the Dr. He doubted it was a sp because I am very short, but thin. He sent me to get X-rays, so I drove myself down and from there they sent me to ER (which I also drove myself to). It turns out my left lung was 100% collapsed (the worst they had ever seen). It worried me that all the nurses wanted to watch as they had never seen the procedure before. They had to
    do the chest tube 3 times to
    get it right and finally sent me home after 11 days in hospital. Now I have seen another specialist and he said I had a tension pneumothorax. Apparantly, I have to have the pleurodesis operation even after only having one collapsed lung. Has anyone else been diagnosed similiarly?
    I am going in next Friday for the op and I wasn’t too worried until I read your stories today. It seems like this is a horrible
    chronic condition for many of you. I’m really concerned about you fellow sp sufferers as well as my future. Good luck and best of health to all of you.

    Cheers,
    Kate in Oz

    Posted by Kate at 12pm on 02.02.05

  50. Hey Kate , I too had the pleurodesis done straight after my left lung had completely collapsed , and because the doctor said it will almost certainly happen again.
    There is nothing to worry about.
    The procedure will go fine , you will be sore for a few days , but the morphine shall take care of that , and then you wont have to worry about that lung collapsing again.
    Godd luck , and I hope it goes well. Patrick

    Posted by Patrick at 9pm on 02.02.05

  51. Patrick’s right, Kate - pleurodesis isn’t too horrible, and you should be feeling fine within a week or two. (And, without wishing to be flip, the morphine is indeed a rather wonderful silver lining to the collapsed lung cloud.)

    And once again - best of luck to everyone joining the discussion here.

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 2pm on 03.02.05

  52. Thanks for all the support
    peops! From my prev. sp I am
    aware of the wonders of morphine.
    I’ll be sure to let you know
    how it goes :)

    Posted by Kate at 11am on 04.02.05

  53. Hello All. This is an incredible resource-thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. I am a 35 year old black female (5’6 105lbs). I experienced my first pneumo approximately 2 months ago but thought that it was acid reflux and anxiety. I scheduled an appnt with my internist anyway and a chest xray revealed that I had actually had a pneumo. I was shocked because I clearly don’t fit into the traditional at-risk group. I was referred to one of the best lung specialists in the country, Dr. Robert Wolfe (at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles). He ordered a CT Scan, which revealed that my pneumo was healing itself and that the air was reabsorbing. He warned me that I would have a recurrence and we discussed my options (surgical vs. non-surgical). 2 weeks after my initial visit with Dr. Wolfe, I had my second documented pneumo. I immediately knew what it was this time and went in to see Dr. Wolfe. A chest xray revealed that I had in fact experienced another pneumo. After my initial diagnosis I researched the hell out of this evil beast called spontaneous pneumothorax and discovered that the odds of recurrence and frequency of recurrence get worse and worse after the first two. The last thing that I wanted was an invasive surgery, but I felt that the hormonal treatment option would only be delaying the inevitable and thereby decrease my quality of life. Dr. Wolfe referred me to Dr. Clark Fuller who is a Thoracic Surgeon at Cedars. Dr. Fuller is a partner in the same Thoracic practice as Dr. McKenna (another fabulous Thoracic Surgeon). I can’t say enough about Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Fuller-they are the ABSOLUTE BEST. Dr. Fuller walked me through the thoracic abrasive pleurodesis procedure and I was admitted for surgery. I had surgery 12 hours later. The procedure took approximately 1 hour and I was in intense pain immediately following the surgery in post-operative recovery. They gave me lots of morphine, which dulled the pain and I was able to be transferred back to my room. I was hospitalized 5.5 days and was given dilaudid for pain and compazine for nausea. The surgery revealed that I had blebs which had not been visible via CT Scan. Dr. Fuller removed the blebs and performed the abasive technique to creating adhesion and scarring. My appetite was very poor-I could only stomach cantelope and chicken noodle soup. The mere whiff of any meats made me severly nauseous. I was up and walking the day after my surgery and hated the embolism leg brace things that were attached the first 3 days. My urine catheter was removed 2 days after my surgery. The chest tubes were the worst part of the post-op recovery. You’re supposed to blow/suck the Triflow (incentive deep breathing exerciser) 10 times every hour and I wasn’t able to blow/suck hardly at all UNTIL the chest tubes had been removed. The chest tubes were incredibly uncomfortable and made sleeping and sitting up incredibly painful and awkward. I couldn’t wait until they were yanked out :-) The chest tubes were actually what forced me to get up and walking so quickly because I was afraid of getting pneumonia due to inactivity and my inability to do the blow/suck Triflow exercises. I could hear phlem building up in my throat/lungs but couldn’t cough deep enough to clear it/cough it up UNTIL the chest tubes were removed. I was released the same day that my chest tubes were removed. I have 4 scar/stitched sites on the side of my chest. It has now been 2 weeks since my surgery and I take Vicodin once every 8 hours. I am also taking Milk of Magnesia every other day (one tablespoon) to prevent impacted bowels and constipation from the Vicodin. I can not stress the importance of taking stool softners and milk of magnesia immediately following surgery and until you are totally off of the narcotics. I have a dull numb heaviness in my chest and my stiched wounds are very sore. Since being home, I experience the most difficulty with sleeping. I have yet to find a comfortable position to sleep in and I sometimes wake up gasping for air as though I’m choking. I can’t sleep on either side because it feels as though my lungs/heart are shifting from side to side and are to heavy. I can’t really sleep on my back because I don’t feel that my lung can handle lying on my back. I don’t get any sleep at night and sleep 2-3 hours 2 times during the day. My stitches will be removed on Monday and I am concerned about the numb/tingly feeling I feel on my right breast/chest area. It’s too early to comment on long-term pain and numbness, but everything has been manageable so far. I’m worried about long-term issues but know that I can only take one day at a time and think positive thoughts.

    Posted by Tezira at 5am on 13.02.05

  54. I am now 30 , i just spent one and a half weeks in an emergency care hospital with this spontaneous pnemothorax, what a way to spend ones “30” , yuck. i was considered healthy,and energetic i am 5ft5 and fairly healthy at 135 to 140 lbs. i never felt anything so painful or scary in my life. my sympathetic understanding for any who share this. and may it never happen to us again.

    Posted by Tammy at 11pm on 14.02.05

  55. I dont know about the rest of you, but after one severe case of spontanious pneumothorax I will not live with another. I was in a car wreck a year and a half ago and to this day I live in pain from it. Like you people describe. Some mornings I wake up and roll over and stand up and it hurts so bad. Especially the first large gasp of air. The actual sad thing is that It was not my fault, and I would rather pass away if it came back to haunt me. You people are strong to take this more than once, as I am not. My reflections may not be positive but its how I feel, and every day of this pain is no way to live. It is nice to know that other people have been through this. Though I question, why did it hurt so much during the tube removal? The tube was huge, and stitched in. And I still hurt from it and I read that others still hurt and I just question the meaning of this pain-filled existence. Please reply or flame to kefkarules@netzero.com I’d love to hear how to cope with this disease called “life-now”.

    Posted by dave h at 8pm on 17.02.05

  56. I think I am currently on my 6th or so Pnuemo in 6 years. I have just turned 27 half asian and white, tall and thin. Have had a chest tube 4 times, and a “staple” procedure a few years back(removing a quarter sized bleb) that ‘should’ have corrected the problem.. darn the bad luck. It was back the following year on the same(left) lung again, luckily absorbing itself. Now it has been almost 2yrs without an episode and I unforunately recognize I have a small pnuemo again. Currently without insurance I am going see if it will absorb itself.

    *****PART 2: Does anyone know of an insurance company that will cover this problem even though it is pre-existing?? (I know they will not cover it when it is occuring at this moment in time) This would be invaluable information.

    p.s. This has been a great comfort to actually hear from others with this problem(I really wasn’t sure about my docs explaination) My heart and spirit goes out to you. God Bless

    Posted by Matt at 12pm on 06.05.05

  57. I am a 22yr female tall and thin I suffered from a sp 2 weeks ago on mothers day. Before bed i experienced a bad pain in my left side thinking i had pulled a muscle i ignored it until morning, throughout the night had shortness of breath and when woke up was much worse then I really started to worry i was admitted into ER and after a few hrs of examination and then x-ray was determined i had a sp in the left lung 90% collapsed i stayed in hosp for 5 days with a tube before my lung reinflated after the tube was removed it went down 5% then next day was fully infalted i got to go home. I am so scared that this will happen again can any1 tell me dose it normally occur in the same lung or the other? I have been told ive got 20-30% chance of this happening again, since i have been home i experience some chest pains in both sides i am just assuming this is from the tube or nerves? I sympathise for all you other sufferers and wish you all best of luck. Ps i was smoker not really heavy but have given up now.

    Posted by Jenny at 5am on 24.05.05

  58. My husband was diagnosed with sp 4 days ago. So far his recovery isnt so great. He has had visible swelling on his outer chest and has just called to inform me that his neck and arm are beginning to swell. Has anyone else experienced these problems? And if so what happened and what treatment was applied? He has had a second larger tube inserted just under his nipple, it is attached to a drainage type thing. When they tried to remove it his lung collapsed again within 15 minutes. Has anyone had this happen to them?

    Posted by Tracey at 3pm on 13.06.05

  59. Hi Everyone!
    It feels like I know all of you already. I am a 20 year old female. I had my first SP 6 months ago, and again a week ago. I have been doing some of my own research trying to figure out just why this keeps happening. I know there is no known cause, but do any of you know what kind of research they are doing for this?? (It seems pretty rare.)When it happened the first time, they let it re-inflate itself, and now this time, I had a chest tube. For those of you that have had surgery for this, would you recommend it? I do not want to wake up every day wondering if today is the day it happens again. Please feel free to post your reply here, or if you have any other info please e-mail me at, sarahstewart44@hotmail.com. I will put you all in my prayers. Take care!

    Posted by Sarah at 3am on 17.06.05

  60. Hello my name is Linda I am a 32 yr. old female. 5’3 129# I have had 3 phneumothorax that I have been hospitalized for. Feb. “04” I underwent lung surgery on my right lung w/ 3 chest tubes, jan.”05” another phneumothorax another chest tube, and again June “05” another phneumothorax,2 more chest tubes… Always on my right lung. they are related to my menstrual cycle and they call it repeat catamenial phneumothorax/endometriosis. I have now been put on a medication called Lupron which will put me through 6 months of menopause… Very expensive drug, can only been taken for 6 months, and only once in your lifetim they seem to think this may stop it…??? I can only hope!!! Any feedback would be Wonderful, and I wish everyone the best of luck and keep you chin Up!! LInda June 28 2005

    Posted by linda d MI. at 4am on 29.06.05

  61. Hi, I had surgery on my left lung at UPMC St. Margaret in Pittsburgh on June 30th. I was discharged on July 3rd, had a follow up appointment with my surgeon on July 12th, and he said I was clear to fly. I couldn’t believe it, so I flew home 5 days later. He said that it is normal to have pains even 6 months after this. I had pleuradecis, and partial pluerectomy, VATS, and all that stuff. I was just wondering if other people still experience random chest pains and back pains and how long I should expect to feel this way. Sometimes I get a sharp pain on my left side for a brief moment, and I also get pain in my back. How long will this last? If anyone has any advice, please let me know. Thanks for listening everyone.

    Posted by Bill Hipple at 4am on 18.07.05

  62. Sorry to hear about all of you suffering this scary thing. I have never even heard of phneumothorax until 2 months ago, someone hit me in the driver side, not my fault in anyway but when the ambulance came, i said i felt ok except i kind of had sharp pains in my chest and my left arm was tingling a little. They took me to the hospital and said i had phneumonthorax, very small but i have some air in my chest cavity, since then they have taken 3 catscans and it has not gotten any smaller, they haven’t done anything, it doesn’t really bother me but a couple times a week it really hurts but goes away when i relax. I can’t fly, i can’t work out or lift anything heavy they say, I am not complaining but do you think it will heal itself or get worse? I just want to get back to normal without worrying what is going to happen with these pains that feel like pulled muscles cramps. And can you usually fly anyway even though the rupture is small.

    Posted by Sissy at 7pm on 20.07.05

  63. Hi I am a 18 year old female,and Some friends and I were on the way to watch a movie out of town. All of a sudden I had the worst pain ever in my chest and my upper back. It got so bad that I made my friends turn around and take me home. I Then went to the hospital and I told them my symptoms they did an x-ray of my chest and they told me that I was find that I probably had a pinched nerve and they sent me home. The next day I was still in a great deal of pain, my phone rang a couple of hours later and it was the hospital they told my mom to bring me back to the hospital as fast as possible and that they looked at my x-ray again and My lung had collasped. Whenever I got there my phneumonthrax had gotten bigger. They immeditaly put a chest tube in. That was the worst thing ever and so painful. I just hope that it never happens again!! I am so worried that it will and wonder if there is anything that i can do to prevent it!!

    Posted by Ashley at 3pm on 23.08.05

  64. Hey Ashley I had a pnemothorax to back in may you will see my comment posted above 24th May And I agree its the worst thing thats ever happen to me. I understand how you feel wondering will it ever happen again. I felt the same for few months still sometimes but not as much and the shock i think was worse than anything thinking why did it happen to me. but after few months you dont worry as much well i dont. Know i think i cant keep wondering for the next few years, i just think if it dose happen again i will be bit more prepared. I wish you the best of luck and fast recovery.

    Posted by Jenny at 1am on 25.08.05

  65. After reading all these posts I was trying to compare other peoples’ post-op pain to mine and it seems most people have pain no matter what procedure they’ve had.
    I had 8 collapses, 7 leading to chest tubes, a pluerodesis, thorectomy (? the one where they excise a bit of your lung? ) and have had great success for the last two years, with no recurrances. But what bothers me is the knife-like pain in my side, and also that “sinking feeling”, the pain that seems to be in the back middle of my body. I was wondering if people could describe themselves relating to recurring pain. I believe that most of the aches and stabbing feelings come from the pluerodesis, but im not sure, it might just be a combination of everythng. Take, for instance, Todd (Posted by Todd · May 26, 2004 04:08 AM) who complains of ‘post-thorocatomy’ pain syndrome. He says it comes from the damage to the ‘intercostal’ nerves from the placement of the chest tubes. From his description it sounds like he is hooked on painkillers, the pain must be so bad (unless hes just an addict). My pains certaintly are excruciating sometimes, but it seems they quick outbursts that come and go, sometimes in minutes or hours. Any similiarities out there that people know any connections to?

    I hope everybody is feeling better now. -John

    Posted by John at 9pm on 14.09.05

  66. Hi everyone,
    I had a SP on July 27, 2005. 100lbs, 5’6”, 32 year old Female, right lung collapsed. After doing some research, I wonder if I have Catamenial Pneumothorax versus Spontaneous Pneumothorax. Has anyone researches this? It occurs in women and in their right lung.

    Posted by nita at 3am on 20.09.05

  67. Hi I had an SP 19th Sept 05 got sudden sharp pain in left side that went through my back and down my arm. The hospital initally stated stress but a scan revealed the SP. I am a 29 year old female and was a smoker till this happened. I was led to believe that this only happens to smokers but I can see from the message board thats not the case. I had a similar incident several months ago but was never xrayed or scanned the doctor assumed a chest infection was on the way. I found it difficult to get answers from doctor about what it means and what other sympthoms I may experience. I have been very low in energy and regularly feel full of phlegm. Is this connected?

    Posted by sharon lambert at 2pm on 25.09.05

  68. I also live with pain from my surgeries, that I had 5 yrs. ago. I have tried 4 (series)of Therapeutic nerve blocks, 5-day trail Spinal cord stimulation, and a Neuroablation (remove 3 nerve alone 3 ribs) and I have been on pain killers. But I would like to share this website with all of you that are in my world of pain!!!! I am going to try this out!!! I will be writing to let you all know if it worked for me!! :) Enjoy http://www.healpain.net/articles/ord-inst.html

    Posted by Sandy at 8am on 27.09.05

  69. Hi everyone, I had a total collapse of my right lung 2 wks ago and had chest drain for 4 days. Xray said lung had reinflated so could go home from hosp. I am so scared its happened again coz I have the same pain and find it hard to breath when walking or lying down, well I cant lie down coz of the pain as well. The only difference is that on the side of the collapse, im very swollen and sore, my breast hurts like hell and so does my underarm. Is this normal, and do you think Ive got a collapsed lung again, it was totally collapsed before, Im getting so down and scared to go to bed at night, and cry most nights now. thanks for listening, I feel bit better reading this site, and my heart goes out to all of you as I understand your paid and worry. Kazzxx

    Posted by Karen at 1am on 19.10.05

  70. My son who is 16, 5’11 and 130 lbs recently has two SP’s three weeks apart. Both times he was sitting in Science class at school. At the emergency room, we sat in a treatment room for over 3 hours before we saw a Dr. By then his color had returned and the pain subsided. The M.D. said the x-ray looked normal and he thought it was a muscle strain that went into a spasm and pressed on the rib cage and we were given scripts for Vicadon and Motrin 800’s. The next day I get an early phone call from the E.R. Dr. asking how my son was. I said OK. and he said “no he’s not, I missed something on the x-ray” and explained what a pnuemothorax was. I took him to his Dr.who followed up with another x-ray who said if it happens again get him to my office, not ER. Three weeks to the day the school calls again. We get him to his Dr. who calls the hospital for admission, x-ray, CAT scan, a lung specialist and a lung surgeon. They were all there from there own private practices within the hour. He had surgery 1 week ago today to remove the blebs in the left lung and the abrasive procedure for the lung to adhere. He was on morphine for 24 hours after surgery. When the Dr. removed the chest tube and changed to a milder longer lasting painkiller he made a remarkable recovery. So far so good but it’s only been a week. The surgeon said it’s 90% effective. The other 10% would be blebs that are too small or undeveloped. When he flys he will need an x-ray 1 week beforehand. The Dr. says “you just got to live your life, go about things in your normal way.” He told my son he would NEVER be able to smoke because of this condition nor would he be able to scuba dive. He plays shortstop on the baseball team and it would break his heart if that was interrupted by this. He wasn’t able to finish his season with the golf team because as soon as he got the OK to resume activity, the 2nd one happened. As a parent it it heartbreaking to see your child suffer with this. We are trying to be positive and optimistic and take things one day at a time.The thing I find strange is both times he was sitting in the same class,almost the same time(mid-morning) and our Michigan weather made a drastic change in the barometric pressure changing from sunny and warm to suddenly cold, damp and cloudy. Is there a connection?

    Posted by kathy at 3am on 22.10.05

  71. In April 2005 my life was going great. I was doing what I wanted to do. I smoked cigarettes and smoked marijuana but never thought to quit because it was the cool thing to do and I liked it. Well on April 22 all that changed, I had my first pneumothorax. It was small and did not require a chest tube. My doctor even had doubts that it was spontaneous, because I had a cold for 3 weeks prior and this could have been a result of that. So I figured I could return to smoking without a problem. Well everything was going good again until August. Just before school started this year I had another one. It too was small and didn’t require a chest tube, but now surgery was being brought up. I knew then it was a condition I had but still had yet to drop the bad habits. Two weeks later I had a third pneumothorax and now my surgery was to be immediate. In mid September I had my surgery and it was the most painful thing I have ever had to go through. I was in the hospital for 7 days and home for a week and a half after that. I had smoked nothing and was hoping to keep it that way, but after I got back into my regular routine I started again and I do not know why, it is incredibly stupid and life threatening but for some reason that does not register. Cigarettes and marijuana have taken control of me and even with my condition i have yet to quit. I am really making a stand now to be smart about things and have some respect for myself but it is hard. What is sad is I just turned 17 and I have my whole life to live but if I continue to be stupid I won’t have that chance

    Posted by David Williams at 3am on 27.10.05

  72. Posted by Andrea at 2pm on 03.11.05

  73. Has anyone heard of getting a collapsed lung from a cortizone injection? I have found that the hole in my lung took a lot longer to heal because of the cortizone. I am now three weeks post-accident and it’s been about 1 1/2 weeks since I had my chest tube out. Is it normal to still have this dry irritating cough?

    Someone else on this forum asked about how to help the pneumothorax to absorb quicker. Supplemental oxygen is the answer.

    Posted by Patti Burnett at 1am on 06.11.05

  74. Hi I am responding to a note Posted by Patricia Brown · March 28, 2004 02:37 AM. I was wondering if you heard any good news. I had 2 sp and I had a surgery done this time. The Dr.s said I will be okay in 6 weeks now its 12 weeks still I am getting some pain and discomfort like you. The Dr.s claim everything is normal. Is there any real cure for this or should we just live with this..? If there is any developments on your side pls do inform me. Even if someone else is in a similar situation pls help us out.

    Posted by Ben at 7pm on 07.11.05

  75. My wife of just over then years is in hospital tonight after her left lung collapsed. (pnuemothoracic) She’s 47 yr old and has been a lifelong smoker. This, accompanied by a persistant phlemy cough, apparently led up to the incident. It was pure terror for me watching her turning blue after the chest tube was inserted. Apparently the lungs can sometimes start to fill with fluid. I can only imagine what “she” was thinking at the time. They have her morphine and she dozed off before I left the hospital (I’ve been up for 24 hrs) so I’m kinda hoping she doesn’t remember the grief her poor lil body went through. I had no idea of the insidiousness of this complication and am only now learning of it in further detail via the net. My heart goes out to you all who have been through this and also to those whose loved ones have had the unfortunate experience. I’m still shaking. Sorry for blathering on. I guess I just had to get it off my chest, so to speak. Rob

    Posted by Rob at 6am on 10.11.05

  76. Hello. I am 46 years old and weigh 200lbs. I suffered an SP November 2002 with my left lung. It completely collapsed. I was in the hospital about 5 days after a pleurectomy. All was good. I then suffered a second complete SP this May (2005). This time a VATS Pleuridesis was recommended (very strongly). I had the Pleuridesis and was in the hospital for 10 excruciatingly boring days before being released. I was told the symptoms, the weird numb spots, the occasional tightness in the chest, the feeling of the weight in the chest, would go away in ‘about 2 or 3 months.’ Well it is now 6 months and the symptoms are still around if moderating slowly. Browsing this site I am alarmed to find out the symptoms may never go away. One of the strangest symptoms I have is an extreme sensitivity to my skin on my chest where my surgical cuts are. It is very uncomfortable to wear shirts. It just drives me nuts and I can’t wait to get home and go around shirtless — and that does not make my wife happy. I just have question, has anybody come across an OTC drug (tylenol and advil are useless) or therapy that helps with these symptoms? I would appreciate any positive response. It is a very exasperating situation. I’ve also come to the conclusion that the Pleuridesis procedure is very crude — hopefully the day is not too far off when Spont Pnuem can be treated in a more effective manner.

    Posted by Christopher Zarrella at 1am on 11.11.05

  77. My last SP was March last year.It took about a year for the pain to go away.Lately i have started getting pain again.Is it possible that it could be the Barametric Pressure that could cause the pain to flair up now and then.If anyone has any thoughts on this would be appreciated.Thanks,Richard

    Posted by Richard at 4am on 16.11.05

  78. Heyas!

    I have also suffered from SP. Pneumothorax back in August.Which at first I thought was maybe pneumoania, and worked for 3 days before I couldn’t stand the pain anymore, and seen a doctor.He prescribed an antibiotic and a chest x-ray.Turned out I had a 15% collapsed Left lung.I also Had the Chest tube for 4 days.Week and a half later I had a another in the same lung.
    A month later, and I am still having the chest pains, but only when I lay on my left side which seems to irritate it.
    I recently seen a doctor about the pain, and he says it pleurisy (inflammation).He precsribed 400 to 600 mg’s of Ibuprofen.Which I was amazed that it worked better then pain pills!
    I Take 400 mg’s before bed, and 24 hours later I just slightly start to feel the pain, and it’s time take them again.
    I hope this helps some of you are also suffering from the pains.From what I have read in this forum I am in for a long run with this also.

                                                  Kelly

    Posted by Kelly at 4am on 20.11.05

  79. Hello all,
    I am a 23 year old tall thin male from Ireland.
    I have had a smontaneous pnemothorax occur on both my lungs in the past two years and had surgery done on both lungs similar to that described by: “Patrick · January 28, 2005 07:24 AM”.
    First operation was in August ‘04 and the second in January of this year.
    However, in the last couple of days I’ve began to feel slightly short of breath and have a pain on the right hand side of my back - close to where the surgery was done. My worry is that I have a 1-hour flight to England Friday morning. I am too afraid to go to a doctor because I’m afraid of hearing the worst and really do not want to miss out on this trip (I missed a holiday that I had booked in August ‘04 due to this problem).
    Does anybody know what is the worst that could happen if I was to fly, assuming that I do have a small pneumothorax again? Will it just make the pain slightly worse or would it be more serious??
    Thanks for your help,
    Stephen.

    Posted by Stephen at 11am on 22.11.05

  80. Hey all,
    I am a 25 year old female who’s had 2 spontaneous pnemo’s.
    My first one happened on my left lung for no reason. The doctor said that it normally happens to tall thin girls. Heres the thing, Im 5’3 and 115lbs. I wouldnt say that i am tall or very thin. The doctor never did anything about it, he said my lung would heal on its own, because i was young. A year and a half later, i finally forgot about it and was begining not to always be afraid of it happening again, well i was wrong because it collapsed again. Same side. I had to have a pleurodisis and they also cut a bleb out that was attached to my lung. I was in the hospital for 1 week. If that wasnt bad enough i got a hospital infection while i was in the hospital, called C-Diff.
    Its been almost a year later, and I still feel pain off and on. I’m afraid of the right one collapsing. I’ve flown since but i am always afraid when I do. It has definitely changed my life. Hopefully one day they will figure out why this happens, or find a perminent cure.

    Posted by Esther at 3am on 23.11.05

  81. Hi i am 23 years old and had sp about 3 years ago but luckily i havent had it revisit, its a painful thing to go throuh, i am flying to sydney tommorrow and am panicing a lil bit, its only a 4 hour flight. is it ok to fly…

    Brad

    Posted by Brad at 3am on 23.11.05

  82. Its nice to see i am not the only one to experience a spontaneous pneomothorax. I am 5’10’, 145 lbs, my experience happened in 2003 at the age of 16 after a day of football practice where there was no hitting so nobody knew what was wrong. i had extreme excruciating pain in my shoulders and chest and i could not take a deep breath. after waiting in the ER for 4 hours, one nurse realized i had an SP after she saw my chest not inflate when i took a breath. The doctor told me i had a full collapse of my left lung and a partial of my right. i had a chest tube put in and was in the hospital for 3 days. i was told it could happen again and no more than 3 weeks later i had a partial collapse of both but it did not require a tube. Since then i havent had anything serious but everyone in a while i feel a sharp pain. i always worry during the cold months b/c that is when it happened and when i feel most likely to happen again. I hope their is a way where i dont have to worry about it happening b/c that was the most painful thing i ever had in my life.

    Posted by Bryant at 6am on 30.11.05

  83. Im british but living in Greece, and about 2months ago was admitted to Hospital due to complete SP on my right lung. I guess im in the running, being very skinny and above average height, but im a 29 year old lady. Yes, i smoke and hate it, but its a drug that im unable to quit…. The thing with me thou is that i refused the chest drain thing and just took oxygen for 1 week at hospital, and beleive it or not my lung returned to full size. And my Greek docter was really shocked that i refused this painful procedure and actually healed alone. Ive since been on planes and yes, still smoke and yes im having pains again and im really scared. Is there a big chance im having another, due to my pains. Why is noone researching this condition and its links to age, and smoking etc. Its so scarey and i hope everyone the best.

    Posted by Carly at 1pm on 04.12.05

  84. Hi Jack and fellow ‘sufferers’, you’re all an inspiration (even the not-so-optimistic ones). I have had numerous pneumothoraxes over the last 15yrs, left/right, complete/partial, tension/spontaneous. I am also a nurse, which has helped when talking with the medics as they always seem eager to impart their knowledge, but for the life in me I cannot get much consistency from them. To answer some previous questions though; commercial flying should be ok, though we should be wary of any pressurised environment, avoid jet-fighters etc. swimming good/ scuba and free-diving bad. Excercising good/ smoking bad. But mostly we all have two concerns on our minds. 1/ Will it happen again? 2/ Oh the pain. People stare at me agog when I liken the pain to a six inch knife being plunged into my chest, then removed with the same haste as it entered. There is also the dull aching pain, or the one that feels like my wife sat on me (not in a good way), but my personal favorite is the one I can’t find. It seems to move whenever I pinpoint it. My biggest fear is that my lungs will conspire against me and both give up together in some sick synchronised collapse( Not unlike torvill and dean at the conclusion to the Bolero). I did about 10 yrs of worrying, but have recently become so much more philosophical about it. I always have a toilet bag ready and never underestimate the boredom of hospitals (magazines, i-pod, puzzles etc). Those close to me know what to expect. Though I never take the next bit of advice, and like alot of you I put off going to hospital ‘til the last minute, don’t leave it. Seek medical attention. If a pnuemothorax is left the pressure build up in the chest cavity can crush the respiratory and cardiovascular system…………..I now wake up each morning and think,”My lung could go today”. this thought is followed by a million other things that COULD happen. Our lives are full of COULDS and WHAT IFS. What it DOES do for me now is help me appreciate each day. Good luck to all of you. We all share a journey and I am with you all.

    Posted by Chris Tearne at 3pm on 07.12.05

  85. I am currently at home recuperating from my second operation at Harefield, the ‘keyhole’ video assisted op in February didn’t work, and I ended up spending over three weeks in the local general hospital with my fourth pneumothorax, waiting for consultants to come back from holiday and arrange my transfer. Had to go round the M25 in the rush hour traffic on a hospital minibus with the chest drain in - not the best experience!

    The chest consultant at the local hospital told me off in january for staying away from hospital for so long each time it happened. I told him I had had several false alarms, because I get the same chest pains just before menstruation, and the A&E doctors were getting fed up with my visits. He then decided that I might have a catamenial pneumothorax. However, although I fit the profile for this rather than the ‘blebs’ related sp, each time the collapse is on the left side, and not the right. Does anyone know of an incidence of catamenial pneumothorax on the left? All the internet sites say it is ‘invariably’ on the right. The surgeon at Hatfield doesn’t believe I have got this, he is quite happy to carry on patching me up as necessary. I pointed out that rather than being tall, thin, young and male, I am short fat old and female.

    The consultant at the local hospital referred me to the gynaecologist, and scans reveal that I have ‘chocolate ovaries’ - endemetriosis covered with cysts, apparently. This seems to show up quite a bit on medical sites relating to catamential pneumothorax. Anyway, this week I had my first pellet of hormones implanted in my stomach to try to shock my system into the menopause. (I am at about the right age for it, but so far nothing has happened naturally). What I am hoping is that this treatment will work, but if my lung problems are not related to menstruation, I am going to go through all the menopausal symptoms and then still have to fear another pneumothorax! Reading the remarks from other people, it is rather worrying that some people have all the operations, but the problem still comes back! I can relate to the constant worry that it might happen again. At the moment I can’t plan anything without factoring in what might happen if I have to go back into hospital suddenly.

    I was also very worried about all the people (presumably Americans) who can’t afford to go back to hospital. My husband wants us to go back to America for a holiday next year, but even if I am well enough to fly, I can’t risk going into hospital, as I assume our travel insurance won’t cover me for a pneumothorax. It makes me even more determined to support and fight for our national health service.

    Posted by Vivienne at 3pm on 08.12.05

  86. Hey, i found all these stories wile searching on google about sp’s. My story is pretty much the same as everyone elses, which leads me to believe that there are not many variables in the factors for sp’s. back in 2003 at the age of 14 while in algebra class taking a test i had a sudden sharp pain in my back and as i continued taking the test not thinking much of it, my arm and neck began to hurt also. I thought it was just a pinched nerve or something simular to that so i went on throughout the rest of the school day with excrusiating pain that i could not seem to releave. I went home after school and told my parents that i had some pain in my back that was very bad, so i took some tylonal, which did not work. so we sceduled an appointement for three days later. so three days goes by and we get and x-ray and they discover that i had an sp. I was immediatly rushed by ambulance to Saint Mary’s hospital in Rochester, MN near where i live, and got an chest tube put on my left side, i ended up staying in for a whole week before i got out. A year later i had another one but this was not as bad, and healed on its own. but then soon after i had one that required another chest tube, and prompted Dr. Moyer, who is my doctor for dealing with this issue to suggest surgery. since school was still going we decided to wait till summer vacation in June, literally three days after the end of school, and i had surgery on my right side acually because A CT scan revealed blebs on my right side. After the surgery i got to go home after 3 days and after about a month i started working for our landlord, which was hard work, lifting heavy loads, refinishing floors and i never had a single problum the whole summer, then in 2005 after school had stared i suddenly had that familiary feeling that we all know, but it realy bothers me what caused it, i was lifting a windshield for a car, which is only 30 pounds at most, but i did all that hard work just a month earlier and had no troubles. as of right now i am experiencing the back pain agian, and im not sure if i should go to the hospital or not, it hasnt bothered me much realy, but it seems to be getting worse, i guess im just sick of all the x-rays, CT scans, I.V. lines, chest tubes, sickness from meds, bordom in hospitals, and all the other crap that goes along with this. I realy fear having to do the surgery where they cut you open on your back, my surgery was just the chemical stuff the put in there, to scar up the tissue. My simpathy goes out too all of those who are experiencing this terrible disease/condition whatever it is. This whole ordeal has made me realy change my outlook on life though, making me appreciate some of the smaller things in life. I guess one thing that it has realy changed is my outlook on other diseases and media attention they get, everytime i hear about cancer, or aids or anyother disease, i dont realy think of it in such a simpathetic way as i once did, for instance in our school we have a girl who has cancer and has gone through all the cemo-therapy and every now and then the school has a fundraiser for her family, but i find my self less simpathetic than everyone else around me, its a weird feeling. I hope this all turns out good for me and everone else on here so we can lead happy, healthy, normal lives
    [END]

    Posted by Thomas Fortney at 5am on 10.12.05

  87. Hey all ..
    Ive just had this- best of health - in hospital for 8 days. Suction and talc never worked but after reading, it seems that surgery is the best, in the long run. however, im only out 3 weeks so i dont know - im in pain, my lung feels like it moves around in there. lack of breathe, compare to what i had and sharp pains where the surgery was. I thnik maybe they smacked a nerve, no idea - im banking on this being part of the healing process… that in 3 months - this i gone.. this stuff sucks, big time - ive never been in so much freakin pain - i cant believe people dealing with 3 or more of these, God bless you… i think next time this happens, ima just get totally tanked and deal with it the next day or something, omg, this is the worst pain ever… im set to fly in march and apparnently thats “okay” from the chief surgeon - in addition, he said my right lung shoudlnt collapse aagain, sounds liked ever.. never again but the odds are my left could, im wondreing if i bulk up and eat everything in site if that will stop it??????? i cna do that - i love food but im only 124lbs, i was 150!!! lost 25 in the hospital… now ima toothpick and if i lose another 25 then im 100!!! omg i cant deal with that.

    Posted by martin at 10pm on 26.12.05

  88. Hi
    I am a 34 year old while female from South Africa. I suffer from SP and would like to know if there is anybody out there who has re-located to a lower altitude due to SP. We live at a very high altitude and wondered if it would help to relocate.

    I am terrified of needles and am so scared that I will have to have my lung drained. So far I have not had any operations or drains. I have had SP for about 3 years but it seems to be ongoing - always that nagging pain in the left lung. The pain and discomfort vary all the time. So I never really know if it is just aching due to previous damage or if it is because the lung has collapsed.

    At the moment I am being treated for asthma which seems to be helping a bit - when it’s cold I suffer the worst.

    I have a continuous cough and have to clear my throat all the time - do any of you also suffer from that. I don’t know if its related to the SP or if its something else???

    Sheena
    stealthsecurity@futurenet.co.za

    Posted by Sheena at 2pm on 29.12.05

  89. This February 14th will be my two year mark after 4 surgeries on my left lung. Lung collapsed during work, felt like I broke a rib but continued working. Got some sleep that night woke up next day, Valentines Day, and went to ER.
    Seconds after X-rays,I was taken into a room where they inserted a tube the diameter of a pen in my side and extracted the air out of my chest, that sucked! There afer I was told I would be out in 3 days, as it turns out when taken off suction my lung collapsed again on the third day. First chest tube was taken out and larger tube(diameter of a Quarter) was re-inserted and I was placed back on suction. 2nd week in hospital they took me off suction and again it collapsed. Shortly after the surgeons performed a blood patch,so you ask what is a blood patch? It is when they draw a quart of blood from your arm and inject it into your lung, that sucked! Well that did not work so it was recommended that I have surgery, and 30 staples later, across the top of my left lung, I was released after my 3 week stay.I have not had it as bad as some but do understand everyones suffering and pain. My respect and sympathy goes out to evryone here, good luck all.

    Posted by Louie at 5pm on 30.12.05

  90. What up sufferers…

    Posted by Carlo at 8pm on 11.01.06

  91. i had thorocatomny surgery,april 17th 2005 prior to that on april 1 st at the monroe hospital i had 3 tubes inserted in me 1 rsting on a nerve,wow bad pain.after 13 days they found out all 3 tubes in the wrong place at that point i made them take me by ambulance to st marys in madison wis,thats where they did the thorocatomny.took 17 d ays for my lung to inflate,then home i lost 30 lbsi only weighed 159( drink your bost or ensure 4 times a day} i didnt.
    now 10 months later iams till on 2 pain pills a day,and ibropuferen twice a day,best thingwhich i read in here is a heating pad on low on hurting area..
    i wonder how many more months a will hurt?
    shalom
    bucy

    Posted by bucky coplien at 5pm on 18.01.06

  92. hello everyone! i’m a 25 yr. old white male. weighing in at 5’7, 130 lbs. a perfect candidate for spon. pneumothorax. i have had 2 s.p. the first when i was 20 & and the second at 23. the first was definetly more painful of the two. reason for that is because i woke up in the middle of the doctor trying to puncture a hole between my ribs to insert my chest tube! yeah, it sucked! hospitalized for one week, injected my lung with some chemical so it would never collapse again. it worked. released me from hospital. three yrs. later my left lung collapsed! ain,t life grand! hospitalized again. no, i did not wake up in the middle of them pushing that rod between my ribs again. i made sure to tell the doctor to pump as much demoral in me possible before killing me! i did not want to expreience that again. hospitalized again for a week. now here i am 25 yrs. old about to be 26, wouldn’t you know i started having chest pains on my left side yesterday! gee, wonder what that could be? though it was not painful enough to send me the e.r. i just hope my condition is not hereditary. i have a daughter, and i do not want her to experience the pain that i have.(sorry everyone, that we have experienced!) well good luck to all of you! maybe some day we’ll all breathe easy!

    Posted by steven at 2am on 20.01.06

  93. Had something called bullous emphysema in 2004. Had to have surgery fir it to resect the water sacs on the lungs. This was suppose to be a surgery that kept you in the hospital for 4 to 5 days, I ended up being there for 31 days and in alot of pain. They sprayed the powder to cause adhesions on the lung to seal a tiny hole, well it eventually worked but damn the pain was absolutley unbearable. Has been 2 year now ad I still have pain not as bad but somedays it is not pleasant. And I have days that I think I am having a heart attack because of the pressue,but all in all we cn feel very lucky to have lived with a disease like this. At anytime both lungs can collapse and that is it so I thank God he was looking out for me. Has anyone out there had to battle with bullous emphysema? I’d like to hear your experience. Thanks for listening and goodluck to us all!!!!!

    Posted by rhonda forney at 5pm on 20.01.06

  94. I have now suffered my 2nd S.P at the age of 31 and 6ft2inches tall. The 1st episode resolved itself fortunately but this time I had a needle to aspirate the problem. I didnt think this would happen twice and I know its just one of things to which I seem a likely candidate but I cant help but think I am triggering the problem. I am a moderate smoker and have just taken up running, a sport in which I excelled as a teenager but quit due to the discovery of cigarettes and alcohol. I have also used recreational drugs since that era and wonder if any of these things could be accountable for my vulnerability to S.P I wonder if anyone has similar thoughts or experiences.

    Posted by liam at 10am on 27.01.06

  95. hi liam im glad to know im not on my own. im a female of 21 5ft 7ins and weighing 8st 2. i had my first spont phneoumathorax at the end of oct 2005 my life has been hell ever since every 2 weeks in accident and emergency with another one on the lef side. got a pre op date for the 14th nov 2 have a pleurectomy but on the 13th of nov my right side collapsed so instead of having surgary on my worst side (left) the one that had collapsed already 5 times since oct i had to have it on my right the one that was collapsed at that time. the surgary was hell,so painfull having 2 chest drains in an epidural and a catheter wasnt nice,then to top it i get infection in my wounds. since being discharged from hospital my left lung has collapsed another 3 times and im waiting for surgary on that side now which will be end of feb which im notlooking foward to, infact i have nightmares about it because i know what to expect now. i thought it was only me that got these collapsed lungs so my heart goes out to you and everyone else that suffers.

    Posted by sarah at 11pm on 27.01.06

  96. I’ve got a few answers for everyone. My SP was 14 years ago (1992) and I just decided today to search to see if anyone else has all these weird feelings this long after a surgery. Someone above asked about ignoring it..bad idea…I tried for 3 months and my left side filled with fluid around my lung—to the point it kept me up at night gurgling. The stabing pain went away after 1 week. I never really noticed a shortness in breath but 3 months went by b/f I went to a doctor. I ended up w/ the abraisive surgery after 3 weeks waiting out the chest tubes that didn’t help. I still notice tingling/ numbness/ and some popping type feelings but I haven’t had to go back yet. I also still cough and clear my throat on a regular basis. I had the mis-fortune of 10 days in ICU after my surgery but a lot of the recent people here act like it wasn’t that bad for them??? Maybe it’s got better since 92’. My real concern is I’ve only had this one on my left side and was looking for positive info from people who’ve had no further trouble. I’m starting to feel a little worried to see so many people going thru this on a regular basis. Makes me wonder if I’ve got another one coming.

    Posted by Brian Sisco at 3am on 02.02.06

  97. I had a spon. pneumo 5 yrs ago when I was 18. I am 5’4 115 lbs. For months afterward I had the constant awful chest pain that everyone is describing. Deciding I was not going to live with it forever I went to specialist after specialist to find out why I was still having the pain. They tested me for EVERYTHING!! Nothing was ever found but the docters concluded that the cartilage in my chest gets very very easily inflammed (as a result of the pneumo) causing my chest pains. They put me on Bextra which at the time was used to help arthritus pains. Although the side affects of Bextra were horrible and it has since been taken off the market my chest pains vanished. It was absolutely amazing! I dont know if this will help anyone but I hope so. I’ve only had 1 pneumo compared to most of you having so many so I consider myself really really lucky. But any type of medicine that can help to reduce the inflammation of your cartilage in your chest cavity should greatly reduce your chest pains. Good Luck!!

    Posted by Amanda at 5pm on 03.02.06

  98. hey everybody.

    this site is a life saver, well maybe a mind saver! iv been worrying so much since talc pleuradisis in may 05! i dnt go a day without thinking about it. Im a tallented footballer,play unibond standard, 20 years old tall n slim. i am still playing, but i can feel the surgery sometimes, well annoying/ i guess its never gonna b rite. me right lung, even tho i had surgery on me left en’ some times hurts,but it always works out o rite…..i think it mite just must be me para noid. does any body else no wat i mean??? i love you all, and i know wat ya’ll going throu, peace n respect to ya’ll !!!!!!!!!! matthew, TADCASTER, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND!!!!!!!! let me know ur out there!!! please!!!! HOWBANGER ……….owwthathurt@hotmail.com//////////please get in touch xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Posted by MHowgate at 1am on 09.02.06

  99. It was 18 months ago, while reading the newspaper and after a two vacation at the beach that I had my first pneumothorax. I am a female, 5’8”, 125lbs. and 51 years old. Perhaps because I am very active outdoors and am in good physical condition, I never experienced shortness of breath. For me, it was a feeling of pressure throughout the chest, a constricting pain which radiated to the right shoulder blade with a stabbing pain at that site. Each deep breath accentuated that pain. The pain also radiated up my neck to my throat and to the inside of my right shoulder. I could not lie down on my back or right side without an intense discomfort rather than pain and a feeling of pressure that went all the way up to my throat. A visit to my physician the next morning revealed that more than 50% of my lung had collapsed. A chest tube was inserted at the hospital which was extremely painful only because of inadequate pain management with narcotics. After two days on suction to remove the air from the pleural space, I was released from the hospital. Once the tube was pulled, I felt great and was on my way. The recurrence rate for a sponaneous pneumothorax is very high (25-50%) within the first two years. Unfortunately, I had my second one last month which was much more of an ordeal.
    After a second pneumothorax, it is recommended to have a pleurodesis to prevent subsequent pneumothoraces.Since the recurrence rate increases with each episode. It is generally recommended to start with a mechanical pleurodesis. This is a roughing up of the lung which causes a lot of irritation and inflammation which in turn, causes the lung to form adhesions to the lining of the lung. This holds the lung up if there is another episode of pneumothorax. The recurrence rate goes down to 1% with this procedure. If, for some reason, this procedure is not successful, pleurodesis with talc (tetracycline is no longer used) and pleurectomy are the next step.
    To offer reassurance, I did not find the mechanical pleurodesis the miserable experience that some of you have described, most likely due to adequate pain management with Fentenol (which I found superior to morphine once I was switched over).
    I ended up staying in the hospital for 10 days due to the development of a persistant air leak. I dreaded the prospect of going back into surgey for the chemical pleurodesis (talc) which is said to be much more painful than the mechanical pleurodesis. My surgeon made the decision to send me home with the chest tube in place and a one way Heimlich valve to release the air in the hope that the leak would stop. After another 8 days, the leak was considered to be small enough so the tube could be pulled and the air still leaking into my chest could be reabsorbed.
    There is an important footnote to my story which I will direct towards all ovulating women who have had a spontaneous pneumothorax. If your pneumothorax occurs during your period or just before or after, it is likely that your have experienced a catamenial pneomothorax. This is not so much a rare condition as one that is frequently misdiagnosed as spontaneous pneumothorax. Catamenial pneumothorax is a hormonally influenced collapse which may be but is not necessarily associated with endometriosis. In many cases such as mine, there are no blebs on the lung, no evidence of endometriosis or any other visible abnormalities. The recommended treatment is the same as for spontaneous pneumothorax: pleurodesis and repair of any holes. In addition, it is recommended to suppress ovulation for the first post-surgical month to give the lung a chance to heal. Given my age and the fact that most of my periods now are anovulatory, I opted not to go on Lupron as it is a very potent drug with considerable side effects.
    My recommendation to anyone who has experienced a pneumothorax is to research your condition online. There is a lot of material available to you there which will both educate you about your condition and offer you some reassurance. Secondly, do your research and find the best thoracic surgeon in your area so as to minimize possible complications. This may be an ongoing relationship so get a personal recommendation from your other physicians. Lastly, get moving as soon after surgery as possible. Force yourself to walk daily and this will speed your return to health. Good luck to all.

    Posted by Sher Sedgwick at 5pm on 18.02.06

  100. since i last wrote a comment in here ia mstil having chest pains,i take 7/500mg vicodine a day. lastw ekk they re exrayed me and i ahd 5 broken ribs(ididnt fall or caugh bad so dont know how they got broke.
    please ant one s till have pain besides the myrib oain this long(11) months after mt thoracomonty
    thank you
    bucky
    coplien

    Posted by bucky coplien at 1am on 20.02.06

  101. The junior nurses and doctors just don’t like patients like me. I am the nightmare patient. Not because I’m grouchy and rude although the anesthetic has been known to make me swear at my poor mother post op, but becuase I ask so many questions and doubt everything anybody does to me.

    In 1997 I was 18 and just finishing revising for my College exams (A levels) and had my first SP on my left side, after several days of trying to rest and get rid of this mysterious problem I went to the doctor who blamed it on exam stress and sent me home. Another 2 weeks went by and I returned to the doc explaining nothing had changed - they listened to the left chest and advised going for xray.

    The local hospital saw the sp and tried simple needle aspiration which didn’t do much. after a few more days of observation I had my first big drain in. and what an experience that was - they gave me a drug that made me pretty drunk and disorientated and a junior doc tried to insert - he didn’t know what he was doing and after taking an hour to complete the procedure they then found out they did not have the right equipment to attach to the drain. so I had a bodged water seal and no pump available to suction the lung back up. God bless the NHS

    After little success on the drain I was transfered to Harefield for an operation - mechanical Pluerodesis and stapling. Woke up with self service morphine. I got out after around 6-7 days and thought it would all be over and done with.

    3 months later whilst at university in my first few days I had another sp on the other side (r). Went to a local hospital and was observed. Recovered and left the hospital but was advised to have another operation to prevent further sp’s

    Went back to Harefield and had the same operation on my right side. The surgeon said it was very unlikely to trouble me again.
    All went well for the next 7 years apart from the occasional partial collapse which laid me out for a few days. then i had another sp that I couldn’t resolve with rest alone. I had another xray after 4 weeks of suffering and was told to get to A+E urgently. this time i had private medical insurance so I hoped for better treatment. The junior doctor used a different drain this time round (smaller gauge). it felt easier to cope with and wasn’t as traumatic as the usual one’s. I spent 7 days on that drain with suction but nothing was improving. My new surgeon decided to replace my drain with a larger one ! to my horror. After a total of 15 days on suction they decided to operate again.

    I transfered to St Anthony’s where I had a Pleurectomy + stapling using thoracotomy, I had 7 weeks off work and then reluctantly returned. The next 2 months went ok, then I hit a bad patch again. I’ve not felt great recently but I’m getting used to having slight setbacks through the recovery process. The first time I had this happen back at college, it took me a full year to return to my former self ! I’m hoping it will be much quicker this time - I’ve learnt allot over the years about how to manage the up’s and down’s.

    I’ve recently started a website dedicated to helping those that have suffered with SP’s : http://www.blebinfo.co.uk

    Posted by Ross Edwards at 11pm on 20.02.06

  102. Hi Everyone!!

    I am a 48 yr. old female. Like Rhonda Forney (Jan. 20/06 posting) I also have bullous emphysema. I had an sp in Early May/05. I really didn’t have any pain, I just couldn’t breath very well. The hospital put a chest tube in and it suctioned for about 4 or 5 days. Early Feb/06, I started getting winded very easily, so went to Dr’s and they put me back in hospital with a small sp. Doc’s called it a “Leak”. Had a CT Scan and Dr.’s found out that I have a large cyst in the top of my right lung and smaller ones around the bottom. My “Leak” healed after 3 days in hospital. They decided not to operate yet…I had to go for a lung capacity test (will find out results of that on March 15/06) After the test got a bit of pain in my back and have another “Leak”. My heart goes out to all of us - I hope if I have to have surgery, I survive the pain you have all talked about here. Thanks so much to Jack for maintaining this forum - it has been a godsend!!

    Posted by Cheryl at 9pm on 03.03.06

  103. Hi all ;-),
    Only a wap user so hope this works! :-l, i am a long time sufferer of post-op chest pain after a open pleuradectomy in 1990, details to follow if safe, will b so happy if i can finally talk 2 some1 who undertands SP’s & the post-op problems, best ;-)

    Posted by G at 8pm on 07.03.06

  104. I am a 30 year old white female. About 8 years ago I started to experience severe pain in my right shoulder/neck/arm during menstration. My GP told me not to be stupid, that my cycle did not have anything to do with my arm!! and sent me away with ibuprofen tablets…Obviously, these didn’t take away the pain. I was then referred to see an orthopedic surgeon, I had acupuncture and physiotherapy, but nobody seemed to want to listen to the fact that it was happening at the same time as my cycle. Eventually, I saw a gynocologist 2 years later, had a laparoscopy and was diagnosed with having endometriosis implants on the outside of my womb. The specialist advised me that due to the fact that I was only 25 at the time and hadn’t had any kids, there was nothing more they could/would do for me and that he didn’t really know what was causing the pain in my shoulder/neck/arm. I was placed on the pill for 12 months constantly…no breaks…but when I had a period at the end of this time, the pain was even worse than before. As you can imagine, I was very scared to stop taking the pill so continued with it for the past 5 years….which isn’t very healthy! I have now seen another gynocologist, last week, who has told me that there is a possibility there may be endometriosis cysts on my diaphragm and possibly my liver, and will need further tests done to diagnose this. I have read a lot lately about catemenial pneumothoracies during menses and just wondered if this could be happening to me? I don’t actually get chest pain or shortness of breath, but the pain does worsen when I breathe, cough, hiccup, etc. I also find it very difficult laying on my right side as the pain is unbearable! Any comments will be appreciated!

    Posted by Kathryn at 12pm on 16.03.06

  105. Kathryn - I just read your posting and can sympathize with you. It sure is no fun being in pain. It’s always best to get a doctor’s opinion. If you get the tests you can start finding out what’s going on and maybe put your mind at ease….best of luck and keep us updated.

    I posted on March 3rd, and have gotten the results of my tests….My Lung Specialist now claims that I didn’t have any “Leaks”. He says I have 70% Lung capacity. They are going to monitor me for now and unless something happens, or I guess if I get worse, they will do nothing. He did say that I have a high risk of a re-occurance of another collapse. Lucky me - lol — I have to take things easy because I still get winded easily and still get the occasionaly chest and back pains…..I hope everyone is doing o.k. out there….please share your ongoing experiences - misery loves company - lol :-)

    Posted by Cheryl at 12am on 23.03.06

  106. I’m a 20 year old whilte slim and tall male, classic for a sp. It was june 05 when i had my first one in my left lung and i was 19 and working in a restaurant kitchen at the time, got taken to hospital and had the air aspirated. Then spent 6 months assuming everything was all normal and even got discharged by my doctor at the chest clinic, he told me it was just a one off. Then new years eve several months back now, i was in the pub preparing to celebrate the new year and the awful pain and agony that you suffer with this problem came on and I was taken to hospital, I then started to lose confidence after that, felt awkward going out just incase it happens again, being paranoid at every little twinge i feel in my back or chest. I managed to celebrate my 20th just two weeks later then at the end of that week i was doing some of my uni work in the uni library and would you guess it I had to leave quickly as possible to try and get to my car so i can drive myself to hospial. By the time i got to my car i walkeded into my friends house and collapsed on their bed, luckily he knew exactly what was wrong with me and rang an ambulance. So three times in six months makes it sp and makes me elegable for the op. I hate pain and needles and being stuck in hospital. I dont know the name of the op but my surgeon said they are going to stapel my lung and lift it up or something like that. Im having it at bethnal green so i am away from home (southend essex). I am dreading it, the pain i will feel afterwards, the drip coming out of my chest and i will never stop being paranoid about it happening again even in the other lung. this sp really sucks and i will not get on a plane, i havent been out for ages, im scared to be around any form of smoke. I’m just waiting for the phone call to tell me i am being admitted to hospital, should be any day soon. my friends and family have been brilliant and understand the problem. I refuse to let this lung stuff get me down, it will be hard but im only 20 and cant live in my own shadow the rest of my life its not fair. I sympathis with all of you, i definately have not got it as bad as many of you have, my thoughts are with you all, i know how your feeling.

    Posted by Paul at 3pm on 26.03.06

  107. Hang in there Paul. I hope after your operation you don’t get any more pneumothorax’s. God Bless and be well!

    Posted by Cheryl at 7pm on 01.04.06

  108. Hi everyone I just got done reading about 60% of the posts on here.. Im 19yr old white male about 5’10 155lbs very athletic and fit. My SP happened about a month ago to this day. I was in the hospital for about 9 days much longer then expected because the ER had put the chest tube in the wrong spot and my lung didnt fully inflate. So far I havent had any ghost pains that others are experiencing and I dont worry about it happening again. About 2 days after I was released I was back in the gym walking :). I have an x-ray sch for this friday I cant wait for him to tell me I can lift again, I miss it. I dont know about you guys but when i was released I continued to use those breathing devices I was given that helps stretch and strengthen your lung I was told. Well my only advice is think positive and live life dont worry :) good luck everyone

    Posted by Andrew at 9pm on 03.04.06

  109. Wow that is a lot to read through. I just had a Spontaneous Pneumothorax last night. My first one ever. I hope this doesn’t happen again. It is very scary. I didn’t see anything about it in the few comments that I read at the top so I thought I would mention it. After having this happen to you, you should never scuba dive. If this happens to you while you are scuba diving you would likely die.

    Posted by Jesse at 3pm on 11.04.06

  110. I’m a 20yr old male and in college. My first pneumothorax occurred 3 years ago while I was in highschool. My left lung collapsed and air leaked into all sorts of places. It was a very scary experience, when I would press on my skin around my neck,chest, and even under my arm pits little air bubbles would pop and it made a sound like rice krispys popping. I was in the hospital for about a week and the lung healed on it’s own with no chestube or surgery. Well, now, 3 years later my right lung collapses. It has a hole in it now as I type this and I am to meet with a doctor on Monday to determine if I need surgery. I hope not as it will set me way behind in my studies. A pneumothorax is such a bummer.

    Posted by Peter at 2am on 14.04.06

  111. I had my first spontaneous pnuemothorax in 1991. I went
    to the ER and told them I thought I was having a heart attack. I was initially relieved when they said it was a collapsed lung and treatable as on the way to the hospital i was just hoping to live until I got there. In any event, 6 months later I had another one in the opposite lung. And about 6 years after that-another one.
    So it’s been several years but I was wondering if anyone knows if I should be concerned about another recurrance or what the odds are that this would happen again? Intermittingly I have had severe chest pain from scar tissue from the SN, or so I’ve been told that’s what it’s from. Thanks in advance.

    Posted by bethe911indy at 5am on 14.04.06

  112. I am 29, female,6 feet and 1 inch and very slim. I had my first pneumothorax at the end of Februray this year in the right lung. I had no idea what it was but the pain was terrible yet it still took me 3 days to see a doctor who then admitted me into hospital. The doctors decided to aspirate it rather than insert a tap and it expanded quite well after two weeks although i was still getting quite a bit of chest pain.
    Then 2 weeks to the day my left lung collapsed and i went to a&e where they again used aspiration rather than a tap.The doctors have suggested it may be linked to Marfans Syndrome which is genetic and something linked to spontanious Pneumothorax (and being tall and thin)has anyone else been told this?
    I am now waiting to see a specialist to discuss somekind of procedure to prevent another one! It sounds like the procedure i’ve seen posted on this site with the talc or whatever it is but i dont really know much about it.
    Its been 6 weeks and my whole rib cage most days especially in work i’m just worried that this might be something that isnt over.

    Posted by Jacquii at 6pm on 23.04.06

  113. I’m 20, female, 5’3, slim and don’t smoke. I had my first spontaneous pneumothorax in Feb ‘06 in the left lung. I was admitted to the hospital immediately and they put a chest tube in. 6 days later while I was still in the hospital, my right lung collapsed as well. My left lung hadn’t healed up yet so those of you who know from having chest tubes you can imagine the pain I went through by having them on both sides. Because my right lung collapsed so easily after my left one did the doctors recommended surgery. Video assissted bilateral thoracotomy with pleurodesis. Incase any of you are looking for options, what they did for me was make incisions on my sides and stapled off the parts of my lungs that had the cysts and used a video camera to see inside. This is less invasive than having to crack my chest open to see my lung. For the pleurodesis they used antibiotic powder instead of talc. My surgeon told me that they don’t know the long term effects (say 20 yrs later) of using talc and since i’m so young they went with the antibiotic. It’s not as effective as talc but it works. When my left lung first collapsed, it was a week before my 20th birthday. I was laughing when I read the begining entry..the irony (about a day before your birthday). Lucky me I spent my 20th in the hospital with 2 collapsed lungs/2 chest tubes and lots of pain with the inevitable surgery looming over my head. At least I got to miss midterms…and finals. haha.

    Posted by addy at 3am on 28.04.06

  114. I’m currently 18. I suffered my first lapse of spontaneous pneumothorax on my right lung in October 2004. It wasn’t too serious, but came back about 3 times over the course of 3 months. The doctors recommended surgery, and I was booked in to have surgery in February 2005. Unfortunately for me, I was hit once again with SP before my operation, and was admitted to hospital. This time it was much worse, and I had the chest tube inserted, and shortly after had the surgery. Pretty much the same procedure as Addy mentioned above except they used talc on me.

    I get pains too every now and then. It really sucks. :(

    Posted by Peter at 1pm on 12.05.06

  115. im a 27 year old female who is only a small 5 feet tall (hardly the typical stereotype) and i have never smoked. I had my first spontaneous pneumothorax in march this year on my left side. I had to go to casualty where i was admitted to hospital to have the chest drain inserted. I ended up staying in hospital for a week and a half as every time they took my drain off the suction the lung kept going down until after 3 times it stayed up. The doctors thought that i would need an operation but i managed to get away with it, i was informed at my check up last week that if it happens again i will need an operation , so now i just hope that it wont happen again

    Posted by kerry gray at 7pm on 17.05.06

  116. May 15 2006
    I have exsperianced S.P
    I think I will exsperiance it again. I have to.

    Posted by Daniel at 4am on 18.05.06

  117. HI…my name’s sean griffin but my performance moniker is bOy Â¥ok0. I am 23 years old. I have worked my way up in various musical projects playing keyboards since i was 13. Finally after 10 years of proving myself, i ended up doing what i wanted…singing. I started a new band, and everything was on the up and up. I was getting lots of press. Loads of accolades. For the very first time in my life i felt as though i was doing what i wanted. Then, after moving from miami to Pittsburgh PA, my left lung collapsed due to spontaneous pneumo. I had my upper left lobe removed. I had VATS. I had Pleurectomy. Doctors told me i would need to have the same procedure done on the right lung, as it was THREE times worse than the left lung. I got out of the hospital (UPMC presby), gained weight, had immense depression and unending, indescribable pain descend on me like a vulture’s prey. I have not been able to perform in over 7 months. They tell me i should be able to go onstage and sing and freak out, but i cannot make it down the stairs without wishing i was dead. That’s actually what i do most of the time. Sit around and wish i was dead. I’m suprised i haven’t attempted suicide yet. My girlfriend is of the opinion that everything will be OK eventually and that i should get the 2nd surgery. This is causing our relationship to distintegrate. I feel as though my left side is blown up by a bike pump. I feel as though i have knives being thrust into my armpits. Several doctors and surgeons have told me to NOT have the surgery again no matter what. They say i should wait for the lung to pop before i take surgical measures. My personal care physician is urging me to have the surgery, as he thinks it has destroyed my life and i will never be able to move on without surgery. My surgeon, of course, being a surgeon, is urging me to have this 2nd surgery. His teacher was one of the doctors that told me not to (to be more specific, he said he would not perform the procedure on me for ANY amount of money). He has reccomended Zoloft and Xanax regimens…LOL…..like im supposed to just sit on my couch some more, screwed out of my skull on anti-anxiety dope. Even as i type this, i am in pain. A pulminologist told me i have the beginnings of emphysema as well. I am on Spiriva and albuterol. The spiriva seems to help…or at least, since ive been on it, there is NO WAY i could make it through a single day of breathing without it. If anyone has any advice or help they can pass on to me i would be overjoyed to hear peoples suggestions. My life has hit absolute rock bottom. I can’t enjoy anything. My interest in music is waning. I guess i’m going to bite the bullet and have the second surgery, as my life can’t get much worse. I’m terrified, i dont know if i can go through all of it again, the chest tubes, the insensative surgeons, the absolutely insane UPMC nurses. I just dont want to go through with it if it will only make the right side feel as bad as the left does. I would LOVE to hear peoples opinions on whether this is a good idea or not. Thank you.

    Posted by sean griffin at 4am on 29.05.06

  118. Is there anyone out there, who has heard of, or experienced a sp involving both lungs at the same instant (was in recovery from shoulder surgery)? this happened to my girlfriend recently, and the docs say its rare, but not unprecidented

    Posted by mike at 1am on 10.06.06

  119. hi, my son is a white male of 27 tall and slim build, he has just suffered last week his 1st sp he is still in hospital and due to operation on wed or thurs this week, he has had a chest drain in since last wed and a suction over the weekend, it seemed the water stopped bubbling this morning and then shortly after the lung collapsed again, is the op done by keyhole surgery or a full blown op, i am very worried because i’m not sure exactly what they are going to do.
    posted by yvonne 12 06 06 at 23.33

    Posted by yvonne chilleystone at 11pm on 12.06.06

  120. All female diagnosed with pneumothorax, please read my new book Living With Lung and Colon Endometriosis: Catamenial Pneumothorax. Shortcut: http://www.endometriosis.org/wallace.html

    Posted by Glynis D. Wallace D.M.D at 12am on 14.06.06

  121. All females diagnosed with pneumothorax, please read my new book Living With Lung and Colon Endometriosis: Catamenial Pneumothorax. Shortcut: http://www.endometriosis.org/wallace.html

    Posted by Glynis D. Wallace D.M.D at 12am on 14.06.06

  122. I am female, 44 years old and 5’8” - not your usual SP victim. I had my first SP in September 2005, with a second three weeks later and a debatable third a couple of days later. Debatable because my right lung may not have inflated properly following aspiration. All were treated in A&E by aspiration, with a stay in hospital on a drain with suction for 10 days following the third go. I started coughing up blood just before xmas 2005 when a cyst on my right lung was diagnosed via CT scan- the doctors think this was the cause. I then had a right pleurodesis by abrasion in February 2006 and still, in June have pain. I am off on holiday in the next few weeks and am flying for the first time - I’m a tad nervous that things may go wrong, but hey - you can’t go on living with the “what if” syndrome. The first time it happened I had been mowing the lawn and having great difficulty starting the damn thing, the second time I had been throwing the frisbee for the dog, both the same sort of right arm action. I still believe this had something to do with the callopses. The operation did not involve opening up my ribcage like a carcass but making a 9” incision around my right shoulder blade. The scare is not the greatest but the care I received in my local hospital in Basingstoke and where I had the operation in Southampton General was exceptionally good - OK the food was foul but they don’t pretend to be a gourmet restaurant. The one thing they don’t tell you is the amount of pain and the length of time it lasts but I suppose that’s what morphine and drugs are for. So far it’s been successful and everything seems to be OK although I don’t think I have full lung capacity. I think the chest drain scar is the more painful but having had four removed I truly believe the best way is to take a big breath in, then breath all the way out to make your lungs as small as possible and they just pull it out, I hardly noticed when it was done this way. Yes, the whole thing is very scarey, especially the first time it happens but I am amased at how much more common the condition is than I thought.

    Posted by Sabrina at 5pm on 15.06.06

  123. HI YVONNE SORRY TO HEAR YOUR SON HAS SUFFERED PHNEUMOTHORAX FOR THE FIRST TIME NOT A NICE THING TO GO THROUGH. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT MANY TIMES AND HAVE HAD SURGARY TO BOTH LUNGS (PLEURECTOMY AND RESECTION TO THE TOP APICAL}. IF THATS THE SURGARY YOUR SONS HAVIN THEN IT IS THROUGH KEYHOLE UNLESS THEY EXPERIANCE PROBLEMS THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE TO CUT HIM OPEN [THORACOTOMY]. WHAT EVER HE IS HAVIN ITS NOT VERY NICE.HE WILLL HAVE AN EPIDURAL AS WELL AS A GENERALL. WHEN HE WAKES UP HE WILL HAVE 2 CHEST DRAINS IN 1 WILL COME OUT AFTER A FEW DAYS THE OTHER WILL COME OUT A FEW DAYS AFTER THAT. HE WILL GET LOTS OF PAIN RELIEF [MORHINE] WOW!!! THATS THE NICE PART. ITS BEEN 7 MONTHS SINCE MY FIRST LOT OF SURGARY AND 3 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST LOT AND I STILL GET PIERCING PAINS NOW. MY EXPERIANCE WAS NOT A GOOD 1 PERSONALLY ID RATHER GIVE BIRTH AGAIN TO TWINS OR EVEN QUADS THAN GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.

    Posted by sarah at 9pm on 22.06.06

  124. hi everyone i like most of the other people suffer from phneumothorax in both lungs i have had more than ten attacks of upto date and its been going on for about 15 years i am now booked in to see a surgeon on the 11th of july, after reading most of the comments on this page i am starting to wonder if surgery is really the answer as most people still seem to be in as much pain afterwards and at least at the minute i have an attack and after a few weeks when it has died down i am ok for a year or so. i would just like to add to anyone who reads tis page and has never suffered from this illness you really can not explain the pain it causes it feels like you have been stabbed and everytime you move the knife is being twisted. i hope for everyone who suffers from this that the hostpitals spend more money on a cure for this horrible illness that seems to be bigger than anyone thinks it is.

    Posted by jim mason at 10pm on 30.06.06

  125. My son has just suffered a pneumothorax after regaining strength after knee surgery. He rides motox and has had chest injuries in the past. He has a drain as aspiration didn’t work. They removed 2 litres + of air and sent him home. He was back in by the morning. Has anyone else experienced this after exercise. We do not think this is caused by the normal possibly hereditery bleps. How long is the longest anyone has had a drain to heal. WE don’t want to go into surgery to soon.

    Posted by sallie at 11pm on 01.07.06

  126. Hi im Ali and iv just started suffering from spontanous pnuemothorax does any one no if they could be coursed by running as i run a lot thank you

    Posted by Ali at 3pm on 05.07.06

  127. I picked up this site in a search because it said a dog had suffered from sp. I could not find that comment but I was interested because my cat has today had her third sp. She had the first in April 2005, the second in May 2005. Both times Xrays revealed the diagnosis, her chest was drained and she then had a course of prednisolone. In all occasions including today there is no question of injury or other trauma. It seems to be related to pollen or as today dust from hay making.
    I mentioned this socially to two super specialist and very expensive vets who said I must be wrong, there must have been injury but I knew there had been nothing and it took my really sound general small animal vet to pick up on the cause. The cat is female, 5 years old and (typically I think) very small and slender. She is perhaps the size of a ten month old kitten. Most of the comments I have read seem to be from slender, fit people.
    Typically she is in great pain, rapid respiratory distress, drooling followed by cyanosed tissue in mouth, (blue lips and tongue) and then screaming with pain.

    I hope this may help anyone with the condition or anyone else with a dog or cat or other small animal and I would be interested to know other experiences.
    Angela.

    Posted by Angela Thorpe at 11am on 19.07.06

  128. I have had more than 10 spontaneous pneumothorax in two years….I have had to have 7 operations including a big one that involved taking the lining between my ribs and lungs out so that my lung couldn’t collapse any longer. The surgeon said if I didn’t that my lung would just keep collapsing…..That operation set me back 6 long weeks…..The only thing I wish is that I wouldn’t hurt every day for the rest of my life…..I am glad that I am alive….I just wish it didn’t hurt when it got too cold or too hot or if I am stressed or just cause it is hurting…..

    Posted by natalie at 10pm on 21.07.06

  129. ALI- Spontaneous Pneumothorax occurs because you are born with lesions (little bubbles) on your lungs and eventually they will pop and put little pin like holes in your lungs. Your running has nothing to do with spontaneous pneumothorax…..It is a disorder that you are born with…No worries….Everything will be all right.

    Posted by Natalie at 10pm on 21.07.06

  130. My twin sister has Pneumothorax on both of her lungs, which was diagnosed in hospital yesterday. I’m struggling to cope at the moment and I’m not quite sure what to do. She also has endometriosis, which I now believe, created the Pneumothorax in the first place.

    Posted by Abiola at 7am on 23.07.06

  131. Just a quick note: no more posts about cats, dogs or other pets with collapsed lungs will be allowed on this post.

    Posted by Jack Mottram at 12am on 09.01.07

  132. Woke up in the middle of the night, with bad pains in my chest, could hardly lie down it was so painful, thinking I was having a heart attack, but didnt feel light headed jumped up, walked downstairs stood there moving my arms checking if I got dizzy but didnt. Slight jumping, very slight made the pain feel as if it were my stomach. Still in bad pain, slept lieing on the other side. Next day went doctors to get some inhalers, hes like go to A and E today, now. Shocked, thinking it wasnt worth it, trek down to A and E. Waiting etc, see the nurse shes like not bothered taking my details etc. Blah blah, get a chest X ray done, come back and say ‘You have a collapsed lung mate.’ Im like, uhhhh okay, did not expect that. By now the nurses are bothered and not treating me with ignorance, everyones concerned. Youve got to have a tube stuck in your chest and the trapped air sucked out. Im like what? Now? Aww what.. I dont want to. But couldnt wait if its necessary Ill have it I thought eventually. So the entire crew of scrubs uk tipped up, all asking if its cool for the other doctors to watch, I was okay with this and felt like a science experiment, anyway time for the procedure. Iodine on cotton wool, stinks, on my chest, oh yeah wasnt expecting being worked on that day so wasnt excactly sweet smelling lol, then the needles and tubes and stuff come out and I started to feel siiiiiick. Sweating, I gradually managed to sort my head out and let them carry on, little injection, you go numb. Ive been to the dentist 100s of times so this was nothing. Then the tube. Maaan, feels uncomfy, doesnt hurt, two minuites of going are you nearly finished yet and I was done. In all honesty it didnt seem to make all that much difference, I guess the pnemothorax was mild. Sat up in bed bored, wanting to go home but another X ray later, they say it made a bit of difference, do I feel okay, im like feel the same, theyre like, stay overnight but totally didnt want to. Had biked it there 125cc kawazaki outside so that would have got nicked. I was off and decided I wasnt staying, nurse like if you feel bad again come back straight away. Days and days pass, still ‘feel’ it a bit, but gradually gets better, very gradually. X rays say it was improving. Months pass, Till today, just walked 3 miles back from an interview. Sit down, then take a breath and feel the same awkward pain I felt last time, not as bad but the same. Aww no and gutted is what im thinking, couldnt draw a full breath, started panicking looking for inhalers. Shouldnt have walked so far. Sick of this, tubes sucking suck, dont want that again, I sat here thinking of how to sort it out myself, how would you do it on a desert island? Tried various stretches nothing seems to do it though. Then tried pushing my stomach so it makes your breath go in and out that seemed to relive it somehow. Then tried this whilst sucking but not allowing air to enter my mouth, like sucking on a straw with the end blocked. This REALLY seemed to make a load of difference and the pain seemed to get slightly less, like the low lung air pressure made the air in the cavity go back through the hole. I dont know, but it seems like I just had another spontanious pnemothorax, and some how managed to suck it into expanding again now I can take a full breath the resistance seems less. I know that this is mild compared to some other sufferers and words cant convey how much this condition sucks. Hopefully will do this excercise till I feel better. Oh yeah, I smoke, Ive smoked for ages, basically hit it and cough was the routine. I did this to myself, that it happens to non smokers is very bad indeed, but I kind of asked for it. I have to quit or my lungs gonna thats the score. Cant wait till you can get replacement lungs but I guess untill then its me and the universe. Hope you all manage to recover. Sincerely - Luke from Manchester UK

    Posted by Lopez at 5pm on 15.01.07

  133. Hey everybody I had my first SP while I was getting a haircut back in August 2006. Did not know what it was maybe just cramps but the pain was horrible and I couldn’t breathe too well but I went to the doc the next day and found out what it was. It was minor so we let it heal on its own. About a month later I had a 2nd one after my trip to Vegas and it was determined then I should just do the surgery to try and “fix” it instead of it happening again and again. I had a VATS procedure with a pleural ablation so they cut off the top of my right lung where these blebs should be and then they scrub it down and paste it to the chest cavity so more blebs should not form. I was told that having the surgery will give you like a 90 - 100% chance of it not happening again. Also they said if it usually occurs in one lung then maybe a 10-15% chance of it happening in the other which is still scary. I still get chest pains here and there and even on my left side like right now but I can still breathe and its not terrible so no worries. Have to see my pulmonologist in a month so I can ask him more questions to see if it is all normal. Keep you all updated and stay strong. Didn’t know there were a lot of other people out there like me so thats comforting. Be well

    p.s. - oh yeah by the way not a smoker and never have in my life and overall pretty healthy person eat well and exercise but I am a bit tall and skinny and did do some high impact workouts like tae kwon do so it could have aided in the SP happening but seems it can happen no matter what.

    Posted by Bobby at 7pm on 19.01.07

  134. Hello everyone,

    I had a spontaneous pneumothorax in 2002. A chest tube was inserted to drain the fluid. After a few days they decided to operate. The operation involved the removal of lung tissue and a number of titanium staples (3-5). Was this procedure wise? Is it possible that these staples could fall out or cause any complications in the future?

    Thank you for your input,

    Zach (23, United States)

    Posted by Zachary Newquist at 6pm on 28.02.07

  135. Hi all,

    I had my first SP operation in 2002 on my right lung and another in 2004 on my left. I was kind of relieved to hear from my doctor that there was a 5 percent probability of recurrence and it was very uncommon after two years of the operation. Since both the operations, I gained considerable kgs by eating fat products ESPECIALLY meat as recommended by a traditional physician here in Mongolia. When I say fat food, I do not just mean cheese with bread on it, I mean solid meat with a lot of fat on top because it helps your lungs’ outer layer to form in a robust and solid manner. Also, hope everyone of you is emotionally strong.

    GD

    Posted by gd at 2am on 21.03.07

  136. I am a 32 yr old femail and I have experienced 3 spontaneous pneumorax, 2 on one side and 1 on the other before receiving surgery. I had a bi-lateral pleurodesis in 1998, it wasn’t pleasant but seeing as I’d been afflicted on both sides they felt it was necessary. About 6 weeks after the gruelling surgery I had another collapse on one side, it wasn’t severe enough to warrant a chest drain and I just had to stay in hospital for around 5 days while we waited for the lung to come back up. Since then I have had no further recurrences over the last 8 years. I do still suffer with chest pains though so it’s a relief to hear that others do too. I don’t get sudden chest pains but generally wake up with an aching feeling across my chest most mornings….does anyone else get this? To any of you awaiting surgery, it’s not exactly fun but it is worth it!

    Posted by Nicola Sawer at 4am on 28.03.07

  137. Three weeks ago I woke up with a SP. the pain went right across my chest and knocked me for 6 when I breathed in. I thought it might be a pinched nerve or similar so decided to go to work anyway(Telstra field technician) for two days. On the second day I noticed my breathing was becoming shorter by the hour and presented to my GP here on the Central Coast where he then sent me for an xray which showed a spontaneous pneumothorax of over 75% and was told to go straight to emergency.
    The doctor tried the small tube first and removed the air by sucking it out manually with a syringe in an attempt to inflate the lung, didn’t work so unfortunately the big one was inserted omg the pain was just terrible. Everything was going well and was released after 4 days.
    Due to the nature of my second employment as a professional firefighter there was a need for me to have this fixed with pleurodesis (TALC) surgery. Two weeks later I was operated on and I am now three days out of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. I cannot sleep this is really painfull I have run out of pain killer and as it is Easter good luck finding a GP that will prescribe me something!
    I have one question to ask all the other patients out there, after the removal of the drain and being released from hospital does anyone get the sensation of a gurgling or popping feeling around the drain site?? as I breathe in the pain is a stabbing and popping feeling particularly when I lay down either on my back or the opposite side of my op.
    Any comments on this associated pain would be appreciated.

    C.Hodge Sydney Australia.

    Posted by Chris Hodge at 11am on 06.04.07

  138. I few weeks back I had the wierdest sensation of not being able to breathe in deeply like not getting over the hump so to say. This worried me but I kept on as normal. This has gotten better but on exhaling I get this popping feeling in my right chest. Has anyone had a simlar experience. I never really had any pain so I maybe not experiencing a sp. Just thought I would get some feedback from experinced people so to say. Thanks.

    Posted by Clay at 6pm on 27.04.07

  139. I am a 24 year old white male, 5’/11” and 115 lbs. This has been plauging me my whole life. When i was 15 i experienced my first and most serious pnuemothorax. My lung collapsed 70% of the way, but i did not recieve a chest drain out of fear. It has collapsed countless times since then. I would say that my lung collapses a little bit every day. some days its the left. some days it’s the right. same places often, but new places as well. i can feel the air escaping from the “blebs” i suppose (never really talk to doctors about my condition since the initial collapse)…even if i put my hand to the spot i can feel the air with my fingers. at that point i have the common stabbing feeling in the area along with shortness of breath and all the other common symptoms. i then also get the feeling of popping rice krispies under my skin around my back, chest and especially neck. it is very scary. i am a heavy smoker, and obviously a very stupid person. it seems that usually one nights rest puts me back to “normal” but through the day i feel it happen all over. it seems i feel similar symptoms to everyone here but it also seems i have some different ones…i am willing to speak more about this..if anyone interested address derek in their message please.

    Posted by derek at 9am on 01.05.07

  140. hi…my name is alex…i am a 15 year old male..150 pounds and very athletic…i do not smoke and i am one of the healthiest people around…on December 28th at a basketball practice for my high school i started to feel chest pains and back pains on my right side…i did not think much of it until my breathing started to shorten and i couldn’t breathe as well….after the practice i went to the emergency room and after 3 or 4 hours in the ER i was attended to and told that i had a SP pneumothorax…i had 40% of my lung collapsed..that night they put a chest tube in me and the next morning i was able to go home…a week later i started to feel bad again and went in for some x-rays…once again about 35% of my lung was collapsed and i was put in the hospital for an extended length…i then was hooked up to a vacume that sucked out and tried to inflate my lung….it did not work and was eventually to the point where i received surgery…it went very well…they stapled and cut off 5% of my lung and sandpapered my chest wall…it was very painful but now i am doing very good and am hoping not to ever have anymore problems…it has been a experience that i will never forget….
    alex

    Posted by alex at 3pm on 18.05.07

  141. I had an SP about 5-6 weeks ago. 2 weeks after it happened again (or felt like it0. doc sent me off for xrays - lung all clear no shadows or infections. happened again today. now they are saying i am hyper mobile and i keep pinching a nerve behind my shoulder blade making my chest hurt and feels like lung has collapsed again. i dont understand how pain in my chest exactly where it was when it collapsed has anything to do with a pinched nerve. the first SP was confirmed by CT Scan using injectable dye. Am going for second opinion today

    Posted by Jodes at 3am on 21.05.07

  142. I had a case of S P of about 20% in April 2004, i was only 17 then. Following an aspiration, 2 days later I had a complete right sided collapse. About 2 weeks later with a chest drain, I started getting a temperature. To cut a long story short, my dressing was not changed for 2 weeks, and i ended up with MRSA, followed by septicemia and multiple organ failure. I spent 4 weeks in intensive care, during which i suffered a ‘suspected heart attack’, so they say, a heart operation and a lung biopsy to get rid of infected stuff. Amazingly the lung reexpanded itself. By this time i had been bedbound for 4 weeks and could barely move a muscle. However i had another heart operation to remove fluid in my chest beacuse i was given a 10 times overdose of blood thinning medicine, tinzaparin. I was finally discharged in June 2004, 3 months after my S P, having had 3 near death experiences. In augaust 2004 i was again diagnosed with a 60% right sided collapse. I had a peurodesis/ VATS procedure which failed and had to be redone a week later. Now i have constant chest pain but my GP can do nothing about it. Due to having 3 operations on my rght lung i have severe nerve damage under my right arm and on the right side of my chest. As an active young sportsman, i feel utterly useless even after 3 long and hard years of physiotherapy and exercise trying to regain some of the strength and sharpness I had before. I don’t have any stamina due to the heart problems, and therefore can’t play any sports for more than 5 minutes at a time. An avid cricket player I have now lost the use of my bowling arm, can’t bat for more than 5-10mins, and can’t run in the field due to poor heart condition and weak legs.

    Posted by Akib at 2pm on 10.06.07

  143. I am a white female in her early 30’s who has suffered from SP for the last 10 years. My first attack was very scary and painful, although only 35%. It was diagnosed by an x-ray and was left to sort itself out.

    A second attack a couple of years later wasn’t picked up by my doctor - I had pulled a muscle apparently - but anyone who has had SP once knows if they get it again!

    My third attack happened about 6-8 weeks ago. This started off at about 25% but then has reoccured about every 10 days increasing in severity up to 35%. My doctor initial failed to diagnose it - another pulled muscle - until I persuaded her to send me for a chest X-ray. I have not had any drains or treatment and it always seems to recover on it’s own after 10 days or so but I have been left with an uncomfortable feeling on my right side. I’m due to have VATS in a couple of weeks to prevent it happening again.

    Interestingly, my consultant has told me that SP in young women can be associated with endometriosis and also can be linked with your periods (something to do with small holes in the diaphragm). I have not been able to find very much about this so far on the web.

    The more I investigate this it does appear to be a ‘not uncommon’ problem which is regulary misdiagnosed by GP’s and doctors and with varying degrees of treatment. A lot of reports I read talk of hospital admittance, drains etc as an immediate treatment, whereas I have never been admitted with this.

    I have seen 3 consultants in the last 6 weeks about this and all have said that after 2 episodes of SP surgery is advised as the chances of re-occurance inclrease with each attack but from what I have read this doesn’t seem to be actively followed.

    I would be interested to hear of any UK support groups or any further views on diagnosis and advise that has been given to people….

    Posted by Ruth at 10am on 13.06.07

  144. hello people, i am only 15 years of age and came out of hospital today ( after being in for two weeks ) this is now my seventh spontaneous pneumothorax, both lungs will collapse on a regular basis now. it took two weeks for a 2.8cm collapse to heal, yet i still get a ” cracking” sensation in my chest, i am meant to be having surgery soon which should fix it, but hey lets see. the doctors have told me that , heavy exercise, no exercise and smoking will affect wether a pneumothorax will take place. i have stopped all of the above and yet i still have problems, anyone got any ideas?

    Posted by Matthew at 10am on 17.07.07

  145. Well after reading all these horror stories thought i would just add my own now seen as its looking like im going to be a long term sufferer of the dreaded spontaniouse pnemothorax. hope someone can also answear some questions for me.
    I am a tall slim 25 year old 6ft female i am an active lifeguard. my first episode was 3 years ago when i was going to the docs with chest complaints to keep getting told i had a pulled muscle. After not being able to take anymore popping and pain in my chest, i went into accident and emmergancy where they diagnosed me with spontaniouse pnemothorax. I had aspiration and had to rest till i recoverd. I thought it was all over when i was pregnant with my second girl and the symptoms came back. this time it was so bad i almost had a heart attack and had to get a chest drain. I ended up in and out of hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy with a total of three chest drains and 5 collapses, also a little growing baby wondering whats going on! I had to go to a special hospital to give birth where lung and baby speacialist were all on stand by(thanks to all the docs and nurses who helped me). My baby girl was born healthy thanking god for that too!
    Its been two years since that happend ive always had nigling pains but thought it was all behid me when it has happend again while i was at work. i have been exersising when its happend and sitting doing nothig when it has happend.
    Im now going to get the operation which i cant sleep for thinking about and need to know from people who have had it done. Is it sorer than the chest drain? can you breath okay when you wake up? how long were you in hospital? and how effective do you think it has been? Thanks

    Posted by carrie lawson at 4pm on 07.10.07

  146. I just wondered what the typical recovery time is for someone after pleurodesis. What are the stages of recovery in terms of pain, etc. over the first week or two, and I heard that you are not allowed to lie down at first? Thanks.

    Posted by Rosemary at 3pm on 24.10.07

  147. Hey Rosemary,
    carrie again. im going in for the pleurodisis operation tomorrow. The doc told me id be in roughly a week. ill let you know how it goes when im out, wish me luck!!

    Posted by carrie lawson at 10pm on 10.11.07

  148. Carrie,
    I hope you have had a successful operation by now. The operation I had lasted for 3 hours and I had that itchy feelings and pain until after my drains were removed after a week. I still felt the slight pain after a year and could not work out but after almost two years of my operation, I can go back to work out but you will have that tiny pain inside your chest whenever you are tired. So, I would suggest that you pay no attention to slight pains when you breath for a year and start exercising a bit until your second year. Also, try beef and fat because it will make your lung thicker and stronger and at the same time exercise a bit so that you dont gain too much weight. Also, DONT get sweat too much when it is windy outside and most importantly DONT EVER get sunburn because it will badly affect your lung. Eventually, I hope that you will forget the bad memories.

    GD (Mongolia)

    Posted by GD at 7am on 16.11.07

  149. HELLO! Carrie again, thanks for the recovery tips. Its been two months since my operation. It turns out i had a bulley at the top of my lung which they removed and stapled my lung together. i then got the pleurodesis (sticking the lung to the chest wall). I was of course in shock, it wasnt nice. I spent one week in hospital, hooked up to morphine for 2-3 days. I was weak for 3-4 weeks my kids had to stay at their grans as i couldnt look after them. two months on now i do still have after pains but my lung does feel stronger and it doesnt feel like its going to collapse. Also i do know that when i get too hot my side throbs, i think its the scars. Im still off work but have started to swim a little bit at a time.I have started having pains in my left lung wich when i went back to the surgeon, he has informed me that i was born with a bulley on my lung and he is more than sure as in most cases the other lung is the same and will collapse eventually. I have been advised to have the same bullectomy and pleurodesis operation on my left lung. I want to wait until my right lung has recoverd more first and hope the left can hang on for a while. Make sure you have plenty of support and help. i couldnt have done this alone.

    Posted by carrie lawson at 1pm on 21.01.08

  150. hi to you fellow sufferers i was a young 5foot 11 inches 22 years old spn to my right lung at this time i was a pro singer and it happened whilst on stage i was chest drained for one week and left hospital but within a week it happened again .i underwent surgery and had another long 3 weeks in hospital never thinking that this would happen again.16 years later the same happened to the left lung after 4 spns to this side i underwent surgery this time it was through key hole three days later whilst still in hospital a further collapsed lung i then had major surgeryto fix the problem but guess what another week passed by and another spn further surgery .its now been 6 years and i am still in real pain never get a goodnights sleep constant pain killers constant chest cramps is there realy a cure for this pain ian lawton if you can help please feel free to advise me

    Posted by ian lawton at 1pm on 22.01.08

  151. from the above dated 21 jan 08 e mail ian-lawton65@hotmail.co.uk

    Posted by ian lawton at 1pm on 22.01.08

  152. I am a Search And Rescue Technician in the Canadian Airforce and I experienced a spontenous pneumothorax. Now the Airforce will not let me dive due to the risk of diving may induce another one. I am 165 cm tall and stocky non smoker. My CT scan showed no inperfections and I did excellant on the pulmonary function test. In order to due my job we are required to dive. Now my career is at risk. Does any body have any advice? Has anybody heard of a pneumothorax occuring while diving? The following is the incident report written for the Airforce. On 08 Aug 07 while on route to Jarvis lake to attend QL6A mountain phase I was injured loading kit onto a CFSSAR truck in the city of Kamloops. While placing my bag into the vehicle I felt what seem to be a pulled mauscle in my chest. I quickly was overcome by an intense amount of pain in my chest with shortness of breath which slowly subsided with rest. For the remainder of the trip I was uncomfortable and decided that if this pain continues I will go to the Hospital to get checked out. By the morning of 9 Aug 07 the pain and shortness of breath has increased to a untolerable level that immediate medical attention was needed. I was transported to the hospital in HInton Alberta by MCpl Gulliford and Sgt Mackenzie who also witnessed the injury in Kamloops. I was quickly admitted to the hospital and diagnosed as a spontenous Pneumothorax. My chest was decompressed in the hospital.

    Posted by Dean at 3am on 26.01.08

  153. Can I ask though - how did you get this picked up and into google news?

    Very impressive that this blog is syndicated through Google and is it something that is just up to Google or you actively created?

    Obviously this is a popular blog with great data so well done on your seo success..

    Rollerblading greats you should write about next, my ex was a Windsurfing champ!

    Posted by Weapons: Nunchakus at 2pm on 13.08.08

  154. I had a spontaneous pneumothorax while driving to walmart, I didn’t cough or sneeze or even breath heavy. By the time I got to the hospital my lung was 90% collapsed. They imediately put a chest tube in and told me I should be out in three days. Here I am 5 weeks, 4 tubes, and 3 surgeries later still in the hospital. They cut a peice of lung off, stapled it, removed scar tissue from the lung and chest wall, finally got the lung to stick to the chest wall, and I still show little sign of improvement. All of this is just a few days after my 18th birthday. I am athletic and they said I should heal pretty fast. So why am I still here? How long does this normally take?

    Posted by Justin at 1am on 12.04.09

  155. So sorry to hear of all the experiences. I got diagnosed a month after I started having back pain, cough and severe shortness of breath. Seems like having the surgery means long term pain, that sounds hard. I don’t want to do the surgery and I hope my doctor will not press me to do so, although he is saying I should as it’s not the first time I’ve had this. Right now although my pneumothorax is large, I show no symptoms except shortness of breath on exertion, so it’s a wait and see approach. I can take that, although I must say when it’s severe, it can be very frightening, feeling like you’re suffocating and may die from lack of oxygen. But I haven’t died yet from it, so I’m thinking it won’t kill, I should chill.

    Posted by Cat at 6am on 09.05.09

  156. I have had over 48 collapses in 4 years on both lungs, and am a slim 29 year old female. I have been through a string of doctors, good and bad, and finally my last emergency room visit got me into a surgeon who did the talc pluerodesis. I had a hell of a time in the hospital and just got out. I am scared from reading these comments that it may have all been in vain anyway. And my lung may have adhered abnormally, because slouching is the only comfortable position that doesn’t take my breath away and cause discomfort. Forget burping, hiccups, sneezes and vomiting… I can’t tell which is worse (before or the after). I am sorta glad I am not alone, but I actually wish I was the only one, so none of you had to deal with this. I often think about dying, and appreciate every day I exist. I just wish it would stop, and wonder, why me at all. Email if you want: n.koerth@gmail.com- It would be nice to talk to someone personally who experiences this. Maybe a success story or two to help?? I have yet to find any and it’s pretty discouraging.
    Thanks.

    Posted by Nickie K. at 1am on 30.05.09

  157. I recently had two episodes (one in each lung a month apart) I really want to go to this party a week or so form now and I am worried I might have another one. I am a tall slender black male and I’m just a teen. I have never needed a tube but I might in the future. this ruined my entire summer for the most part. The doctors said I might have a MORFAN, a genetic disease passed through my family.

    Posted by Corey at 11pm on 31.07.09

  158. wow never heard of those procedures, but i have had three spontaneous pneumos and then they did a “left thoroscopic bleb resection” because it was the left lung, it wasn’t too expensive, and i was only in the hospital for about three and a half days, and they say theres only a 3-5% chance of the left lung ever collapsing again, but odds are theres a 20% the other one will for some reason hmm… but if you just let it heal there is a significant increase in probability that it will just happen again. theres mild soreness and even a tingling sensation along your stomach and ribs from hypersensitive nerves lol, its kind of cool to think about but its definately a permanent fix, i hope, we’ll just have to wait and see when i push myself physically.

    Posted by Devon at 7pm on 01.09.09

  159. I experienced a right phneu­moth­o­rax back in 2005. Spent 18 days in the hospital total. Went thru the pleurodesis procedure on the 9th day. Released with 2 small “blow holes” that served to allow trapped air to escape from inside the chest, outside the lung. Eventually graduated from open holes to allowing them to close and heal. Still in 2009, I have no feeling on my right side from my elbow up into the shoulder, back to the middle of my spine, down to almost my waist, and front to the middle of my sternum and also almost to my waist. The right side aches after exercising, and when it’s cold/damp out. Stretching the right side is limited due to the lung not allowing the muscles between the ribs to move normally. Coughing is more difficult and I experience regular “sighing” in an unconscious effort to exhale more air because the lung does not deflate anymore. I was told this is as good as it gets. FYI, I’m not tall, slim, or a young male so the doctors were as surprised as I was when they realized my condition. Classified as reason unkown.

    Posted by Hailey at 7pm on 24.09.09

  160. I experienced mine in the 9th grade, girlfriend left me and all my friends jacked my stuff while i was rushed to the hospital. somehow my heart was involved and the put me on a mix of oxygen and helium for a week, everything hurt. it has happened twice since then but not as bad and it usually fixed itself. the first time is was only a 2 percent collapse but the heart complication is what made is so painful and dangerous. my arms went numb and it still hurts every few weeks from the scar tissue.

    Posted by Alexander Osorio at 7pm on 03.09.10

  161. Finally someone who has good information on this stuff.

    Posted by Garrick at 7pm on 27.12.10

  162. Had mine in 2008 April. Still not better. Pain in chest and stomach, short of breath and a Doctor who treats me like crap and says I will be judged by him for being on pain medication. A moron with a license. Pharmacies treat and judge too. It is like I have done something wrong but have not. Suffering with chronic pain. Getting tired of facing it and drugs do not take all the pain away because I am under medicated. Nowhere to turn. Sad. I used to enjoy life. Now I exist in it at a very unenjoyable level.

    Posted by John at 2am on 10.08.12

  163. just a few words to let all the people who have experienced sp. thor. know that life might can and will get better. i have had 3 sp thor in the past 2 years and most recently it was decided i needed pluerectomy and bullectomy to prevent a life threatening collapse. my surgeon explained that i needed 40% of my right lung removed and due to a pre-existing condition the attempts to force the tube through my rib cage caused an extreme reaction and swelling which will now require even more surgery. i spent a few weeks cursing and complaining that life was unfair and why me but the longer i think about it the more i realise how lucky i am to be alive and count my blessings each and every day.if our sp thor had occured 20-30 years ago none of us would be here to give out so i guess what i just want to say is this “ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE” YOLO PEOPLE

    Posted by mug at 9pm on 10.01.13

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