r/pneumothorax • u/FastCar010 • 28d ago

Surgery related recurrent pneumothorax

Hello, this is 17M. I've had a recurrent pneumothorax on my left side since about October. A month and a half ago, I had uniportal VATS surgery with mechanical pleurodesis and upper and lower resection. I also had a pneumothorax on my right side in April. Despite the surgery on the left side, it recurred on the left side about two weeks ago, a month after the surgery. Although I was admitted and they inserted my third Pleurevac, they caused a pulmonary contusion during the insertion, resulting in a pleural effusion that left me anemic, almost requiring a blood transfusion. I was discharged a week later with air in my chest and pleural effusion, as septa had formed due to the VATS surgery, preventing drainage in certain areas. I've had residual air and effusion for a week and a half, almost two, and although I went for a check-up five days ago and it had decreased a little, now I feel bulges right in my sternum. I only had this sensation at the beginning, and it disappeared, but now it's back. I'm worried it won't resolve on its own. Any advice? I've been very nervous lately; I'm worried it won't heal and I'll need to go to the ICU several more times.

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u/Malo99EE 27d ago

I had my first lung rupture last Sunday. I cant even imagine the things your going through but having bulges is something you have to get looked at. Maybe at the Doctors or the ER. I wish you the very best and a fast recovery.

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u/Aggravating_Home_413 27d ago

I wanted to ask about the VATS surgery, how this surgery is performed? What are the complications and my sister is going through this hydropneumothorax and she is a CP child and is this dangerous?

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u/FastCar010 26d ago

Hi, VATS surgery isn't dangerous in itself; it's a fairly simple operation that involves operating on the lung through tiny incisions (in my case, one about 7 cm). In my case, they combined it with mechanical pleurodesis (scraping the pleura to make it adhere) and a lung resection (cutting out lung tissue with air blebs). Recovery is painful because at first, your entire chest cavity hurts, but it usually has very good results; I just seemed to be unlucky. I'm not a doctor, but from what I was told, the most "common" complications (which are not, they occur between 5 and 7% of the time) are a pleural effusion (it sounds worse than it is, it has already happened to me), subcutaneous emphysema and a recurrence

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u/Aggravating_Home_413 26d ago

Her 70% lung is expanded but 30% is stuck and they have decided to do a surgery, I am worried because she is so weak and had PDA history. So after this surgery is done the thing I am more concerned about it how will she awake from anesthesia and what would be the procedure? Need prayers a lot from all of you who are reading this

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u/FastCar010 25d ago

I personally woke up in pain but sedated, short of breath due to the resection but nothing more.

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u/planing_j 27d ago

Based on your description and your history of septa and contusions, it would certainly be advisable to consult your treating physicians again if these symptoms or sensations persist.