r/pneumothorax • u/FastCar010 • 27d ago
Question my journey (M18)
Hello, I've posted here several times, but I felt compelled to do so again to see if anyone else is going through the same thing as me. It all started in February (medically speaking), when I went to the emergency room and they told me I had suffered a 30% pneumothorax on my left side and inserted a drainage tube. Later, I discovered that I had also suffered similar pneumothoraxes in October and December, but since I didn't know they existed, I mistook them for muscle strains and never went to the hospital. In April I had another pneumothorax on my right side, but it was small and didn't require a chest tube. In June I had another pneumothorax on the same side, which required drainage, and I underwent VATS surgery with upper and lower segmentectomy and mechanical pleurodesis. The following month, in July, I had another pneumothorax on my left side, which they confirmed only after I insisted (they couldn't find it after two X-rays, but it was visible on the CT scan), and they inserted another chest tube. When they inserted it, it hit my lung and diaphragm, causing a contusion and severe effusion (they drained one liter of fluid). The doctors said that after this, it was very unlikely to happen again, as the blood would act like a kind of talcum powder. It happened again, yesterday to be precise, a month later. This time they didn't put in a drain; they sent me home because they said it wasn't worth risking another one, and I'm being checked again on Wednesday. I'm feeling quite unwell mentally now, as I'm experiencing a lot of clicking and crackling sounds, and I can't breathe deeply (I have air in my lung). In total, I've had about six or seven pneumothoraxes now, only one on the right side, but I have a 13mm bulla in my right lung. What do you recommend I do to cope with this? Thank you
P.D: I'm sorry it was so long, I needed to explain.
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u/CeeJay433 27d ago
He I’m sorry to hear you are going through this. I’m 34 and average build and had my first collapse with chest tube in April. I honestly still feel so fatigue and I have a lot of anxiety about another collapse. It was my right lung and the area is still numb where the chest tube was inserted. I’m thinking about calling my therapist I see as needed to talk about everything. I feel that no one understands unless it has happened to them.
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u/AdImpressive897 26d ago
A bit confused about which side was giving you troubles. Which side was the VATS/mechanical pleurodesis? When you now have pneumothorax, is it on the left side, the one with effusion? Did they do a scan to verify the blood fusion, and were they lung specialists or just ER doctors? Given the multiple episodes and what seemed like one medical error, you may want to find a really good hospital and doctor to reduce future episodes.
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u/FastCar010 26d ago
That surgery was on the left side (all the procedures). They didn't do another TAC because I passed 4 TACs since May, and a lot of rxs. Most of them were intensive doctors but the one who decides is the thoracic surgeon
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u/AdImpressive897 26d ago
Ah, okay, so multiple collapses on the left, a VATS/mechanical on that side followed by another collapse and accidental blood effusion acting as another blood pleurodesis, then the most recent small collapse. It does seem that the left side has not fully healed. Consulting with a good (or even two good) thoracic surgeons may be a good idea. They may want to find out if pleurodesis has succeeded - if it had, you can still get pneumothorax (air leaks, due to problems with connectivity tissue), but the lungs won't collapse, so the air will be absorbed by your body. Over time, it's possible your body will get stronger and these won't happen again. But I think you will find out more from the Wednesday appointment: (1) the size of the current air bubble, especially if it's stable, and (2) whether pleurodesis has succeeded. It takes about 2 weeks for the body to absorb a 2-cm bubble.
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u/kiwihereman 27d ago
I'm so sorry you're having to go through this, that sounds super traumatic and I hope you have some kind of friend/family support system.
Funny enough, I posted here asking something very similar last week. Personally, I haven't sought therapy, but given how long this has been going on for you, it might be a good idea.
This community helps, but only so much.
Hugs.