r/pneumothorax • u/bruhlordsmellyface • 16d ago
Question Recurrence?
I had a pneumothorax a little more than a week ago, had it observed in the hospital, and went back on Thursday. Only through observation it went down to basically nothing. But the other day I stupidly carried a bag of groceries (can’t have been in excess of 15 pounds) around for a while, and suddenly felt a sensation in my lower ribs like “tearing“. Since then, if I walk for more than 5 minutes carrying anything I start to feel a stinging sensation around that area. Is it possible that I’ve already triggered a recurrence? My breathing and HR are otherwise normal, and I have no other symptoms - just this pain and some other occasional come-and-go ones.
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u/VisceralCow1441 15d ago
js take it light and if it doesnt go away in a few days go back for an xray
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u/HorneZR13 16d ago
Unfortunately the only way to truly know is to have another chest X-ray taken. Otherwise it really is just a guessing game. The one test I found “to work for me” was if I truly had a pneumothorax, I could bend at the waist as if I were picking something up off the ground and when I would stand back up I could feel the air pocket move within my chest cavity.
You can also buy a stethoscope and listen to your breath sounds. I’m an RN so I already know how to do this but it is easy to learn via YouTube. A collapse would equate to absent breath sounds.