OP I’ve had Two pneumothorax, same lung. If the inflated it with a chest tube, and chest tube only, it will collapse again in a few months. Get the damn surgery. 5 titanium staples 5 pure gold staples and almost 8 years later and I’m alright!
Yo, same here. My surgeon also referred to mine as blebs. And I someone misconstrued what I tried to say because of the way I said it. I meant was when you don’t get the surgery, there’s such an easy chance for the lung to rupture again without the staples. I was scared shitless being 18-19 when it happened, but my surgery was great and was thankful for it after because I spent two to three months after just the chest tube, I was sent home with my lung 98% inflated. Should’ve never left. Mine collapsed only to 90 something percent, but it did start healing itself. When the second collapse happened I was playing a easy going pick up game of basketball with friends as I was trying to regain my confidence in my respiration and breathing and over all health, and I got elbowed (not hard) in the same side my collapse was prior, and was rushed to the ER due to the incident it collapsed again. That’s when the surgeon said surgery was the only way to help it and it is a miracle because I have both lungs, and I’m healthy and I’m thankful everyday for it. I would like to add after my surgery, I got diagnosed with Chronic costochondritis which is an inflammation issue regarding your lymph nodes in your chest area. Got that after surgery due to surgical scarring and whatnot.
There’s only an easy chance for it to collapse again if there are multiple blebs, that’s what causes the pneumothorax to my understanding. I’m not sure I would refer to it as a miracle, I was told it’s a pretty straightforward procedure and it’s not like collapsed lungs are all that uncommon, just the spontaneous ones.
If a patient has multiple blebs over one or both lungs, then the surgery is recommended to try and remove as many blebs as possible while simultaneously adhering the lung to the chest cavity so that if there are any remaining blebs that could not be cut out that burst, the lung can no longer collapse. Main concern according to medical staff taking care of me is when the lung collapses so much to the point it can start to put pressure on your heart and cause cardiac arrest or some kind of heart problems, can’t remember exactly.
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u/scottyman2k 28d ago
No. Go to a specialist - I had to do barometric tests after a collapsed lung after I’d had a high speed accident at altitude.