Hey all,

Been a couple weeks since I last posted. Suffered a collapsed lung while working on Thursday in my office downtown Toronto.

Essentially a spontaneous phenumothorax is a partially collapsed lung due to air or gas pocket above the lung that caused the lung to collapse.

It's suppose to take 2-3 weeks for myself to start feeling better.

My air pocket has decreased significantly and I am getting better. But sadly I am still incredibly weak and need to lay down every couple of hours.

So why did I post this? Not for attention or sorrys but for some suggestions from other members. I need to find a better way to occupy my time now. I have quit smoking, quit drinking coffee, and have cut back on how many times I enjoy pot in a week. It is quite difficult in keeping myself occupied. I guess with all the money I will be saving I can continuously keep upgrading my car haha.

I'm only 25. I was going to quit smoking a little later on in life. But aft these crazy events over my thanksgiving weekend, I will be making a complete change in lifestyle. Want to hear your suggestions in taking my mind off the negatives that have been so controlling my life for 10 years.

 

Glad you quit smoking. I finally gave it up about 7-8 years ago in my early 60s.

I have taken up slot cars again. I used to race them back in the 60s. I now have a track in my garage and a few guys come race every Monday evening. The are a couple of tracks in the GTA as well. Race Haven Hobbies in Brampton is a good one.

Scroll through here to see some of my stuff. Imagine how many cars I could have bought instead of that HKS or Clazzios etc.

All the best on your recovery.

 

I really did enjoy smoking lol. Come home sit on my balcony with my dog and smoke endless cigarttes all night long. Can't do it. My health is more important. My life is more important. It just sucks cause that's what I'm use to doing. Now I need to figure out a way to consume my brain and down time lol. Now it's time to move on to better things. At least I know I have monies to blow hahaha. Roughly spending $55 a week on cigaretts alone and $120 a week on other things. I feel rich now haha.

 

I've had a few of those since July, I ended up getting a surgical procedure from a cardiothoracic surgeon.

The chest tubes didnt work for me, so the last step was that. Basically cut open below the armpit, and then scratch up the space between lung and inside rib cage, and hope like hell it sticks.

They suck like hell, the first time I got one, I thought it was a heart attack, but I'm 26. I smoke still but its 1-2 cigs a day compared to the pack I used too. Im trying to quit.

 

LOL. A heart attack. Yup that's exactly what was running through my head. I was yelling at people saying I need oxygen. An oxygen mask would have been nice when I was leaving my office to the hospital via my own stupid self driving for 30 minutes lol.

Wow you needed the surgery eh? Generally you do if it reoccurs. Most of them reoccur within a month. I haven't smoked a cigarette today. Maybe a pull or two, but other then that nope. It hurts to much. And chest tubes, even though I have not had one, they cannot be pleasant and I would never want one.

I'm trying to do everything in my power to prevent this from occurring again. I have been off work for a couple of days which I do not like.

Worst part about it is that I'm still so lazy with minimum energy. Lungs have almost completely re expanded but I am still quite the slow walker and what not. Mine is healing perfectly fine on its own. I will need regular doctor visits though to ensure surgery is not necessary down the road and that the condition does not redevelop.

 

Good luck with the recovery. Continuing to smoke (anything) is a great way to prevent old age. I smoked until it brought me a heart attack, and stopped immediately (was chewing Nicorette gum in the hospital bed, waiting for my angioplasty surgery in 1998), and carry four stents in my arteries today. Sorry about your boredom.

BTW, the word is "pneumothorax".

 

They'll reoccur if you want them to or not. I got my first one in July, 15% of my right lung, then a 2nd that took 25% of my left, then the 3rd which prompted the surgery, for 50% of the left. All 3 times they tried the oxygen, then a chest tube. The tube didnt work on my 3rd one, so I was moved from the on base hospital to an off base one for the surgery. I got out a few days ago. (I'm medically retired military, so hence on base off base)

I have a small oxygen tank I sleep with to help, but I'm also being evaluated for Marfans syndrome. It's something that causes them alot.

Are you tall and skinny? I'm 6'1 and I weigh about 130lbs. I use to weigh about 160 but some other medical conditions changed my weight. (Adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism, dont worry you can't get those unless you have the wrong genes)

If and when they do happen again, which from everything Ive heard from 2 different lung docs(cardiothoracic) they do reoccur, sometimes within a month or within a year. You have a dramatically increased chance with it happening once for it to do so again(sorry).

Did they explain how it happens? or were they more worried about treating them.

 

I will be honest. I am not that tall 5'7, but hella skinny. Maybe 120lbs. They did explain to me how it happened and yeah I know it can reoccur and greater odds at that. It really does suck. But eh my boredom is getting better with anima planet and fit freak haha. Oh and I can't forget my Frenchie who likes to cuddle next to me in bed. Sadly though I'm going back to my office tomorrow where it all happened on Thursday. I work alone in an office smaller than a jail cell on the 56th floor haha. Life's a b****

So I guess I'm one of those schumcks that's gonna need to watch himself for the rest of his life haha.

 

Yea, it sucks. Mine all seem to happen when I wake up in the morning. So they are confused about that. I must be doing something so good in my sleep, that my lung says screw it, I quit.

 

No chest tube? That's good if it was small enough to not require one. They do recur quite often I'm afraid but there are no certainties maybe you won't have recurrence. Hopefully you won't need future pleurodesis as that requires more/larger holes than a chest tube.

 

Is that true? Your signature, your a doctor? Amazing! Lol.

Yeah I heard they do reoccur big time as well. Hoping mine will not reoccur and if they do they are not at bad as the one I had on Thursday. It wasn't fun. I would never want a chest tube. Those are just gnar and I imagine to big a huge pain in my butt haha. Today is my last x ray. Doctors will either clear me or make me come back in a few more days, or admit me for surgery. Based on how I'm feeling, I beliee they are gonna kick me out the door and thank me for claiming my tax dollars. It's nice to see all the understanding people on this board. That is for sure.

 

Sheesh thats that Canada health care, first one and surgery?

Took me 3 times before I was sent to that doctor, then finally the surgery.

 

Alrite gentlemen and ladies, the verdict is in the jury has ruled lol.

1. I'm good to roll. My Lorax yeah that's right I call it a Lorax now as a joke after being in the hospital 5 times since last Thursday has healed in its own. She is now at 6mm. Doctor claimed he would not consider is a thorax if smaller than 5mm. I am almost there fellas.

No I am not going back to smoking. Few more days till I enjoy my other things. One more x ray on the 19th to see if she goes below 5mm.

2. This is the best part of my story. How did I get it? Here is your answer:

When arriving to my downtown office, I had a new 27" iMac to bring to my office. Doc said as I picked it up must have stressed my lungs in that I took a breath and held it in while lifting the computer. Since I'm so skinny/ a POS, it created a blip/blebe to pop. It did not kick in till 20 minutes after I set the computer up and started working. So that's the verdict fellas.

No I don't have issues going up to the 56th floor, would not have issues working on the 110th floor as the pressure changes are not that drastic. I cannot SCUBA or fly in unpressurized aircrafts anymore. No skydiving, no helicopters. Not that I skydive anyway.

So today at work walking from train station and a block to work I got real light headed. Got even a little nervous in the speed express elevators. Had to take a nap. What's the verdict on that? With all my schooling you would think I would be smarter. Anyways hyperventalating in elevator due to stress and memories of what happend last week along with low blood sugar. All in all cheated another serious thing haha. Glad to see I'm finally on the stride up. Can't run a "marathon" yet, but eh, things take time. "My Rome wasn't built in a day ah aha.

Yes Katsumoto, surgery was option if it got worse and did not progress. However, first they would have done tube, if tube was no good, then on to surgery even on first occasion. Generally "they" tube you on first occasion. But since I freaked so hard. They didn't. I have had bad experiences in surgery and ER. almost died at 19 due to a morphine OD while in hospital recovering from surgery for a week. Heart rate went almost below 10. Almost clinically dead ah aha.

 

Well Gino, I never got that speech but I suppose I should heed the same.

Yea those blebs suck, you get a ct scan or anything beyond an xray? They found the other 2 blebs minutes ended up popping eventually.
Ive had a similar experience with my other medical issues and legally died for 3 minutes. It was called, they left me hooked up to the machine because they were busy and 3 minutes after it started beeping, I woke up thinking I took a nap, but i didnt.

They did alot of tests and found nothing wrong. So they let me go but I can't be given vicoden or morphine again. They think that was the issue that caused it.

Good luck on the recovery.

 

I dated a girl that had to deal with that once. I watched them cut the side of her rib cage when she was in the hospital and heard the air escape. They put a tube in and she got better. She was lucky and never got another one. It was odd the way it came on. We started hearing this internal squishy suction like noise when she breathed for a couple of days. She wouldn't go to the doctor and then it got worse.

I hope you feel better. Its never easy to deal with medical issues like that.

This will soon pass.

 

No CT scan. Only x ray. Worst part is the first ER doctor took 6 hours to diagnose. He ran every test under the sun. EGC everything. Not until 5pm did he think oh this dude should go for an x ray. After the x ray low and behold we knew lol. Could have saved everyone's times by doing the x ray first.

And a girl that got it eh? That's awful. More common in dudes then women that's for sure. Especially skinny tall dudes. Women less common for them to occur due to the boobs and more fat in the chest haha. Guess I'll be driving to work tomorrow yay!

 

I guess thats the curse for us that eat 25k calories and don't gain weight.
Bow! Partial lung collapse.

 

I always thought maybe I had a thyroid condition or something. For 3 months straight, every night at around 8-9 I'd go Tim Hortons and get 6 donuts lol. I even ate full pizzas to my face and yet still gain nothing. I feel ya brother haha. It's like you go eat then you gotta go to the bathroom like a belemic person, except not for the same reason. Now that I've quit smoking I constantly eat haha. Somethings I will never understand. Even though the pocket is getting smaller, she still hurts. Not like the day it happened. Not nearly that bad, but eh, you know it's still there. She makes sure of that.

 

If you do suspect a thyroid irregularity, talk to your doctor.

They cause a lot of stuff to go wrong, its better to know you're inner pothead is like " MUNCHIES" than something else. You only have 5 glands, and sometimes they quit in pairs or one says I quit.

A simple blood test will let you know.

2 of my 5 stopped, leading to my adrenal gland and thyroid said bye together. My meds have helped me immensely.

Its better to know then be worried. Talk to the doc, do some lab work and find out.

 

You are hilarious bro. The more I read your posts in this thread the more I'm seeing 2 peas in a pod hahaha. We should have been in person friends having beers haha our medical history is kinda jokes. Well not funny, but you know what I mean.

When I was 19 I had to get cut open in the stomach. Why? Well I had a interbowel supseption. Lol. Normally it happens in young kids. 19 is rare. Basically I was "full of sh**t" lol. No pun intended.