Feb 15, 20233 min read

Pneumothorax

What the hell is a pneumothorax?!?

That’s exactly what I was thinking on the 22nd February 2018 when sitting in A&E getting my chest X-ray results. The consultants laughed in disbelief when they told me that they were so surprised I was talking ok and looked so well for someone with a collapsed lung!

My right lung had collapsed and was scrunched up by my right shoulder. The pain I was getting in my abdomen, shoulder and back was trapped air that was trying to escape from my chest cavity. I was put on oxygen immediately and given liquid morphine for the pain. Eventually I was found a bed that evening after 13 hours in A&E on a chair.

I spoke to doctors who wanted to give me a chest drain as soon as possible (a tube inserted into the chest to let out air in the cavity allowing my lung space to re-inflate). The airways consultant decided as I was looking so well that they would try a high dose of oxygen over 5 days and see if it would re inflate itself.

On the Saturday I went for an X-ray and my lung had collapsed further.

By Monday after some eventful going’s on in the AMU ward (Acute Medical Unit). I had a CT scan/MRI on my chest and was kept on oxygen all day – my lung had mostly reinflated and I’d have to see a Thoracic surgeon for next steps. That thought petrified me!

Needless to say I was happy to get out of hospital and was discharged on Monday late afternoon. I saw the surgeon on Tuesday 6th March and another X-ray showed a slight pneumothorax still. I am now booked in for surgery on the 28th March (my late grandads birthday) for Pleurodesis, Pleural abrasion and a VATS Bullectomy.

I am extremely nervous as my hospital stay a few weeks ago was the first ever and this will be my first ever surgical cut in my life so I’m anxious and worrying about it. Thinking of all of the possibilities and outcomes. The surgeon is a good surgeon with a good history but it’s just the unknown.

I’ve decided to try to turn it around and think of all the things I will be able to do once I’m recovered. In the meantime I need to relax and get prepared and well for the operation.

14 days and counting…

Top 10 things I will be able to do once surgery is complete and I have recovered:

HIIT training
Yoga
Flying
Deep breaths
Less discomfort in muscles around right side of body. Shoulder pain has been ongoing for years.
General comfort in body without diaphragm having to work too hard anymore.
Work uninterrupted with less/no time off
More energy to do what I want to do
Do more at home and socially when I’m not in pain and exhausted
Stop moaning about not feeling well and just be normal again!

All amazing things to look forward to.

In the meantime I’m signed off work until the operation. I tried to go in to the office (against doctors orders) and was in so much pain that night and was exhausted as if I’d done a week at work! I worked from home yesterday to sort my hand over etc and now day 1 of positive actions leading up to op.