Pain after Pneumothorax

My choice of names is due to my way of dealing with what has happened to me lol.

So i have had 11 collapsed lungs all fully collapsed. I also had bylateral pleurodisis which has failed. as no 10 and 11 are this week.

I comfortably state i there are very few people including professors who know as much as i do about this. I was brought up in the way to understand and deal with it you need to study it so i did even on a genetic level.

What most dont realise is after the first it is more than likely you will have a second, im lucky enough for it to be both lungs hence bylateral.

Also its is a massive trauma your lung never recovers from ever. That area is dead forever.

The pain will never go away its is because of the huge trauma. Think about what is done to fix it.They cut u open force a tube into your chest cavity n by vacum suck out the air and forces your lung to reiflate.

There is also muscle damage and tendon damage to take into account. Some say the tendon never heals as its only grazed.

In between each rib is a tiny tendon holding them all together many of these are damaged with insertion of chest drain.

Some doctors call it phantom pain syndrome. i disagree with this 100% its not phantom its real and sore without comprimise. 

There are ways to lessen it and there are also ways to teach yourself to ignore it.

Ginsing & tee tree are two of the best remidies with no side effects. Mint, tea(normal kind), chocolate, hot water, not going to the gym, green veg, will also help alot.

Mind control though is the best friend you will ever have. Your brain is a wonderful tool very few know how to use but you can teach yourself it in many ways. Control is what you need to teach yourself this can be done in a number of ways.

I choose to focus on the pain slow my breathing down and tell myself i feel no pain. This took a while but trust me after ten years and 11 collapses i now get drains inserted med and anisthitic is not needed i use but a few words "I Feel No Pain" those 4 words are better than any drug or morphine. Later though once my lungs starts to reinflate i ask for oral morphine to sleep usually and wierdly 3 am and 6 am. 

I am sorry but there is no cure for the pain it will never stop you can only just learn to cope with it and eventually forget it even exists.

I call it maning up lol but i use humour as a copping mechanism. 

I am 69 years old and very active. On April 29 I had reconstruction following a mastectomy. The doc put on a compression bandage that ran from my armpits to my hips. Following the surgery I was having trouble breathing but attributed it to my history of asthma. The day after I made the nurses remove the compression bandage and breathing was somewhat better. I was released from the hospital that day and began taking my asthma medication. Still unable to walk from my chair to the kitchen without gasping for air. On Monday the surgeon told me to go to the ER, where they discovered the pneumo-thorax on the left side. Chest tube was inserted with suction. I remained in the hospital for 5 days. On the 6th day they turned off the suction, x-rayed, and released me. Since then I cannot sleep on my left side, and can only sleep in a near sitting position. If I sleep flat I wake up with *phantom chest tube pain* that runs from the incision site down my side to my back and it is hard to breathe. Forunately it only lasts a short time. Once I am sitting upright it goes away and I can breathe normally again. I am concerned that I will have to continue sleeping sitting up to avoid this. Any idea how long this phantom pain lasts?

 

Hi, I am sorry that you are having pain : ( for me the need to sleep upright probably lasted for about 4 weeks post chestube, but everyone heals differently, just allow yourself time and be sure to listen to your body. If you are worried/panicking or feel like something is not right, go see your doctor or go to the ER. After my first chesttube I had a repeat collapse 2 months later and then surgery, so don't brush off symptoms, once you have a collapse your chances for a repeat collapse increase drastically.

hello i had a pnemothorax  left lung 9 years ago august 2007 went by ambulance they cut me open and put a tube in my chest  4 days and seemed it healed really quick,fast forward to seven month ago i have a pain in my chest on the other side(right) that got to the point where i could barelly breathe so i told my boss im going home after a couple days rest i was out of breath big time for about 5 days i felt myself get better and went back to work about a week later taking it easy.now about 2 weeks ago i get this light pain in my right shoulder and chest pains randomly but it has not gone away after 18 days,its hard to take deep breaths at times but i can work "driving a tow truck" problem.i guess ill wait it out to see if it gets worse.

peace and good health to all

hoping you are doing well now, and thanks for starting this discussion - although leaving me a bit nervous!

Had a spontanius about 9 weeks ago which wouldn't stick after aspiration and 3 drains so had to have VATS bullevtomy and pleurectomy. Have been in constant pain since then with a lot of 'sharp' episodes - one from me this week stupidly demonstrating to my 3 year old how to use a rope swing in the garden. Have been on paracetamol and codiene since the op, and xrays show quite a big build up of fluid at the bottom of the lung - enough to lead the local hospital consultant to think they had taken some lung and my diaphragm had raised by a few inches. Been put onto a drug called Pregabalin (Lyrica) for nerve damage now due to the pain not subsiding but to be honest I am scared of the side effects and withdrawal syptoms of it after doing some research.

I am definately counting myself very lucky compared to some people's stories, I can't imagine what further collapses must be like and got everything crossed I don't have to go there.

Good vibes to everyone above, hope things are better.

I'm a 26 year old male who started having reoccuring spontaneous pneumos at 19. I'm built like a stick figure, so the doctors weren't surprised (as this problem is associated with the tall and slender). The first time it was the left lung. 6% collapse. No surgery. I had sharp pains for the next year that would leave just as quick as they came. 13 months after the left lung, the right lung collapsed. 5% collapse. Again no surgery. In fact, still haven't had one yet. *knocks on wood*. A surgery wont prevent another lung collapse. It may speed up the process of recovery, but lets face it, you dont know how many more times this may happen to you. As the years have gone by, the random Rice Krispy feelings in my lungs, the pleurisy, panic attacks, and days of incomparable lethargy still come and go. Advice? Learn to love ibuprofen when your lungs feel tender or you have a sharp pain deep in your upper chest or shoulder. Does it feel like a bear hug? Does it feel as if someone has stabbed you in the shoulder with a big needle? Your lungs could just be inflamed. After all, somethings clearly wrong so what's to say they don't get irritated more than the average person? Anti-inflammation pills usually do the trick. I take two 800mg tablets in the morning if my lung feels raw and typically the pain subsides. Most importantly, and I can't say this enough, it is imperative that you never sleep laying down during a lung collapse. Have you ever noticed that after you fill and tie a water balloon, there's always that pesky air bubble? Well no matter how you position the balloon, the air bubble rises to the top. The laws of physics also apply inside your body (blood rushing to your head while doing a kegstand?). On average, a spontaneous pneumothorax occurs on the front of the lung towards the chest. So when you lay on your back, that's right.....your the water balloon minus the fact you got a hole in ya. Sleeping at a 90 degree angle isn't fun for anyone, not even the keg stand guy, but it's significantly more fun than putting yourself in more misery. Last Thursday was my eleventh spontaneous pneumo. Guess where I am? You guessed it. Couchville. Population: Steve. I've got a nice dent put in this spot. Hurts to hear, I know, but there's a good chance you may have a reocurring problem. Don't fear the doctor, question what he/she says, absorb the information, and listen to your body. If you've got a slight feeling a lung collapse is coming your way sit down, relax, and try to focus on breathing. Nothing too deep as you may over exert yourself and make damage worse. I hope this helps you guys in some way, I know how it feels. Keep your head up and don't let it get you down. Things could be worse, and for you, I hope they only get better.

-the guy on the couch

I had my 1st spontaneous Pneumothorax nearly 3 years ago, i was pregnant and it went un detected at hospital which then led me to go into labour 7 weeks early. it then happened again 4 months later again on the same left side. after 3 days in hospital with chest drains i was allowed home. Then one month later it happened again on the left side, and earnt a week stay in hospita. i was referred for surgery but 6 weeks later it happened again, and after 10 days they thought i was safe to go home, although i was complaing about being short of breath. they gave me an xray and showed that although the left still hadnt healed 100% and my right lung had collasped aswell.  I was transferred to London to have emergency surgery on my left lung, which i wouldnt wish upon my worst enermy. i recovered well and opted to have the right lung operated on3  months later aswel. I have had a couple of scares, which iv been assured were just blebs bursting that hadnt been removed, and i oftern have episodes of shaarpe pain but i know this is just aggrevation of scar tissue. As my doctor said, you cant go under the knife with out having some niggles from  time to time. All said and done, it doesnt help us suffers thinking the worst. Itt is a horrible thing to have to go through and having 2 chilfdren myself i know pain, but id rather give birth 10 times over then have the experience of another spontaneous Pneumothorax

On September 11 I was air lifted to the hospital after a horrible car accident, myleft lung was collapsed, my liver and spleen was lacerated my ribs on left were all fractured and a few on the right side also. After MRI and cat scans found out my spine had a burst fracture, long story short a broke back. I've been through surgery for my back but now that I'm home I can't even walk to my kitchen without being out of breath and feeling like I ran a marathon, I have to quickly sit down and catch my breath and my heart pounds out of my chest. I'm so scared that I won't be normal again its been 2 months since my lung was damaged and I can't do anything without being out of breath. Any suggestions?

A lot of good advice.. I'm a post man as another poster on this site. I had my surgery a week ago. Every thing mentioned relates to me. I will try stretching and see if it helps. Worse case scenario for me is a desk position. I was carrying my mail when mine occurred. As a mail carrier, im to far from the office if in need. Thankfully my supervisor took me in where i stayed for 2 wks. The different tube sizes were torture and the lack of info from staff sealed the deal. Now I'm looking forward to getting past this mess. Thanks to all for the great informatin

Okay where to start... I am a 21 year old female who sufferers from reoccurring Pneumothoraxes. This all started when I was around 15-16 years old. I have always fit the "pneumothorax type", considering that I am 5'10 and 113 lbs. When I first starting having pneumothoraxs I didn't know what was happening, all I knew is that I had this awful pain and pressure in and around my left shoulder. The pain would shoot up my neck and I would feel this bubbling/popping sensation. I was a hard headed teen and I ignored my symptoms and would just manage until it healed itself. When I first had them I would have the pneumos maybe once a year... maybe twice and then they went away for a while. This continued until July of 2016, when I turned 20 years old. It had been a while sense I had experienced any symptoms so when it happened again it caught me off guard. By this point I just wanted answers so I went to the ER. Since I had "reoccurring spontaneous pneumothorax", the Dr. scheduled surgery the next day, to perform a VATS "video assisted" surgery. After surgery I was left with 2 drain tubes and was told that it would take maybe a few days for my leak to seal. I was in the hospital for a week before my "air leak" sealed. When I was sent back home I didn't feel right... I would lean back and could feel air bubbles and a leaking sensation. It took me almost 3 weeks to fully heal.... When my leak finally did seal I felt amazing.

About 2 months later the dreaded bubbling and pressure started again. I felt awful and so discouraged thinking I had surgery for nothing; I still kind of feel that way. Ever since this episode of my lung leaking again I haven't felt the same. I constantly battle my lung leaks and pressure. It almost seems like it's a pattern. I went back to the ER and they confirmed that I had another small pneumo and referred me to a specialist. The specialist didn't really tell me much, and what he did tell me I have heard before. The specialist then proceeded to tell me that it could take time and to just live my life. It's hard to just live my life... I can't sleep on my back with the fear of feeling that awful popping sensation. I can't run or exercise because of the fear of my lung reopening or another bleb popping. I honestly just want answers but at this point it seems impossible.

--Also I would like to throw in this post that today I currently have this strange fullness feeling under the bottom of my left rib cage. To stick my finger and push is awkward feeling and painful...

--Every time before my pneumos I have this burning sensation right around where they cut the top part of my lung off and adhered it to my chest wall... (this has only happened since surgery not before.)

It feels like a part of my lung is being cut with a knife. Very sharp/burning feeling.