Spontaneous Pneumothorax

I am a 46 year old female and non smoker. A month ago I had spontaneous  Pneumothorax.  Based on CT scan I have blebs. For  the past 6!days before I was diagnosed with pneumothorax I had sudden shoulder pain and back pain.  Then eventually followed by SOB with exertion.  At night it’s hard to sleep on my back , right side and when  I am lying down and I inhale it hurts on the right lower rib. And even when I bend forward it hurts on the right lower rib. It took me 6 days before consulting a doctor because I think it’s nothing serious because the pain is tolerable and it comes and go. I went to my Primary Dr and when he listen to my right lung it’s diminished so he ordered stat Cxray.  I found out that 50% of my lung was collapsed.  I was sent to the ER. And I stayed in the hospital for 7 days with a chest tube.  I was given two options first is to undergo surgery and staple the ruptured blebs second is to keep the chest tube and wait for another week if the leak in my lung will  heal by itself. I choose to keep the chest tube and wait. So I went home with a chest tube. After 8 days at home with chest drain I had follow up Chest X-ray and showed no more pneumothorax so the chest tube was finally removed on the 16th day.   After a week I was still having pain but lesser. Right now its my 16 th day without chest tube but I still feel pain on my right lower rib especially when I’m standing for a long time.  My Dr said healing time is usually 2 weeks.  He said I can go back to work . I asked for another week to rest  because of the pain on my right lower rib and right shoulder pain.

The right shoulder pain is most likely because of not too much movement when I had the chest tube ... it’s painful on my shoulder and arm when I drive.  

Does anyone experience the pain on the right lower rib even after more than 2 weeks without chest tube. 

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