Flying

My first pneumo happened while temporarily living in New York. I'm from Utah, and in order to get home to Utah the doctors told me I would need to drive - that flying was too risky so soon after a pneumo(between 30-45 days) due to the cabin pressure(or potential cabin pressure).

So, that's what I did.

My dad hopped the 5 hour flight from Utah to NY - we then made the 30 hour drive back to Utah.

I have since flown several times. Most recently returning from a business trip requiring a round trip flight, in which I experienced no ill effects during or post flight.

The first few years post pneumo were accompanied by moderate to severe chest pain both during and post flight. One such episode happened after a flight to Disneyworld, requiring me to literally lay down on the floor of a restaurant where we were eating.

The past several years have been filled with relatively pain-free flying. On occasion I will experience somewhat intense pain a few days post flight, however, the actual flights themselves have been very comfortable.

I, of course, worry about the possibility of a "sudden loss of cabin pressure" as the flight attendants warn before each flight. The result of which could result in a repeat pneumo, piecing together what I've been told by my doctors to avoid "skydiving" and "scuba diving" due to the extreme PSI associated.

I have experienced no repeat pneumo's or long term ill affects from flying post pneumo. Safe travels!

The Twitch

You know that annoying twitch you can get in your eye that lasts a minute, an hour or maybe even a few days?

Ever since my pneumo's I occasionally get that same uncontrollable twitch in my lung! How strange is that?

The twitch is always located at the lower part of either lung and twitches vigorously enough to where it easily visible by the the naked eye.

There is no pain associated with this phenomenon, just associated annoyance.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Till next time....no mo' pneumo's.

Aftershocks

Anyone who has lived through a spontaneous pneumothorax knows it is not a one time event - it is a life long battle.

First of all, if you've had one pneumo, you've likely had multiple.

Aside from that, you also deal with what I like to call 'aftershocks'.

Aftershocks = Daily or regular pain

In the years following my last pneumo in 2005, the pain has grown less intense and less frequent. That said, managing and living with the aftershocks has been a constant and daily battle.

The pain usually radiates from one of only a few areas.

The first, and most frequent, is a spot near the middle of my shoulder blade on either side, near the middle of my back. A deep upper back massage usually provides some welcomed pain relief. I haven't been able to figure out why....as I highly doubt the lung is being massaged in anyway. Regardless, it works.

Second is pain along the sternum or under the collarbone, which is also a pain point indicative of a pneumo. This spot is a little harder too soothe, not a whole lot you can do.

With any pain point I've found sitting or standing up will help get you back to normal much quicker. Laying down or slouching will aide in intensifying, or at the very least, keeping the pain around.

Does anyone else have home remedy pain relief they can share?

'Tis the Season....Again.

Two years since my last post...wow how time flies.

It's October again...and just as it has each Fall for the last 8 years, the frequency and intensity of pain has increased. This phenomenon happens without any increased activity or change of lifestyle. The first few years this happened, I thought it was merely coincidence. Eight years later, I'm convinced there is something to it! 

'Tis the Season

An odd question for everyone...has anyone noticed any seasonality in regards to your pain scale? Let me explain....every year around October I have one of the worst battles with pain that I experience all year. I will usually have a bout with some fairly serious pain, with the after affects lasting up to 3-4 days at times.

Interestingly enough, 3 of the 4 collapsed lungs that I've had were within the months of October and November. Not sure if this is a strange coincidence or something more.....

Keep fightin' my fellow Pneumo's!

Running.

Just got back from a 2-mile run. I had some slight pain in one of my lungs about half way through, so I walked for a minute and then ran the rest of the way. Feeling great!

I've started running three to four times a week and have experienced no ill side effects.

Does anyone else experience lung pain while running or other aerobic exercise? Has anyone run any half or full marathons since their pneumo?

Chest Tube Initiation

So, let's get back to the ER story....

I walk through the ER doors for the second time in two days and get immediately taken back into a sheet-walled ER room.

The doc walks in and explains that 20% of my left lung has collapsed and in order to fix it, he will need to insert a straw-sized chest tube that will be inserted in the side of my chest, extend down through my ribs and into my chest cavity. There, the tube will release the air that is trapped inside my chest cavity, that was preventing my lung from re-inflating.

Side note: When your lung collapses, it releases air and then closes back up. Your chest cavity is air tight, so the released air has no where to go.

I tell the Dr. to do what he needs to. By this time I was so tired of the pain I was willing to do whatever to alleviate it.

I was provided a little topical anesthetic to numb my skin, and that was it. They are not really able to numb this chest tube process.

So I roll over on my right side, and the Dr. begins to insert the chest tube on the upper-left side of my chest, below my arm bit. He navigates through my ribs and down towards my lung, and hits my chest wall.

Your chest wall is about the same consistency as a basketball, so it's not easy to poke through.

It took the Dr. nearly putting all his weight on the chest tube to finally push the tube through my chest wall.

The process had already hurt considerably, but pushing through my chest wall was extremely painful.

Once the tube was inserted, Dr. hooked up a little hand operated pump thing and proceeded to suck out nearly 2-liters of air from my chest cavity.

As he did so, I felt instant relief.

Although I was still in pain and discomfort following the procedure, it was much more comfortable.

And that was it. They sent me on my way.

I was pretty physically drained for a while following this whole ordeal. It probably took me about a month before I felt like myself again. It was hard for me to climb a flight of stairs or go for an extended walk, for those first few weeks.

But I eventually made it back to full strength. I quickly put this experience behind me, and frankly, it didn't cause me to much concern that this might happen again in the future. And why should I be concerned? Upon asking the ER Dr., he didn't indicate any real worry that this would be a re-occurring problem.

Little did I know I had three more to go.