Has anyone out there ever experience a lung collapse?

Question

About 6 years ago, I had a 60% lung collapse on my right side out of the blue. I was hiking in Yosemite and I noticed I was coughing alot. About 3 weeks later, my lung collapsed and I thought I was going to die. I though it was a heart attack. So scary. My doctor thinks it might have been caused by general asthma. It still worries me to this day b/c I never want to experience that again! Has anyone ever experienced this? If so, please let me know your feedback. Thank you!

Answer 1

Ya about 2 years ago I was playing baseball when I noticed a sharp pain in my chest. I sat down for a while and realized the ambulance had came. When I got to the hospital the x-rays showed I had a 60% collapsed lung. I got a chest tube and it reinflated. Then I went to a surgeon and he did surgery on my lung because I had tiny blebs that ruptured. He said the right one might collapse next but he left it alone. About a year later the right one went.(again about 60% collapsed) I was just sitting and eating pizza. I then got another chest tube and surgery and the doctors said it wont happen again. Then a few months later the right one went again!(about 35% collapsed) The doctors didnt know how and did a bunch of tests. I did not get a chest tube this time and sat at the hospital for like a week until it inflated again. I left with about a 5% chance of it happening again. And sure enough about 5 days ago my left one went when I was playing football and I simply went home and relaxed for about 4 days and I feel fine now w/o a visit to the hospital. A doctor told me I will proably grow out of it due to my tall skinny stature. So if it does ever go again, unless I feel a big diffrence in pain, I won't even go to the hospital, just relax for a while. Im only 16 and I've had my lungs collapse 4 times. I think you should be alright. If you have it happen again just get surgery called a blebectomy or thoracatomy and it greatly lessens your chances. The surgery is really easy. It strengthens the lining of the lung and recovery period is about 6 weeks. It's not very painful and has very tiny scars. Now it is not life threatening because my lungs can only collapse so far(about 20%) until the lung seals it off. So I am not worried. I am still going to live life to the fullest with exceptions as an air pilot and scuba diver to major changes in pressure. So don't worry about it. Let me know if it happens to you again and don't smoke and if you have any questions let me know at [e-mail]

Answer 2

Shannon.....I feel bad for you going through that. My 18 yrs old
Son, went thru that too. It was awful ! It is a serious thing. He had to be in the hospital for a week, he took breathing treatments
And he couldn't blow that little blue ball but half an inch. I thought
he was going to die, he was so sick and weak. It frieghtened me
so bad, I couldn't stop crying at home. I was so worried and
kept praying to God for him to heal. He did, But to this day we still
don't know exactly why his lung collapsed. I gave him 2 little birds
in a cage to care for....and the doctors think it could have been
hystoplasmosis, or sometihng like that, from the birds. So I had
to take them back. Shannon, I don't think it will ever happen again, ok ?....I have known people who had that happen to them
when they were younger...and they are fine now. So, don't worry.
You know you didn't die, your still here!! So, it may have felt that
way....but you are ok now. I don't know why a lung collapses.....
for different reasons...I guess. But thank God, you are ok.

Answer 3

Your lung will have to have reinflated. You are most commonly having hindrance as a result of scarring. You will have to see a professional, you may also now have a kind of COPD ( power obstructive pulmonary disease) and most commonly want treatment. By the best way, I feel it's distinguished you gave your spouse considered one of your kidneys.

Answer 4

Ya its my best friend he had tht lung cancer,

Answer 5

wow, actually no but that is sad are you OK.