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Well, that was exciting


Eagle
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This place is tough on moderators.

 

Went to bed Saturday night and felt some (slight) pain on the left side of my chest when lying on my back or on my left side. Tried taking a hot shower to loosen up congestion, went back to bed ... same thing. Got up researched heart attacks, and my symptoms didn't seem like a classic heart attack but they also didn't clearly spell out "SOMETHING ELSE." All articles on heart attacks say to get help sooner rather than later, so I went to the VA hospital emergency room and told them I was concerned that I might have had a mild heart attack.

 

EKG was completely normal. Then they did a chest x-ray. TA-DA! I had a collapsed lung! The treatment for that is to carve a hole into your upper chest cavity to insert a tube, which they hook up to suction to pull air (and other stuff) out of the chest in order to allow the lung to re-expand, and to seal up any leaks. From the ER I was taken up to a room -- which I subsequently found is the surgical ICU. Spent Sunday and Monday on suction. Tuesday they removed the suction, but they kept the tube in place just in case. I awoke every morning to an x-ray technician, arriving between 05:30 and 06:00 for progress photos.

 

Today they decided things looked okay, so they pulled the suction tube out. Two hours later they did a follow-up x-ray, which looked okay, so they sent me home. Got home at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon. Left arm is basically useless for a week or two because the incision for the tube is just beneath the left armpit.

 

You do NOT want to go through this. The tube was inserted in the ER, and using only local anesthetics, not general anesthesia. Translation -- I was awake, and it HURT!!!! I have never experienced pain anywhere near that bad.

 

Anyway, I'm back ... not that anybody missed me.

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19 minutes ago, 500 MJ said:

Any idea of what brought it on? How does the younger generation avoid it, cause it sure does NOT sound fun! 

 

In my case, I have had a fairly heavy cough since New Year's weekend. The doctors think the severe coughing finally ruptured some air sacs in the lung, allowing air to escape into the chest cavity.

 

Other causes (besides physical trauma, like a broken rib) can include smoking, COPD, pneumonia, and a couple of other factors I can't remember at the moment. Oh -- and being tall and skinny apparently is a factor (not that I'm tall or skinny these days, but the doc said tall, skinny, basketball player types are more prone than the rest of us to see a collapsed lung in their 20s. Otherwise, it's more likely in us olde phartes.)

 

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Damn Eagle, glad you're on the mend.  I was with my mother in her hospital room when they inserted a chest tube (did it right there on the bed, like you said with no anesthesia).  I never heard someone in so much pain, I had to leave the room for a moment.

 

Take care brother.

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Eagle, you know it is strictly against Olde Pharte policy to have health crises.  The primary reason it’s against the policy is that health crises are prone to end our runs as Olde Phartes.  So, cut it out!

 

PS:  I’m sure that sucked (LOL).

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1 hour ago, mjeff87 said:

Damn Eagle, glad you're on the mend.  I was with my mother in her hospital room when they inserted a chest tube (did it right there on the bed, like you said with no anesthesia).  I never heard someone in so much pain, I had to leave the room for a moment.

 

Take care brother.

 

Yeah.

 

After it was in, the doctor said, "You're a real trooper. Well done."

 

My response was, "So why do I feel like such a wimp?"

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9 hours ago, Eagle said:

Anyway, I'm back ... not that anybody missed me.

 

Eagle who?  :peep:

 

Seriously...I'm glad you did the "smart" thing instead of the "macho" thing.  Going to have it checked out sooner, rather than later, might have made a difference in the outcome.

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On 2/20/2019 at 5:57 PM, Eagle said:

Got home at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon. Left arm is basically useless for a week or two because the incision for the tube is just beneath the left armpit.

 

24 hours at home and in charge of your own care.  How is the patient?

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54 minutes ago, Eagle said:

I have no idea how-in-ell I'm supposed to change that.

Go to a walk in clinic. Medicare and extended insurance will pay. They can see if there is any redness indicating infection and check your vitals from uneven hearbeat or other issue. We all have a vested interested in your well being. Although you are probably a great guy, we really need the benefit of your mechanical knowledge.

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Glad you are ok, get well!

 

Part of our annual safety training back when I was on active duty included some paramedics who did a skit of what the immediate actions consisted of for someone seriously injured in a car accident from not wearing their seatbelt.  They give a pretty graphic account- I've seen grown men faint during the presentation.  One was inserting the suction tube into the lung through the armpit.  They say it is one of the most painful things you can experience.

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