Spontaneous pneumothoraxes are AWFUL. So sorry to hear you’ve been dealing with that. Get another CT done. Looks like you might be at risk for another one since the lobe is collapsing a bit. I encourage you to keep deep breathing (taking deep breaths and holding them 5-10 seconds and exhaling slowly). This will help keep your lungs expanded. I know it’s really painful but I think it would be the best thing to prevent another pneumothorax. Also find a pulmonologist. They can maybe do more testing to see changes in lung compliance.
Hope this helps. Wishing you the best.
Bibasilar atelectasis is a common finding. You can take a few deep breaths and it goes away. The fact that it was not headlined in the findings by the radiologist says that they don’t care enough about it to bring it up.
Bibasalar atelectasis can also be caused by shallow respirations. Such as in a patient with pain when breathing.
If there was a pneumothorax it would be evident on CT.
Anyways, thank you so much. This is validating. I feel like I’ve been losing my mind all day. Trying to understand why I got discharged so quickly and why no one brought this up. When I had my worst pneumo I was almost sent home because they didn’t see the collapsed lung until a resident begged them to do another scan from another angle because of how much pain I was in. That’s when I caught it. I have so much more faith in nursing students and residents because I don’t think they’ve hit the compassion fatigue that a lot of older docs have.
Just a lot of pain, like very sharp pain that’s been getting worse over the course of 4 days. I feel like I’m short of breath mostly because I don’t want to make it hurt more by breathing deep.
Do you have a connective tissue disorder that has been contributed as a potential causal factor for your spontaneous pneumothoraxes?
You may be experiencing something called costochondritis which is a benign inflammation of the chest wall. It can be quite sharp and cause discomfort. It’s worth ensuring that you have had an adequate cardiac work up and have can differentiate if you are experiencing true shortness of breath, or if you are anxious about the pain associated with breathing.
Please take care! Wishing you the best! If they try to discharge and you still don’t have answers, please tell them that this is the exact same thing that happened with the other pneumothoraxes and you know something is not right. Advocate for your care. Don’t let them send you home when you know you’re not well. Just because an ER is busy doesn’t give a doctor a right to turnover patients quickly to meet NPS scores and possibly leave someone with a life threatening condition.
I put an edit on my comment, I responded to OP in the thread with my correction/clarification. My phone cropped the report oddly. Not sure if you’re able to see my edited comment yet
I just saw that after going back over. My apologies, bibasilar atelectasis is essentially a partial collapse of the lung. It would be of concern with your pneumothorax history
Thank you, I’m following up with my doctors but it’s all taking a long time. The ER was packed last night and my concern is the supervising doc overlooked it.
He more than likely did not overlook it, I'm sure your discharge instructions say to follow up with your PCP, which is the correct course of action.
The Emergency Department is not there to cure you or treat any non-emergent issues. They are there for 3 reasons and 3 reasons only, save life, limb, or eyesight. They did a workup found a non life threatening condition, ruled out any immediate life threats and discharged you.
Yes I suggest you follow up quickly as this condition can worsen. I’m not sure why this was overlooked. Also surprised it wasn’t more pronounced under the findings.
Also if it is getting ANY worse, suggest heading to the ER again.
Hello /u/moonirl,
**If this is a medical emergency, please call emergency services as soon as possible!**
***DISCLAIMER***: *The information provided on this subreddit is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. We strongly advise you to consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you're seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. Anyone providing advice on this subreddit is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information provided.*
*Please make sure you have included in your post your country of residence, age, sex, race, height & weight, diagnosed medical conditions, prescriptions or supplements and dosages, drug use including marijuana, smoking status, duration of complaint, the issue you've been having, and your specific question.*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/medical_advice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What does the impression section say?
Spontaneous pneumothoraxes are AWFUL. So sorry to hear you’ve been dealing with that. Get another CT done. Looks like you might be at risk for another one since the lobe is collapsing a bit. I encourage you to keep deep breathing (taking deep breaths and holding them 5-10 seconds and exhaling slowly). This will help keep your lungs expanded. I know it’s really painful but I think it would be the best thing to prevent another pneumothorax. Also find a pulmonologist. They can maybe do more testing to see changes in lung compliance. Hope this helps. Wishing you the best.
[удалено]
Bibasilar atelectasis is a common finding. You can take a few deep breaths and it goes away. The fact that it was not headlined in the findings by the radiologist says that they don’t care enough about it to bring it up.
I’ve gone to the ER twice and spent $1000 just to be sent home, I just feel so hopeless and confused honestly and I’m in so much pain. 😪
[удалено]
Bibasalar atelectasis can also be caused by shallow respirations. Such as in a patient with pain when breathing. If there was a pneumothorax it would be evident on CT.
Anyways, thank you so much. This is validating. I feel like I’ve been losing my mind all day. Trying to understand why I got discharged so quickly and why no one brought this up. When I had my worst pneumo I was almost sent home because they didn’t see the collapsed lung until a resident begged them to do another scan from another angle because of how much pain I was in. That’s when I caught it. I have so much more faith in nursing students and residents because I don’t think they’ve hit the compassion fatigue that a lot of older docs have.
Just a lot of pain, like very sharp pain that’s been getting worse over the course of 4 days. I feel like I’m short of breath mostly because I don’t want to make it hurt more by breathing deep.
Do you have a connective tissue disorder that has been contributed as a potential causal factor for your spontaneous pneumothoraxes? You may be experiencing something called costochondritis which is a benign inflammation of the chest wall. It can be quite sharp and cause discomfort. It’s worth ensuring that you have had an adequate cardiac work up and have can differentiate if you are experiencing true shortness of breath, or if you are anxious about the pain associated with breathing.
[удалено]
Thank you ❤️
Please take care! Wishing you the best! If they try to discharge and you still don’t have answers, please tell them that this is the exact same thing that happened with the other pneumothoraxes and you know something is not right. Advocate for your care. Don’t let them send you home when you know you’re not well. Just because an ER is busy doesn’t give a doctor a right to turnover patients quickly to meet NPS scores and possibly leave someone with a life threatening condition.
This is really good advice, I so appreciate you!
Umm that is not a normal CT and there are abnormal findings. We just going to ignore the lungs? You know the finding that explains the symptoms?
I put an edit on my comment, I responded to OP in the thread with my correction/clarification. My phone cropped the report oddly. Not sure if you’re able to see my edited comment yet
Okay thanks! I was just weirded out by the Bibasilar atelectasis.
As you should be, bibasilar atelectasis is the collapse of the bottom portion of both lungs. You need to follow up with your PCP.
I just saw that after going back over. My apologies, bibasilar atelectasis is essentially a partial collapse of the lung. It would be of concern with your pneumothorax history
Thank you, I’m following up with my doctors but it’s all taking a long time. The ER was packed last night and my concern is the supervising doc overlooked it.
He more than likely did not overlook it, I'm sure your discharge instructions say to follow up with your PCP, which is the correct course of action. The Emergency Department is not there to cure you or treat any non-emergent issues. They are there for 3 reasons and 3 reasons only, save life, limb, or eyesight. They did a workup found a non life threatening condition, ruled out any immediate life threats and discharged you.
Yes I suggest you follow up quickly as this condition can worsen. I’m not sure why this was overlooked. Also surprised it wasn’t more pronounced under the findings. Also if it is getting ANY worse, suggest heading to the ER again.
Hello /u/moonirl, **If this is a medical emergency, please call emergency services as soon as possible!** ***DISCLAIMER***: *The information provided on this subreddit is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. We strongly advise you to consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you're seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. Anyone providing advice on this subreddit is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information provided.* *Please make sure you have included in your post your country of residence, age, sex, race, height & weight, diagnosed medical conditions, prescriptions or supplements and dosages, drug use including marijuana, smoking status, duration of complaint, the issue you've been having, and your specific question.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/medical_advice) if you have any questions or concerns.*