royal0014
Master Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 874
.....pretty sure no one missed me here. 
I'll share my story, maybe it'll help someone avoid what I've been through.
All started towards the end of September. Started having 'issues' with my heart again. Had 4 stents put in my heart, Sept. was two years ago (I was 37y/o) Went to see my Cardiologist, I was near due for a 1-year check-up anyway. He gives me nitro-spray, just in case, and schedules me for a bunch of tests.....nuclear stress, ECHO, etc.
Fast forward to Tues. October 3rd, follow up with the Cardio Doc. All the tests came back good. No issues, nothing really found wrong. A small spot on my chest x-ray, that could be the begining of emphsema (sp?) He wants me to see a Pulmanologist (lung) just in case. And of course, the 'stop smoking' speech (yes, [was] still smoking; go ahead and flame me, I deserve it:facepalm
So, I go back to work that wed. night. Work my 2 nights with no problems, actually feel pretty good. Get off on Fri. morning and have 3 days off. Life is good. Take a nap that morning, get up about 12:30. Drink a cup of coffee and go out to work on my truck to fix a leaky hose. Nothing hard. Around 2:00 I start feeling a little heavy in the chest. I had felt this before, over the last weekend at work. It went away after a couple hours. So, I slow down a little, but keep on working.
The longer I go, the worse I feel. Skip ahead to about 5:30. By then I had taken 2 baby aspirins and 3 squirts of nitro, none of which did any good. The last shot of nitro actually made me feel worse
So by the time the wife comes in from work, it don't take much convincing to get me to the ER. I tell her to to take me to the next town over, instead of our local ER, so I'll be able to see my cardio doc.
I walk myself into the ER, and find the nearest wheelchair. Word gets around, and the nurses have me on a bed in just a couple of minutes. After the usual life history and EKG, it's clear that I'm not having a heart attack, but wth is going on?
The Physician's Assistant (PA) there can't figure me out. After all the tests just days earlier, it's not my heart. One of the Nurses suggests gall bladder, and the PA is about to pursue that, then he decides, just for giggles, to do a chest x-ray. A few minutes later when the film comes back I can hear the PA and my wife talking across the hall. Uh Oh......He comes in and announces that he has found what is wrong.....
My left lung has collasped, over 90% deflated!
Long story short: it is a fairly common condition in skinny (and usually tall) white men. We grow 'blisters' called bleps on the tops of our lungs, which pop and allow the lung to collapse. Frequently enviroment factors in, and not helped by the smoking habit.
I get a chest tube implaced in the ER that night, and up to ICU. Lots of pain, tethered to the bed by tube and IV's. Antibiotics, more tests, and surgery on Thursday. They go in orthoscopically and remove about an egg-sized chunk from my lung and staple it up. Even more pain. Back to the ICU for a day, then wait. And wait....
Finally the surgen pulls the chest tube and sends me home on Monday. 10 days in the hospital! Arrrhg!
And the best part, my right lung is in the same condition, but can't be fixed yet. I have to wait until it blows out, and go through this all over again......
The only good news is I've been smoke free since the ER. I am determined to make it stick this time. Wish me luck
For now, it's pills 'n naps for a few days. Maybe back to work in two weeks. Not the vacation I wanted!
<<)))(((>>
I'll share my story, maybe it'll help someone avoid what I've been through.
All started towards the end of September. Started having 'issues' with my heart again. Had 4 stents put in my heart, Sept. was two years ago (I was 37y/o) Went to see my Cardiologist, I was near due for a 1-year check-up anyway. He gives me nitro-spray, just in case, and schedules me for a bunch of tests.....nuclear stress, ECHO, etc.
Fast forward to Tues. October 3rd, follow up with the Cardio Doc. All the tests came back good. No issues, nothing really found wrong. A small spot on my chest x-ray, that could be the begining of emphsema (sp?) He wants me to see a Pulmanologist (lung) just in case. And of course, the 'stop smoking' speech (yes, [was] still smoking; go ahead and flame me, I deserve it:facepalm
So, I go back to work that wed. night. Work my 2 nights with no problems, actually feel pretty good. Get off on Fri. morning and have 3 days off. Life is good. Take a nap that morning, get up about 12:30. Drink a cup of coffee and go out to work on my truck to fix a leaky hose. Nothing hard. Around 2:00 I start feeling a little heavy in the chest. I had felt this before, over the last weekend at work. It went away after a couple hours. So, I slow down a little, but keep on working.
The longer I go, the worse I feel. Skip ahead to about 5:30. By then I had taken 2 baby aspirins and 3 squirts of nitro, none of which did any good. The last shot of nitro actually made me feel worse
So by the time the wife comes in from work, it don't take much convincing to get me to the ER. I tell her to to take me to the next town over, instead of our local ER, so I'll be able to see my cardio doc.
I walk myself into the ER, and find the nearest wheelchair. Word gets around, and the nurses have me on a bed in just a couple of minutes. After the usual life history and EKG, it's clear that I'm not having a heart attack, but wth is going on?
The Physician's Assistant (PA) there can't figure me out. After all the tests just days earlier, it's not my heart. One of the Nurses suggests gall bladder, and the PA is about to pursue that, then he decides, just for giggles, to do a chest x-ray. A few minutes later when the film comes back I can hear the PA and my wife talking across the hall. Uh Oh......He comes in and announces that he has found what is wrong.....
My left lung has collasped, over 90% deflated!
Long story short: it is a fairly common condition in skinny (and usually tall) white men. We grow 'blisters' called bleps on the tops of our lungs, which pop and allow the lung to collapse. Frequently enviroment factors in, and not helped by the smoking habit.
I get a chest tube implaced in the ER that night, and up to ICU. Lots of pain, tethered to the bed by tube and IV's. Antibiotics, more tests, and surgery on Thursday. They go in orthoscopically and remove about an egg-sized chunk from my lung and staple it up. Even more pain. Back to the ICU for a day, then wait. And wait....
Finally the surgen pulls the chest tube and sends me home on Monday. 10 days in the hospital! Arrrhg!
And the best part, my right lung is in the same condition, but can't be fixed yet. I have to wait until it blows out, and go through this all over again......
The only good news is I've been smoke free since the ER. I am determined to make it stick this time. Wish me luck
For now, it's pills 'n naps for a few days. Maybe back to work in two weeks. Not the vacation I wanted!
<<)))(((>>
