COLLAPSED LUNG

My son is only 3 years & he has a collapsed lung. CT scan shows that one side of the lung has collapsed and he has being coughing for the past 1 year. The doctors said that  that they need to operate on him to cut out the collapsed lung so that it will not affect the other side of the lung. Initially, they thought it was TB, & he has under gone TB treatment two times, his actually going to finish his second TB treatment this October and they booked him for operation in November 2007. I wish there was other means to treat without him going through operation. Your help will be highly appreciated.

Apart from coughing which  occur merely during morning hours,  he is playing very well. As a matter of fact, when I took him to the doctor, just by looking at him, the doctor said my boy is fine, it was my refusal that prompt the doctor for CT Scan which later prove a dicey situation. He was admitted for 2 weeks last year due to coughing problem that resulted to sores in his lungs and he couldn't feed, that was the first time he placed under TB treatment. They have checked him for Asthma, but result not really conclusive.  I can equally be contacted via email: ***@****

[National Jewish Health]

The decision to "cut out the collapsed lung", is a very serious one, not to be taken lightly and not to be done without truly expert medical opinion.  I strongly suggest that before you agree to surgery, you request consultation with a lung specialist, a pediatric pulmonologist.  I also suggest that, if the specialist agrees that tuberculosis (TB) has indeed, infected your son's lungs, you request that he/she contact the TB experts at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center at https://www.nationaljewish.org/patient-info/progs/med/mycobac-consult.aspx or [phone] x1279.  Following this advice is the best way for you to help and protect your son.

Your description suggests some uncertainty about the diagnosis of TB.  It would be good for you to know, what was the evidence for this diagnosis and treatment?  You should ask this question of his doctors.