Untreated Pneumothorax

[CraigsAngel]

My husband had a left lung Pneumothorax that went untreated for eight days. On the eighth day, a chest tube was inserted. The surgeon who treated my husband told him that the collapse was so bad that he should have died already. His lung has now completely reinflated. He has continued to have chest pains and trouble breathing, though, and he was wondering if these continued problems could be a result of the lapse in time from the collapse and the treatment. Could those eight days have caused some kind of trauma or other damage to the lung?

The CT scan that revealed the collapsed lung also showed "moderate to severe emphysema for his young age." He is 35 years old.

[Sunny602]

I agree with Gary...it would be a good idea to get tested for Alpha 1. I wonder if his emphysema contributed to his collapsed lung...sometimes people with emphysema develop blebs or air filled blisters on the lungs. At times they do pop and cause a pneumothorax. As far as your husbands pain...how long has it been since he had his pneumo? I would think that it would take time for  chest pain to go away. Is his breathing problems from his chest pain? I ask this because I had alot of pain and found it hard to take deep breaths after I had a chest tube (had a lung biopsy awhile back, chest tube was placed after the procedure) for a bit.
I hope that you guys get answers soon...Sunny

[SkinnyGary]

At that young of an age he should be tested for Alpha-1 Antitryprysin Deficiency. Also a PFT test.
Gary