JustineNYC
New member
I mentioned this in another thread, and since I spent the week with my cousin who also is affected by this I wanted to post my story cause its been on my mind.
I started smoking at the age 13, basically because everyone else did, plain and simple. Never had a good reason, other then it made me feel cool.
When I was 21, I was sitting at home and was knocked down by a sharp pain in my chest. I had been a smoker for over 7 years. The pain got so bad, I blacked out and my right arm went numb. After about an hour my father rushed me to the hospital. They did an X ray because my lung was making an awful noise and then told me I had a spontaneous pneumothorax, otherwise known as a collapsed lung. This happened on Thanksgiving of 2005. For 6 days I had to sit in the hospital bed with a hard plastic tube through my ribcage, the other end of that gets attached to suction in the wall, so basically youre a human ballon. After 6 days, they removed the tube, X rayed me and told me I could go home.
4 weeks later, I had my second collapse. The first was a 25% collapse and the second was 70%. By the time I got the ER, my hands and feet curled up and went numb and the muscles in my face began to spasm.
I had to have surgery to attached my lung to my pleura because after a 2nd collapse, chances of re-occurance are 90% and back to back lung collapses are life threatening.
They actually had to knock me out to do the 2nd tube because I was yelling and telling them Id rather die then go through that again. The tube goes into a box and into water, and when you urinate you actually blow bubbles in the water because of the hole in your lung, its AWFUL.
I found out that you do not do anything, without using your lungs. You use them to speak, eat, poo, smile, laugh, cough, sleep, EVERYTHING.
On January 10th, 2006, I had surgery on my lung. They do an abrasion surgery where they make your lung bleed, remove tissue from the chest wall and stick it to your pleura so that when both sides heal, they heal together. They also removed a piece of my lung and removed any blebs that may cause me an issue. I can never fly again, because I have a signicant risk of a pneumothorax in flight, and that is the WORST PLACE to have one. I live being aware I can have one at any moment and have approxiately 30 minutes to get to a hospital before I start to "go down" as I call it.
I also dont know if I can have children because of the added load on my lungs.
I went from being a healthy 21 year old, to being 90. I couldnt walk more then an inch at a time. I had to sleep sitting up until I healed internally because when you lay down you have an awful pulling feeling (because the inside of you is attached). I was 21 and couldnt even bathe myself. It was the most awful experience I could ever, ever imagine.
I have a cousin the same age who had her collapse 6 months before me. All they know is its called "Bleb disease" and it affects tall thin smokers, usually male.
The right side of my chest was numb for over a year, and slowly but surely the feeling has come back, although because they removed tissue, the feeling coming back is sharp pain.
A big part of the reason I relocated to NC was my lung couldnt put up with the frigid temps in New York anymore. It was like being hit in the back with a sledgehammer.
Right before I got sick I lost about 10 to 15 pounds. Its a struggle to put on weight and keep it. When you have pulmonary problems you body uses all its enegry to breathe, and when you dont get enough oxygen your body has trouble processing fat. I eat 3 meals a day, I keep my fat intake high, and also drink supplements for weight gain. And I have people say things to me all the time about it. I once had someone stop me in the street and say "Jesus Christ why dont you eat something" Ive had people yell things to me from passing cars about how I need to eat.
Its awful because you cant just explain why you are what you are right there on the spot.
I guess the reason Im posting this is just to show people, fat or skinny or whatever, we shouldnt judge and say things to people because you never know what is going on with someone in their life.
Every once in a while someone will say to me in a store "How do you stay so skinny" and Ill answer back "I have a pulmonary disease that will probably shorten my life span" with a big smile.
The other thing is, from first hand experience, take care of your lungs. They are very important, and if the slightest thing happens to them you are on your butt! They dont heal and recooperate easily.
It took me 3 years to get back to feeling like I am remotely close to being my age, and I got sick at 21. If I was older, that wouldve been the end of life as I knew it.
This was after my first collapse in November 2005...............and then now
Id post a pic of my lung but its too graphic, my ribs are in the background.
And enjoy life! I am happy everyday that I can shower and bathe myself. No matter whats going on in your life, things could always be worse, and probably are for someone.
I started smoking at the age 13, basically because everyone else did, plain and simple. Never had a good reason, other then it made me feel cool.
When I was 21, I was sitting at home and was knocked down by a sharp pain in my chest. I had been a smoker for over 7 years. The pain got so bad, I blacked out and my right arm went numb. After about an hour my father rushed me to the hospital. They did an X ray because my lung was making an awful noise and then told me I had a spontaneous pneumothorax, otherwise known as a collapsed lung. This happened on Thanksgiving of 2005. For 6 days I had to sit in the hospital bed with a hard plastic tube through my ribcage, the other end of that gets attached to suction in the wall, so basically youre a human ballon. After 6 days, they removed the tube, X rayed me and told me I could go home.
4 weeks later, I had my second collapse. The first was a 25% collapse and the second was 70%. By the time I got the ER, my hands and feet curled up and went numb and the muscles in my face began to spasm.
I had to have surgery to attached my lung to my pleura because after a 2nd collapse, chances of re-occurance are 90% and back to back lung collapses are life threatening.
They actually had to knock me out to do the 2nd tube because I was yelling and telling them Id rather die then go through that again. The tube goes into a box and into water, and when you urinate you actually blow bubbles in the water because of the hole in your lung, its AWFUL.
I found out that you do not do anything, without using your lungs. You use them to speak, eat, poo, smile, laugh, cough, sleep, EVERYTHING.
On January 10th, 2006, I had surgery on my lung. They do an abrasion surgery where they make your lung bleed, remove tissue from the chest wall and stick it to your pleura so that when both sides heal, they heal together. They also removed a piece of my lung and removed any blebs that may cause me an issue. I can never fly again, because I have a signicant risk of a pneumothorax in flight, and that is the WORST PLACE to have one. I live being aware I can have one at any moment and have approxiately 30 minutes to get to a hospital before I start to "go down" as I call it.
I also dont know if I can have children because of the added load on my lungs.
I went from being a healthy 21 year old, to being 90. I couldnt walk more then an inch at a time. I had to sleep sitting up until I healed internally because when you lay down you have an awful pulling feeling (because the inside of you is attached). I was 21 and couldnt even bathe myself. It was the most awful experience I could ever, ever imagine.
I have a cousin the same age who had her collapse 6 months before me. All they know is its called "Bleb disease" and it affects tall thin smokers, usually male.
The right side of my chest was numb for over a year, and slowly but surely the feeling has come back, although because they removed tissue, the feeling coming back is sharp pain.
A big part of the reason I relocated to NC was my lung couldnt put up with the frigid temps in New York anymore. It was like being hit in the back with a sledgehammer.
Right before I got sick I lost about 10 to 15 pounds. Its a struggle to put on weight and keep it. When you have pulmonary problems you body uses all its enegry to breathe, and when you dont get enough oxygen your body has trouble processing fat. I eat 3 meals a day, I keep my fat intake high, and also drink supplements for weight gain. And I have people say things to me all the time about it. I once had someone stop me in the street and say "Jesus Christ why dont you eat something" Ive had people yell things to me from passing cars about how I need to eat.
Its awful because you cant just explain why you are what you are right there on the spot.
I guess the reason Im posting this is just to show people, fat or skinny or whatever, we shouldnt judge and say things to people because you never know what is going on with someone in their life.
Every once in a while someone will say to me in a store "How do you stay so skinny" and Ill answer back "I have a pulmonary disease that will probably shorten my life span" with a big smile.
The other thing is, from first hand experience, take care of your lungs. They are very important, and if the slightest thing happens to them you are on your butt! They dont heal and recooperate easily.
It took me 3 years to get back to feeling like I am remotely close to being my age, and I got sick at 21. If I was older, that wouldve been the end of life as I knew it.
This was after my first collapse in November 2005...............and then now
Id post a pic of my lung but its too graphic, my ribs are in the background.
And enjoy life! I am happy everyday that I can shower and bathe myself. No matter whats going on in your life, things could always be worse, and probably are for someone.
