nastystang

first of all not asking for medical advice. Having spent 8 days hospitalized, several chest tubes and surgery. I got the jist of what's going on. I am interested in hearing what any one who hase been through this went through as they got back on the bike and recovered. I am assuming it will be a slow go and some caution for a while but really is it much different than any other serious ailments.
I have asthma so shortness of breath is no stranger to me at certain times of the year and if I have been around certain triggers. No biggie and that was all I thought was going on. Even figured it would go away and almost did not go to Dr. I promised the wife though. Anyway in quick order I was ambulances from Dr's office to ER with complete collapse on right.
Worked a full 8 hour shift the day before, miserable but doable.
Anyway no bike or really anything for a month. So just looking at what I may expect once the bike is an approved activity again. I am a long distance rider but really like to do shorter rides once or twice a week with a great deal of effort. So any input from anybody having gone through this is appreciated. Obviously, Dr's care will be important but they don't always have any first hand experience.

bt

get well brother

Lazyass

Just look to Tony Romo. The quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, America's Team. He broke ribs which punctured his lung. He stayed in the game, led America's Team to a win and he didn't miss a game the rest of the year He also played last season with a broken back and finished the season with the highest QB rating in the league.

bigdo13

wow... that sucks man... wishing you a speedy recovery...

As far as I know you should start feeling well enough to get back on your bike in about 5 or 6 weeks... so a lil' over a month. But everyone's different, It may take you longer to heal, we got no idea your age, fitness level etc, etc, ...

Just curious, how exactly did this happen? Did you crash or... ?

Carbon Unit

I had a very bad hiatal hernia which collapsed my left lung. After the surgery, my oxygen was too low to even walk. I needed to be on oxygen for six weeks before before I came off the machine. I think I was back on the bike about a month after coming off of oxygen but I took it really easy and started off riding with the beginner in bike club doing 8 mile rides.

Loveless4577

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

nastystang

So I get to climb back on the bike 4 weeks post op and that's fine. I am sure at almost 46 it will take longer than some one in there 20's and that I understand also. I am pretty active and slim, more so now. Lost over 10 pounds through this.
I had what is called spontaneous pneumothorax. No specific reason just happened. Air from lung leaks into chest and lung collapses. Imbalance of pressure keeps lung from reinstating with out evacuating dislocated air via chest tube. Loads of fun.
2 years ago I had a cervical disc replaced and now I can feel the weather change. Just wondering if odd things like that are coming my way. I have no doubt it's going to be some work and I am good with that but some how Dr's seem to minimise the symptoms of recovery for lack of a better term.
about mid April I can start riding again and I am going to take a recovery day approach to riding for a while. Even short rides at a slow pace are better than not riding at all. I can say one thing, I do not wish this on any one. Modern medicine does not feel to modern with this condition.

BoSoxYacht

1 year ago I was struck by a truck and a collapsed lung was one of the injuries. I was hospitalized for a month, and off the bike for 2 months. Now I have no physical limitations due to the injury.

nastystang

that's good to know. Glad to hear your back 100 percent. That's my goal with this.

JohnDThompson 

Sounds like you had some serious work done. I crashed a few years ago and collapsed a lung. Went to the ER, they shot an xray, saw some broken ribs, gave be a pain med prescription, and sent me home, with instructions to come back in the morning for a repeat chest xray. The repeat xray showed my right lung had partially collapsed overnight, so they put in a chest tube, hooked up a Heimlich valve and sent me home again. Came back a week later and had the chest tube removed. I was back on a bike in another week, but the cracked ribs kept me from doing anything too vigorous.

BoSoxYacht

Yeah, I broke all my ribs on my right side, clavicle, scapula, left tibia, and required three surgeries on my intestines.

nastystang

Got the OK to go riding and man oh man, I am ready. Now if I could get the weather to cooperate. Liquid sunshine here in the northwest but hopefully tomorrow. Just going to go easy and see how it goes. This not riding is like being dead almost.

Nachoman

Good to hear you're back in the saddle.

Jiggle

I had a vehicle accident and penetration into my chest that collapsed a lung. I was in the hospital for 5 days and riding my bike 5 days after that. The doctors said what really helped was doing exercises on this device they gave me. You suck on it and see how high you can get the ball to go. I did hundreds of repetitions per day.

edit - I think they kept me in the hospital for two days too long. They just wanted the insurance money at $4000/day.

nastystang

Yep the spyrometer, done alot of sucking on that thing. I had an 8 day stay with surgery after day 5. Lung just did not want to stay inflated. Miserable experience and still quite painful. Pretty much do nothing and rest for 4 weeks.

BoSoxYacht

Screw that stupid spirometer. I never used it unless the therapist was there to watch, and the doctors were all very happy with my improvement rate.

FLvector

I had a crash which resulted in a broken clavicle, scapula, 5 broken ribs and a punctured lung. Each day the hospital staff came in to take X-rays to see if the lung was healing and fluid going down. The trauma doc indicated that the spirometer would help to exercise the lungs and encourage healing. She wanted to put in a chest tube to drain the lung, but that would have extended the stay in the hospital. It was already 5 days and I wanted desperately to go home. She allowed me to go as long as I promised to faithfully use the spirometer throughout the day, which I did. Continued to use it the next few weeks as the lung healed which I think helped. It hurt to take deep breaths, but the spirometer gave you some incentive to keep pushing past the pain and watch your progress over time.

surgeonstone

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a whole different creature than a traumatic pneumothorax. It sounds like you have the typical build of a SP patient, tall, very thin, often a two dimensional build. The problem that you have, rather than a traumatic collapse, is that the disease process causing the rupture is still present and can occur again. We used to cite the 80 20 rule as residents, 80 percent will be fine with no further collapses, 20 percent recur. If you recur than 80 % have additional collapses. Best thing is TAKE it easy. Give yourself a good 6-8 weeks before vigorously exercising again. More moderate efforts gradually building up to that level.
Good luck.

surgeonstone

Spirometers, as you say, are kind of worthless. We all advocate them. The actual science supporting it is pretty weak.

nastystang

Not tall at all, 5'6" and weigh 140-150. Only risk criteria I meet was Asthma. Diring Surgery a large Bulla was stapled off and removed. I know that one could lead to another but hopefully all that was done in surgery will beat those odds.

surgeonstone

Good luck.

RussB

Hey nastystang,
I've had 3 collapsed lungs (left side in '93, '95 & '97). Wasn't biking at the time, but I know recovery can be slow. Had double pneumonia in 2007, I noticed the 1st symptoms after a 25 mile ride. It was about 5 weeks even before I tried to get on a bike. And then a 3 mile ride was extremely tough. I suggest when you do start riding, stay off the hills. Keep to level rides and build up distance, and then start working hills as your lung capacity improves.
In April 2013 I was hospitalized with DVT & PE (blood clots in my leg and lungs). I could even walk a mile for 4 weeks. I couldn't get back on the bike for a year. I was surprised how fast I progressed when I did get back on the bike. After a month I was back to 25 mile rides with some smaller hills.

So don't get disappointed if you can't do a lot the first couple rides. I was off the bike for 18 months and I progressed pretty quickly. Just don't over do it too soon.

BoSoxYacht

I had no idea of that. When I was reluctant to use it all of my ribs on my right side were broken, and using the spirometer was excruciatingly painful.

qcpmsame 

Agree about the spirometers, the nurses will drive you nuts fussing that they need to see you using it because the doctors say that it needs to be done. If its on Drs orders they expect that you are going to do it. Had a collapse, following the 15th ab surgery, in 2009, fluid also built up and had to have it drained, that hurt like the dickens, not asleep during the cut and the tube insertion. Never understood why I had a collapsed lung when it was surgery on my small intestines with no thoracic involvement. Don't have asthma or ay other lung problems.

I'd say that Surgeon stone has the best advice, BoSox went through this, as he said, I remember feeling for him when he was trying to post and the ribs were hurting badly. Don't push to get back out quickly, heal up and listen to the surgeon that has your case.

Bill

surgeonstone

Yeah, if you ascribe to the theory that pain is telling you to avoid something then than makes sense. In surgery we are told to give spirometers to all post op patients to prevent alveolar collapse ( air sacs) and resultant pneumonia. Psrt of rounding with the attending was the inevitable question " Are ya usin yur spirometer honey, lemme see" " Aw, thats great honey , just great".
Total garbage. A brief synopsis...

Incentive spirometers are often used as part of pulmonary supportive care in hospitalized
patients. The use of the device encourages deep inspiration, which is to aid in use of maximal
lung volume in setting of pain and immobility. This is desired to prevent as well as hasten
reversal of atelectasis.
The data on incentive spirometry’s efficacy is limited to post operative patients. The two
surgical groups studied the most have been patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery and
CABG. Cochrane review of the upper abdominal surgery studies show that there is no
demonstrable benefit of incentive spirometry. This meta analysis reviewed 11 studies that were
all prospective, but over half did not have clear methods of randomization, and masking was
also not clearly part of study design. In general, the studies included were designed to evaluate
the efficacy of incentive spirometry or deep breathing exercises in preventing post operative
pulmonary complications and restoring/preserving lung function.
The second group of patients in which incentive spirometry has been studied is patients who
have had CABG. In this population, there is also a Cochrane review, and the meta analysis
included four RCTs, which showed again, a lack of demonstrable benefit with use of the
incentive spirometer. However, in this meta analysis, the authors comment that there is need
for a better designed study with more statistical power and thus at least in post-CABG patients,
one cannot decisively conclude that incentive spirometry is of no benefit. The outcomes were
similar to those in the upper abdominal surgery patients, e.g. assessing atelectasis (either by
chest radiograph or CT scan), post operative pulmonary complications (like pneumonia),
pulmonary function, and duration of hospitalization.