I have a pneumothorax!!! What in the world is that??? Basically, it’s a collapsed lung. Mine is special, though. It’s spontaneous! Yes, a spontaneous pneumothorax….I should play the lotto or something.
These “pneumos” are fairly rare, but more common in tall, thin (okay, I’m fitting the description), MALES. Last I checked I was definitely FEmale!!! ??♀️But that’s what they are going with (for now).
Let’s start at the very beginning
….a very good place to start ?. (Julie Andrews jumped in my head for a minute). Thursday night, I drove Morgan to dance class. Dropped her off, ran to Target ?, swing through the McDonald’s drive through for a much needed diet Dr Pepper, and headed back to pick her up. I was a few minutes early so I patiently waited in the car in the parking lot and enjoyed my refreshing soda ?…… cue sharp stabbing pain in my left side. It felt like a runner’s cramp…you know that stitch in your side. Well,it didn’t go away. As we drove home the pain started to move up my chest, down my left arm, and into my back. I have all sorts of gut issues so I honestly thought I had a serious gas issue. Got home and overdosed on some gasx thinking it would go away……it didn’t.
The next morning
I managed to sleep, basically sitting up, but woke up still in major pain. I’ve been working out again so I convinced myself it was a pulled muscle. Creg and my parents thought I should go get checked out at urgent care…no thank you. I’m tough. It’s just some muscle pain. I’ll take some Motrin and be fine…ain’t nobody got time for this nonsense….. okay fine, take me to urgent care….this is so dumb and a waste of tome and money. They are going to laugh at me and tell me it’s either gas or a pulled muscle.
WRONG!!!! They tell me I need to go straight to the hospital via an ambulance ?….HECK NO!!! I feel fine other than a little pain. This is stupid. The convinced me I should go get checked more thoroughly but I am NOT riding in an ambulance. Creg can drive me just fine. Can I go home and shower and get some things first??? NO!!!!!
The ED
Down here it’s the emergency department not emergency room. Let me just start by saying small town girl hit big city hospital with some serious culture shock! There were people everywhere!!! I had to go through what looked like airport security to get in. It was like being on a hospital television drama. Okay, panic sets in. They hear collapsed lung and start rushing me around. I got separated from Creg and Dax because Dax wasn’t allowed in trauma. It was pure chaos and super scary for me. So thankful for our church framily (friends that are family) that could come and get Dax and stay with him until my parents could get in town. I changed rooms 3 times!!! They hoped that they could force some pure oxygen in me to pop the lung open. After 7 hours of wearing an elephant trunk they decided it wasn’t working, I needed admitted, and I needed a chest tube……. 
To be continued……..
Haven’t heard from “with a wink and a smile” for a good while!? At least you are/were in a good hospital, Barnes Jewish. Hope you get better quickly and hope your eyes ? look better too. I’ve never seen you have black eyes ?. Sure hope Creg is behaving himself. Lol
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Oh yes. Those eyes were in some serious pain and had mascara all smeared. Lol. I’m in good hands. At least that’s what I’m told.