About two weeks ago I had my gall bladder taken out The surgeon said I had many gall stones.
I had surgery on thursday and I seemed to be ok until that monday,maybe the oxycotin covered up what I was begenning to feel on monday,I went to the doctors on tuesday and he sent me for a ct scan.
I have terrible pain in my right side, in my right shoulder ,and in my lower back going into my leg.
Well I went for the ct scan and it was with contrast, the next day I call him and he tells me that he didn't see anything but I had a collapsed lung.
Not like your average collapsed lung but thats what he was calling it and I needed to sat in bed and keep taking oxycotin and to see him this week.
I have an appointment for tomorrow at 10 am and the pain is still there and is worse in my back.
How in the world did this happen and has it happened to anybody else on this board? All I want to do is feel better and get back to my normal life,I'am also fighting with my thyroid doctor but thats awhole nother story.
Could somebody shed some light on this for me please and thank you.
Jackie

I suggest you not go back to that surgeon but go see a Pluminologist ( breathing/ lung ) Doctor.

I'm so sorry you had this happen. I don't have any answers but I do remember from what they told me last week at the hospital. I was in so much pain from the gas they put into you that it was excrutiating to breath. The nurse told me that although it hurt, I had to take deep breaths every so often or my lungs could collapse.

Is that possible that it happened to you?

Forensicmom,

The gas that is used to inflate your abdo during surgery is carbon dioxide and if it is not totally remove during the surgery-- it converts to carbolic acid. That initates the upper abdoman & intestines until it it absorbed by the body,

That is just carelessness on the Doctor's part --- a very different problem from a collasped lung.

Harry

I was told from the nurses, as well as many people who have had the surgery that the air left inside the body just has to work it's way out and that the only way for it to do that is to move around and breath. They didn't say I could get a collapsed lung from the gas. What they said was, if you don't take deep breaths every so often, then that can cause the collapsed lung.

Sorry to disagree but air is not used for laproscopic surgery. So-- it is not a matter of working out air trapped in the abdoman cavity.
My son had this when he had his gallbladder removed. My wife and myself did not have it.

You stated that the gas (carbon dioxide) is used to inflate you during the surgery. That's what I'm talking about. I know I had it and I've been told they always use that for laproscopic surgeries. However, that's not what I said can cause the collapsed lung.