Fever from partical collasped lung - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

Icaaa · 07-29-2003, 10:19 PM

OK Third time is a charm!

1st time was a blank, 2nd time I had the wrong password, so............

C5-6 ruptured disk surgery on 7/18, cleaned out 14 pieces, bone graph, titanium plate, and staples to close.

Yesterday (7/28) Staples removed. What a breeze! No problem. Waisted all that time inspecting them to figure out how they were going to be removed without ripping me up and it was slick as a whistle.

Told NS I was still running a fever early in the day it was 99 by night usually 100. Well, that is probably still from that partically callasped lung. SAY WHAT????????? That is why I spiked that high fever in the hospital. Apparently, Never having had any other surgeries I did not realize how sensitive I am to meds. The moraphine and pain meds took me down so low that I was not breathing deep. Blood pressure went low, too. I am a big girl so I think they gave me more thatn I needed, but I felt good or rather nothing.

I still am doing deep breathing excercises and NS added an antibiotic.

OK ladies we know what is going to happen after 2 IV bags of antibiotics and now one by mouth for 10 days. OH YUCK

Anyways remember to breath deep after surgery

Carla

firefighter_101 · 07-30-2003, 06:27 PM

Hey Carla,

It sounds like your NS knows how to correct your fever. I'm such a big baby, at 100 I think I'm dieing and at 101 I'm calling the funeral home myself making the arrangements!!!!

I hope your feeling better soon Carla,
Harvey

mel333 · 07-31-2003, 09:18 AM

Hi Carla,
Sorry to hear of the fever and your poor lung. I did have similar blood pressure drop after surgery and all the throwing up on morphine but luckily they were able to fix things with more oxygen and reminders to breath deeply. That morphine does to bad things to the lungs. I hope your feeling better,
Mel

tool · 07-31-2003, 12:31 PM

Hi Carla,

I have a lot of empathy, I know what you're going through. My lung collapsed (pneumothorax) after I stopped breathing three times during a gallbladder op twenty years ago and they said it was for the same reason... too much in IV form. Trouble was, I was given it again as an injection post op and I itched all over as soon as they gave it to me. My breathing went shallow and I went cyanotic every time I dozed off... consequently I was told don't ever have it again.

I never thought about it or heard of it happening to anyone else until last week when my son had a spontaneous pneumothorax (that is when the lung collapses for no apparent reason). It was pretty scary but we got him to the hospital okay. They said both of us probably had/have defective 'bullae' (on the edge of the lung), so if you have tall thin kids...?????and if they ever have a sharp pain in the chest and can't breath properly, then you know it MIGHT be what you had. I emphasise 'might' because it could be totally different circumstances for you but I thought I'd tell you my story just in case.
I truly hope you get better soon,

Cheers - tool