Complete Screw Up

Anonymous

Complete Screw Up

Cindy2477

I’m writing this at 5 am from my hospital bed. I had a lumpectomy on Wednesday and either the surgeon or the nurse punctured my lung and landed me in the hospital with a chest tube. I’m in tremendous pain and haven’t received my results yet.

Jelson

I am so very sorry you have found yourself in the middle of this mess. I hope today, a weekday you get some answers and adequate pain control. This is ridiculous.

exbrnxgrl

Hi Cindy,

I will not only say how sorry I am about your pneumothorax, but I have walked in your shoes! When I had my port placed, my lung was nicked and slowly deflated over the course of two weeks. After a rush to the ER, a brutal chest tube insertion (followed by two more chest tube insertions) a week in hospital and a month at home with a portable chest tube, I was finally back to normal. I can honestly say that this was more painful than childbirth!

Please be aggressive in asking for pain relief and have a family member advocate for you if needed. As far as “screwing up" , in my case, a punctured lung is a very rare (about 1%) but known complication and was disclosed on the surgical consent that I read and signed. Of course, I never thought I'd be in the 1% group! I don't know if this is a known, and therefore disclosed, complication of a lumpectomy. For me, screw up is not a term i'd use, since I was fully informed of this rare complication. Just plain old bad luck .

Cindy, it will get better. Getting your pain under control is imperative so you can rest and heal. I hope your results are available soon and I hope they're favorable You are in my thoughts.

Cindy2477

thanks. I’m going to look at my consent form because this is awful. I’ll be healing for weeks after I leave this place. I’m so exhausted so I don’t know how I’ll get any work done.

exbrnxgrl

Cindy,

I know how dreadful this can be, but it will get better. Is your pain under control

Cindy2477

they took out the tube and now they want to put the tube back in and I still don’t have my lumpectomy results.

exbrnxgrl

I am so sorry. I hope this will make you feel less alone in this mess, since I went through such a rough time with a pneumo too. The original chest tube insertion was in the ER. It is generally considered to be one of the most brutal bedside procedures done in the ER. The pain was so bad that I was beyond screaming and close to passing out. When things were finally sorted out, I was taken up to a room. I was given Fentanyl in my IV. It was the only thing that gave me some relief. The next day, I was leaning to the side, the side with the chest tube, when I heard something fall to the floor. I looked down and there was the chest tube! It had literally fallen out of the incision. Called the nurse, nurse called the ER and got the chief resident who had supervised my chest tube insertion by an intern. Here is what he told the nurse, “ Oh, please don't let it be Mrs. L." The nurse said that sadly, it was. A small army of docs and interns come rushing in and they re-insert tube through the previous incision. Definitely not as painful as the day before, but no fun at all. Thoracic surgeon takes over and, after two days, is unhappy with lack of progress my lung is making. He wants chest tube removed and reinserted in a different location . I could not believe it. He told me it would be done by an interventional radiologist and not only would I have lots of pain meds but Versed as well. This turned out to be the easiest, pain free procedure. Finally went home, but had a portable chest tube for a month, with a nurse coming every few days to check on my progress. It was a wild ride, but it got better. You will too, even if the road is rough 😊.

Cindy2477

wow that’s awful. The surgeons who did this to me keep coming buy. I think they are trying to protect themse

exbrnxgrl

Well, they may be trying to create some good will, for sure. Long story short, I actually never met the surgeon who installed my port, but I don’t blame her. I simply had the very bad luck to have an extraordinarily rare complication. It still stunk, but I guess someone had to fall into that 1%. Hope today was better

gb2115

I remember they listed punctured lung on my consent for the biopsy, because I asked about it. Unfortunately there are rare risks to all of these procedures, even the anesthesia.

I do hope you feel better soon! Keep asking about results but I know mine took about a week to report.

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Cindy2477

second tube came out today and waiting for xrays so hopefully I can go home tomorrow. Also lumpectomy was benign! Thanks for everything

Scrafgal

Cindy2477

Glad to hear about the results and the tube. I've been following your story. During my surgery 6 weeks ago, my lung was apparently nicked (not punctured) but still...being asthmatic, it has been rough going until this week with breathing normally and I won't get into the cough. With minor nicks they allow them to self-heal All is well now. Hoping your are better soon. btw I signed a similar consent. I have several surgeries in the past 2 years and never had an intubation problem.

Best to you, as you recover!

exbrnxgrl

So glad your biopsy was negative. Excellent news 😊.

Scrafgirl,

My pneumothorax resulted from a nick. No self healing, just aslow leak that resulted in a complete collapse after 2 1/2 weeks!