Pain In Heart & Lungs

[missmachine 100]

After surgery I could not take deep breaths or even breathe normally because of sharp pains when I tried to do so. Now, one week post-op, this has subsided some but not completely. I feel phlegm in my lungs now but I can't breathe deeply enough to produce a good cough. One of my incisions is right over my heart. Maybe they nicked my heart or lungs while they were in there. Is this normal / will it go away? What do you guys think?

[MinaT 669]

Do you have a drain? I had the same feeling. Do you use a spirometer?

[MinaT 669]

I guess I should go into it more while waiting for an answer. I had the same issue. We were given something called Spirometers. It's where you blow out all your air and suck into the tube and it measures how much you can get into your lungs. At first the first goal was 500 - 750 - 1000 - 1500.

I had a problem with 500 and they were wanting me at 1000 and I could get to 750 then I got to 1000 then back to 500. This was constant. I use Ventolin and they gave me an air chamber to help me. If you don't have a spirometer, call the doctor's office or call a doctor and ask for one. This will help you from getting pneumonia. If you have pain hold onto a pillow and try to cough. Use decaff peppermint tea to help curb the flem.

Do you have a drain? If you do have a drain, the cord you see hanging out....is actually HUGE on the inside too. It was hard to get my breath sometimes. I had the drain for 9 days. When the drain came out it was the biggest sense of relief. It seems that the drain ended up pressing up against my diaphragm which made it harder for me to breath. I also had post nasal drip that was goign down causing more flem. About day 4 in the hospital I woke up in the middle of s leep coughing and choking on flem.

Make sure you walk walk walk a lot. I did, but it didn't seem to help much, but it probably prevented pneumonia. See if you can get your hand on a spirometer and use it a few times every hour.

It does get better. I understand what you are going through and I hope that it clears up soon.

[cookies 56]

I'd contact your surgeon at this point. In the beginning it does hurt a bit to take a full breath because of the incisions, but at this point you should be able to take a normal deep breath without pain, I would think.

They will want to make sure that you're not developing pneumonia or have a pulmonary clot.

[caiti_marie00 17]

Ever since surgery i sometimes get these pains that feels like i cant get a deep enough breath in to breathe normally, and my chest hurts really bad along with it... my doc said its most likely my gallbladder going bad, which is odd to me because i never had that problem before surgery, but I see on here that it isnt that uncommon! maybe thats your issue. But to me it sounds like it could be an affect of the anesthesia or something, the spirometer helped me with that right after surgery also. after my c-section a while back i had a shortness of breath for a few days and since they had to put me out for that my obgyn told me it was bcz of the anesthesia. I dont know, but i would contact your doc, and i hope you feel better ASAP and can enjoy your weightloss!

[Stacey Nicole 40]

I had the same problem! Taking deep breaths and horrible pain in the lung region. It went away after a few weeks. I think I was just really sore. Hang in there it gets so much better!!

[Wheetsin 714]

If you ever, ever have pain in your heart, you need to be at the doctor's office. Period.

Pain while breathing and pain in taking deep breaths could be a form of pneumonia (among a ton of other things), which develops often after intubation procedures.

Pain in your heart, and pain in your lungs, is probably not related.

I can pretty much guarantee neither your heart nor lungs were nicked during surgery.

[ssriley 52]

I was sleeved on Monday, June 11th and have had a sharp pain in my left chest area when taking more than half a breath since the day after surgery. I used the spirometer a lot but it didn't seem to make any difference. My surgeon wasn't very concerned about it at my 4-day follow-up and said continue the breathing exercises, but I was getting more concerned over the weekend when it did'nt improve at all. But Sunday morning it was very much improved and gone completely by lunch. I can only guess that I had gas trapped in my upper chest cavity that finally was absorbed.

I wouldn't expect to still have trapped gasses at 4-weeks however. It definitely needs to be checked, and hopefully it is something simple like chest wall syndrome. Good luck.

[Webchickadee 716]

If you ever, ever have pain in your heart, you need to be at the doctor's office. Period.

Pain while breathing and pain in taking deep breaths could be a form of pneumonia (among a ton of other things), which develops often after intubation procedures.

Pain in your heart, and pain in your lungs, is probably not related.

I can pretty much guarantee neither your heart nor lungs were nicked during surgery.

I completely agree with Wheetsin about the likelihood of having either lung(s) or heart "nicked" during surgery. Your heart would bleed so profusely the surgeon would not have been able to see anything in the surgical field. If you "nicked" a lung, it would collapse (even a small tear would do that) and the anesthetist would have seen that immediately during surgery, based on many indicators (reduced lung volume, increased airway resistance, lower oxygenation/pulse oximetry, deviated trachea, pneumothorax, etc.).

As mentioned, it could possibly be a pocket of infection due to poor reinflation of your lungs post-op. That could be pneumonia and needs treatment immediately. It could also be trapped gas, as has also been suggested.

If you are concerned, and CERTAINLY if the pain feels as if it is in the heart, please go to the nearly ER department and get it looked at. If everything checks out fine, you will rest and recover much better with peace of mind. And if they find something, they can fix you up and get you back on the road to recovery!

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[missmachine 100]

I can only get up to the 500 on the meter and I can't keep the thing in the middle either.

[raven8888 86]

I would call your doc just to be safe.

[missmachine 100]

I did call, and then I got the spirometer. Been getting a little better at it, but usually hovers around the 750 mark. I can still feel a lot of phlegm in my lungs though. Doc also told me to blow up balloons. I'll also be starting to walk more tomorrow. I hope this all works. I have had asthma since birth so that doesn't help.

[raven8888 86]

If you start running a fever, then call doc again. Good luck, hope things get better soon.

[missmachine 100]

Will do. This has become my biggest obsticle in recovery because it f^cking hurts to breathe. :( :(

[missmachine 100]

I am still having shortness of breath, wheezing, and phlegm in my lungs. No fever, but this is very uncomfortable.