deflating lungs during surgery

April 11, 2005

My dr. told me my lungs started to deflate during surgery. Does this happen alot? I am still so short of breath and wondered how much longer it would take for me to get back to normal. Any advice appreciated.

La_madam · April 11, 2005

Hmmm, I have never heard of this happening to anyone I know who has been banded. What has your Doctor done to correct this porblem? Did he say they would inflate back on their own? I had a "feeling" of shortness of breath or tightness in my chest area due to the swelling in my diaphram and sternum area from the surgery and placement of the band, that feeling went away each day, but total took about 3 weeks post op to feel normal. Could this be what you mean?

shamrock · April 12, 2005

I'm taking an educated guess here. They blow your abdomen up with gas so they can see. I wonder if weaker lungs have a problem with the external pressure pushing against them and deflate under the pressure? Like when you squeezre a balloon?

Penni60 · April 12, 2005

Kola: Who was your doctor? What exactly did your doctor tell you about your lungs? Have you ever had any kind of issues with your lungs before? Like asthma, pneumonia, etc. Do you smoke? Collapsing lungs are not something to mess with. Did they actually collapse or what? If they did then you should have woken up with a chest tube.

I would be very concerned about this.

dallasdoll · April 12, 2005

after surgery, were you given a little plastic device with a ball in it.. and told to exhale into it and blow the ball up? every hour?

During surgery, sometimes the lungs can be affected by the ventilator and will deflate or in rare cases can be overfilled... usually these problems are more common with long lasting surgeries.

After major surgeries, patients are told to practice with the little device so that your lungs re-inflate with air. You are exhaling out as hard as you can, but slowly, so that when you breathe in it fills up the air cells in your lungs (alveoli) and your lungs regain their full capacity... and your lung elasticity is regained in parts that werent filling... gotta pump the lung muscle.

so.. if you dont have the device, i guess you could do it on your own.. blow out as long as you can.. and then even a little more after that until you feel like there is nothing in there... a few times over the day... each time you do it will help to reinflate the babies and fix your gas exchange. this should help ya i would think. (i know this because when i had major open surgery in my abdomen i went through the same thing).

i mean it couldnt hurt right?

Iluvharleys · April 12, 2005

Just wanted to wish you luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

donali · April 12, 2005

and told to exhale into it and blow the ball up? every hour?

Actually, the device is for INHALING - you have to inhale to get the little ball to move up. Exhaling is easy - it's the inhaling that's hard, and hurts. You have to have a certain lung capacity to bring the ball all the way to the top.

Prior to surgery the lung doc did my lung test - asked me to exhale for as long as I could, and then inhale for as long as I could. He's timing me, and asking, "Are you STILL???" And I nodded yes, both inhale/exhale. I'm a professionally trained singer, and I guess that makes a difference... lol

One of my assisting surgeons, a very slender, young, healthy looking guy said he could NOT move the ball up to the top. Prior to surgery I showed him just how very easy it is, inhaling slowly (inhaling quickly is cheating - you have to move the ball up SLOWLY - for real) and getting the ball all the way up to the top and continuing to inhale for many seconds effortlessly keeping it there. He was duly impressed...

After surgery I was like: get this f#$!*ng torture machine AWAY from me!!! lol

Penni60 · April 12, 2005

The device is called a Spirometer. Donali is correct in how it is used. It is given to exercise the lungs by assisting in the removal of anesthesia from the lungs and to keep pneumonia from setting in. Not necessarily to inflate the lungs.

If the lungs are over or under inflated during surgery then that is negligence on the part of the anesthesist.

Keep a watch on the breathing.