LucyK19 writes:
Hey I'm a 19 year old female. I don't have lung disease, but I have a question about collapsed lungs. For I guess about a week now I have been having trouble breathing, mainly tightness in my chest. Wednesday, I was watching a movie when I started getting a VERY sharp pain in my chest and it hurt like crazy! When I take a deep breath it would hurt like a million times worse. The pain went away, but the tightness in my chest is still there.
Now it feels like when you take a pill and you don't take it with enough water, making it feel like its stuck in your throat. It feels like that all the time now. It's not painful, just bothersome. It really wears me out trying to breathe, too. It feels like I can't take a deep breath in. It feels like I have to burp, but can't, and I have tried to.
Does this sound like a collapsed lung? If not, should I be worried? I really want to go to the doctor, but at the moment I don't have insurance, but I'm hoping to by next week. So, I don't know what to do if it is a collapsed lung or something else. ANY advice would be more then welcome.
Dear LucyK19:
I'm sorry to hear you are having respiratory distress and I'm very concerned that you are putting off medical treatment due to insurance issues. Your condition could be critical and it's always best to be safe rather than sorry. Remember the American Lung Association's saying, "When you can't breathe, nothing else matters."
If you're having trouble breathing, you should see your doctor. If treated immediately, you may be better off, physically and financially, than if you waited and it developed into something worse. Also, your doctor may be able to give you some guidance about payment in relation to diagnosing and treating your condition. For instance, he may listen to your lungs and determine that it's something minor that can be resolved easily with minimal cost. Or, you may find that it's something serious, and will be glad that you didn't wait to see a doctor. Either way, at least you will know what your condition is and can make a more informed decision about getting treatment. Also, by that time, you should have insurance, as you have indicated.
It's very tough when you do not have medical insurance and you need medical treatment. It's a situation in which you have to decide what's best for you.
As far as wanting to know if it's a collapsed lung, I can tell you that collapsed lung or pneumothorax, typically occurs in young, thin, tall men who smoke, or happens as a result of a penetrating or blunt injury. For more information about pneumothorax (collapsed lung), go to What is Pneumothorax? and Diagnosing Pneumothorax.
When you do get to the doctor, please come back and tell me what happened. I hope everything goes well for you, and I hope this has helped you to make a decision about seeing a doctor.
For the complete discussion thread on this question, go to the Lung Diseases Forum.
