Thursday 22 September 2011

Me Not Healthy: The Lung Cysts (Part 1)

As some of you are aware I'm not exactly the pinnacle of good health. Some of it is my fault, I could sleep more, eat healthier and exercise more frequently so I wouldn't be such a skinny nerdy Asian. But there are some things I have no control over.

I was a happy and active child but a problem began to appear as I grew older. Occasionally I would be short of breath without pain. It didn't make much sense but I ignored it until one day it happened along with tons of pain and breathlessness.

I thought I was having a heart attack.

No one knew what was going on during these bouts. X-rays revealed pockets of air spontaneously popping up in my lungs so they shoved a tube inside me to suck it out the air and left it at that. I don't know how many of you out there have ever had a foreign object half dangling inside and out of your body but I can confirm that it's not fun or painless. After this little episode I was informed should another bubble appear I would need surgery.

For the next year or so the frequency of breathlessness increased. There were times where I'd feel anxious, suddenly fatigued or "uncomfortable". Occasionally there would be pain. Each episode was different, it can feel like heart burn, muscle fatigue/soreness, a cramp or combination of the above and many more.

Finally after enough pressure from family I went and got additional x-rays which showed nothing. So I went and got a cat scan done on the left side of my body which most of the discomfort was coming from. Turns out, I had cysts in my lungs.

And the cysts just lined the top.

See, the thing about the lung cysts was that I was probably born with them. And everytime one of them burst, the air, blood, pus, etc. would come out, press down on my lung and BAM, breathlessness. They think that a drop in barometric pressure increases the likelihood of them bursting because whenever there is a drop, there's an increase in these kinds of incidents.

The doctors gave me a choice, get surgery now and (hopefully) get rid of the problem OR leave it alone and risk having more "Oh god is it a cyst bursting or am I having a heart attack" moments.

I opted for the surgery.

Which I will share with you in my next post.

I did not look forward to it.

60 comments:

  1. Ouch, sounds painful.

    Is the doctor in the last pick from something? Can't quite place it.

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  2. Shit. Um, sorry to hear about that buddy. My ex had cysts in her ovaries and I know it was pretty serious. Interested to read your next post on the subject as well.

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  3. Don't you just hate it when your body betrays you like that? I've had similar stuff.. I guess nothing like being born with a cyst, but not being as healthy as I could be.

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  4. Well you came out alive at least if you've already had the surgery.

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  5. Oh my gosh, that sounds so awful! I didn't even know you could get lung cysts. Eek!

    ~ Angela
    grahamandangela.blogspot.com

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  6. Holy crap man. I didn't know it was that bad. I felt bad even reading this, i can't imagine what you gone through. Best wishes to you sir.

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  7. i have to give up smoking...

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  8. oh, dear, it's horrible that you had to have a surgery :(

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  9. Hopefully the surgery removes the problem and you live a happy healthy life!

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  10. That sounds dreadful. I hope everything turned out okay. Are you going to surprise us with a tragic twist? You're not blogging from the afterlife, are you?

    Oh no.

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  11. oh god... good luck there, don't die

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  12. surgery is probably the best way to go...hopefully it all goes well!

    and i am also in alberta...if you're in calgary, i guess i have to freak out?

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  13. Oof that sounds absolutely horrible. I hope you get well soon, you have my best wishes.

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  14. Well obviously you lived! You've had a lot of adventures, i guess.

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  15. I never had any health issues growing up, hope your surgery went well

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  16. wow thats freaky man, i get panic attacks sometimes which is similar to what you describe. I get a heavy chest and my arms tingle and sometimes I hallucinate. Xanax takes care of it pretty good though.

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  17. Here's hoping he ubercharges you, bro. Good luck with the surgery.

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  18. Medic was your surgeon? Did he give you a baboon heart?

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  19. You could have one blog separately just to talk about your health problems xd

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  20. I'm sorry to hear that you have so many health problems get well soon :D

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  21. I think a bronchoscopy is one of the worst procedures...hope to hear that the surgery brings you much relief~

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  22. Yes, it is definitely not a pleasant thing. It can be serious too, and most of the times it gets serious.

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  23. That sounds really bad. My dad once had one of those foreign objects inserted into his throat. He didn't look too happy when he got home.

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  24. That sounds positively heinous. Sorry you had to endure it.

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  25. Sorry to hear about your news man

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  26. i friend of mind died recently... she was a great smoker !

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  27. That sucks. So sorry! I've had asthma attacks out of the blue and this sounds ten times worse. I'll be praying for you!

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  28. I kinda know how you feel man, I was born with stuff and was ill throughout my childhood D;

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  29. Whoa, tough guy! Don't you feel even a tiny ounce of fear? IT'S SURGERY!! OMG! OMG! OMG!

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  30. I'm sorry you're in poor health.

    It's an effeminate quality, but I find it endearing. Take care!

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  31. there's nothing better than having cysts in your lungs. except maybe drowning in the mucus your own body is producing.

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  32. Ouch, sorry to hear that D: It's astounding how many genetic problems Asians seem to have! I've gone to the doctors so many times that now, I'm like 'ceeebs'.
    follow? shenanigansofcaroline.blogspot.com

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  33. Well, I hope that everything turns out okay. I couldn't imagine what you're going through, it would scare me to death.

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  34. Good luck with the surgery... I hope it'll fix your lungs and let you breathe a bit better :-)

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  35. @Come At Me Bro: ...REALLY?! >:/

    I really really sincerely hope you get better. The only surgery I've undergone is getting my wisdom teeth out, and that was terrifying enough.

    But hopefully after this, you'll be 100% betterbetter! :D
    *sends love, hugs, and cookies*

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  36. I've suffered some pretty bad chest pains all my life. The last time I had the opportunity to have them looked at (via chest x-ray) was when I was 16, about seven years ago. They persist and get pretty bad at times, but I don't really know what to do about it. I'm in the process of acquiring medical insurance so that I can have another examination.

    So basically, I know how it feels.

    Also, following you now.

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  37. good luck for the surgery! i hope it goes well for you mate!

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  38. OMG! now I'm really curious about you..

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  39. hey! i had the same problem too! Apparently is common for skinny guys to have this problem. Hope you get better soon man. +follow

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  40. I honestly hope your doctor does not represent the TF2-medic in any way.

    Stay strong.

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  41. Wow, that's a lot to deal with!

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  42. Let's hope your surgeon isn't like the one in TF2. Archimedes!

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  43. Come on dude, you have to survive at least for this week so i can interview you :)

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  44. Wow, that is something terrible to go through, but I hope the surgery went well (I guess we'll find out w/ your next post).

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  45. that big tit chick has cancer, i think back problems are the least of her worries. also lung cysts sound bad. lol

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