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  • chest tube

    What is a chest tube and has anyone had one?

    Melissa
    Melissa

    Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

    April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

  • #2
    Hi...

    I had a chest tube after my anterior surgery 20 years ago. It's a tube, inserted between your ribs, to remove fluid from around your lung. In spine surgery, they use them after they've had to deflate a lung to get to the front of the spine. People often complain about how painful they are, but I didn't think it was all that bad. The good news is that you may (will?) be in intensive care as long as you have the chest tube.

    I'm too lazy to go and look it up, what levels is Sam working on in your next surgery?

    Regards,
    Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
      Hi...

      I had a chest tube after my anterior surgery 20 years ago. It's a tube, inserted between your ribs, to remove fluid from around your lung. In spine surgery, they use them after they've had to deflate a lung to get to the front of the spine. People often complain about how painful they are, but I didn't think it was all that bad. The good news is that you may (will?) be in intensive care as long as you have the chest tube.

      I'm too lazy to go and look it up, what levels is Sam working on in your next surgery?

      Regards,
      Linda
      Linda, you are not lazy just busy. I am fused as much as anyone can be fused. I am fused from C4 to sacrum. On September 9, Sam is going in from the front and an vascular surgeon is working with him. The vascular surgeon is going to move my organs , take out an rib and deflate a lung. Then Sam will go in and pack my spine from the front to try to have the fusion take this time. So the vascular surgeon had mentioned a chest tube and I was just wondering what that was. How wide a tube is it?

      Melissa
      Melissa

      Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

      April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

      Comment


      • #4
        I think the tube is about 1/2" to 3/4".

        What levels are they going to do in the next surgery?
        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
          I think the tube is about 1/2" to 3/4".

          What levels are they going to do in the next surgery?

          I am as fused as anyone can be. Sam is going in from the front to pack the front of my spine to ensure that fusion happens this time

          Melissa
          Melissa

          Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

          April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by mabeckoff View Post
            I am as fused as anyone can be. Sam is going in from the front to pack the front of my spine to ensure that fusion happens this time

            Melissa
            I understand that, but they won't be doing all the levels. When they go in from the front, they remove the discs and replace them with cages, bone disks, etc. They can't possibly do all of the levels.

            --Linda
            Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
            Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
              I understand that, but they won't be doing all the levels. When they go in from the front, they remove the discs and replace them with cages, bone disks, etc. They can't possibly do all of the levels.

              --Linda
              Now I understand your question. I will know the answer on Monday as I am seeing Sam for my pre-op and will have my questions answered

              Melissa
              Melissa

              Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

              April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

              Comment


              • #8
                Melissa,
                They are like small fish tank tubing with a small device (drain) attached. I had hoses coming out of everywhere.

                You don’t feel them at all. You do notice them when rolling or snagging them and you will feel the drains if you roll over onto them.

                When the nurses finally started pulling mine out at about 2-3 per day, things got easier. When they pull them out, you don’t feel much at all. No biggie.

                Now when your Urologist says he might have to use a stent, then you need to worry. They usually pop this on you about 5 seconds before they knock you out, so....5 seconds of intense worry. lol I need to start my kidney stone joke book soon!
                Ed
                49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                My x-rays
                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                Comment


                • #9
                  I had one - I had a hemothorax as a complication from my 1st surgery, about 2 weeks post-op. I wasn't in ICU, just in a regular room. The chest tube was placed while I was awake, in the Radiology dept, and it was fine. . .until the anesthetic wore off, 2 or 3 hours later. I had it for a little over 48 hours. I can't say that I had the same relatively-pain-free experience as Linda and Ed did. When the pulmonologist removed it. . .it was one of the 15 happiest moments of my life. . .and it doesn't hurt when they take it out.
                  Fused T-3 to L-3, Aug 25
                  Hardware removal surgery, Nov 2, 2010
                  Fused T-10 to L-2, osteotomy, Feb 22, 2011

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I, too, had a chest tube placed after my fusion. I suffered a hemothorax as well due to my thoracoplasty. I had mine placed at the bedside and it was simply awful. I then had it removed (not painful), then had to go back to the operating room a few days later to have another placed. Thank goodness it was under anesthesia that time.
                    Laurie
                    Age 57
                    Posterior fusion w/thoracoplasty T2-L3 Oct 1, 2010
                    Thoracic curve corrected from 61* to 16*
                    Lumbar curve, unknown measurement
                    Disfiguring back hump GONE!!
                    Dr Munish Gupta
                    UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Well, good news, I will not be needing a chest tube after all

                      Melissa
                      Melissa

                      Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                      April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                      Comment

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