To the kind lady passing who phoned me an ambulance...

[anapau]

...at the bottom of Copleston road this morning. Thank you so much for taking care of me when I was obviously in excruciating pain, doubled over and unable to walk. It turned out I had a punctured lung. And to all of the many, many passers by who just looked at me and walked on, shame on you.

[PeckhamRose]

A heart warming story and we hope you recover very soon. How awful and terrifying about being ignored by your fellow humans.

We here all wish you a speedy recovery!

[Ladymuck]

Are you going to be OK? A punctured lung sounds very serious.

I wish you well generally, a super-speedy recovery, and a happy and healthy Christmas. x

And a happy Christmas for that kind lady too. Well done you.

[anapau]

Thank you PR and LM! I'm going to be ok, it's not particularly serious but the thing they have to watch out for is trapped air in the lung which is painful. Unfortuately it means I can't go on aeroplanes for at least 6 weeks, so christmas with my family in Mexico is out of the question!

[DeptfordDiva]

What causes it? I've known a few people who've had it, the only thing in common is that they were very slim and quite tall. Glad you're ok.

[sliding_doors]

DeptfordDiva Wrote:

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> What causes it? I've known a few people who've

> had it, the only thing in common is that they were

> very slim and quite tall. Glad you're ok.

Your right, taller people are more at risk (not sure about slim people though!). It is called a primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) and tends to occur in otherwise healthy tall males between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Some of us have weak spots or blisters/blebs at the top of our lungs. These can rupture causing air to leak out and collect between the lung and the chest wall which prevents one lung from inflating properly. This usually occurs in taller people because they have big lungs which can create a larger pressure difference and this puts more strains on the blebs.

[Sue]

anapau Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

It turned out I had a punctured

> lung. And to all of the many, many passers by who

> just looked at me and walked on, shame on you.

xxxxxxx

What is wrong with people?

I read of an old man in Salisbury who lay collapsed in the snow for hours while people just walked by and ignored him.

Glad you got help anapau but sorry for your bad experience before it came :-S

Those people who passed you by would be the first to have a rant if nobody stopped to help them, no doubt.

[Huguenot]

To be fair, I'm an interfering sod, and as a consequence I've been told to mind my own bloody business a number of times by people I've stopped to help. I appreciate that not everyone is so pig-headed that they keep taking the grief.

It's possible that anapau may have appeared to be simply out of breath.

There are undoubtedly tosseurs in the world, but let's not jump to conclusions!

[ratty]

I once went to help a chap at Vauxhall Station who was unconcious. Newly trained in first aid, I checked for Danger and Response, and promptly got punched in the face for waking him up!

[PeckhamRose]

I would still have stopped.

But alweays alert and having a way out.

[GinaG3]

anapau glad somebody helped you. This is the same as happens to me, I've had it since I was twelve. One rush to hospital when I was pregnant. No other answer for the excruciating pain or loss of breath. Spontaneous pneumothorax noted but wont diagnose. Out of interest would you mind talking to me over PM. No worries if not.

My dads lung completely burst whilst diving 11 years ago. He drove himself to hospital and was then airlifted to Royal Brompton, it was a scary time for all the family. My mum was pregnant at the time. He was given a 50/50 chance and pulled through surgery. He has had no problems with his lung since! The human body is a powerful system. Hope you feel much better soon.

[DJKillaQueen]

I think it's always better to offer help and find that a person doesn't want or need it than to walk by and do nothing.