X-Rays and Chest Tubes and Blebs, Oh, My!

These balloon-like objects are bleb, which are are air-filled blisters on the surface of the lungs. A bleb can rupture at any time and cause a pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung. 





A collapsed lung is dangerous and very painful. One day in January 2013 I checked in to the local ER with chest pains and shortness of breath, and a chest x-ray revealed a "huge" pneumothorax, which looked something like the x-ray above.



I was soon given my very own chest tube, which I wouldn't wish on...