I was reading this artice from the USA Swimming website and the relatively fresh scar on Michael's RH side looks very typical of a pneumothorax treatment. I have never had one of these but many of my friends have had them, one at a 21 table in Vegas while we were there for a bachelor party!!! I must be wrong because I can't imagine swimming a major meet like this shortly after a spontaneous pneumothorax.
channels.attbusiness.net/index.cfm
Former Member
I just looked at it. I've had two spontaneous, I thought the scar looks pretty long to me. It does look like it is in the right place. I have one scar where his is & then the second is on my right pec just below my colar bone. I scar very heavily but neither of my inscisions were that long.
I'm under the impression that docotrs want to make a relaitively small incision so that when they put in the tube, it will fill the spot.
Both times it happened, I was alone & walked to the ER. Once in DC to George Washington and once here in Galesburg. I thought I was having a terible asthma attack. I was also in very good shape at the time. I was running up Mass Ave. in DC with a book bag with 7 pounds in it. The Thorax Surgeon, I think his name was Nix, told me that it isn't uncommon for thin guys toget spontaneous pneumo's. He is certainly inthe normal age grouop and body type.
However, once I was running on Reservoir Rd. in DC. I came to a spot where bushes had over grown the side walk. I ran into them. Now on my left side I have a long scar that looks just like my right scar. Once when I was in Houston visitng family, I had an asthma attack. Went to the ER and the doctor asked when I had a Pneumo on my right side.
Also, something like this is very hard to keep out of the press. Also, I believe, Grant Hackett swam during the Olympics with a "collapsed lung." He said it was from an infection. And remember President Clinton was just hjospitalized to drain fluid from his left lung after he had been in Indonesia.
Just wanted to point out....not sure if that link goes to the original picture or not, but...
That's Aaron Peirsol, not Michael Phelps, doing a backstroke start.
Hackett didn't have a pneumothorax--he wouldn't have been swimming if he did. He'd had pneumonia and likely had some residual atelectasis (small amount of air space collapse). Still an impressive performance.
Originally posted by thisgirl13
Just wanted to point out....not sure if that link goes to the original picture or not, but...
That's Aaron Peirsol, not Michael Phelps, doing a backstroke start.
Stephanie, the link must've changed the picture, because before it had the picture of Michael Phelps, raising his right hand at the finish and showing an approximtely 2-inch scar on the rib cage area.
