Thanks Wobbles for letting everyone know, and thank you all for your kind words and hugs.

I'm back home and feeling better, even if not fully recovered. I actually got back last night, but after no sleep the night before, I've just slept since.

Right, story goes like this (are you sitting comfortably?)

Saturday morning, I had accupuncture at 10am. It was my 4th session for sciatica and also shoulder and neck pain. She did the needles - all okay. She then did a chinese massage - again all okay. Then she did the cupping - again, all okay. Obviously pain, but nothing really more than normal. When she'd finished, she said I could get up. I always get a little light-headed after laying on my tummy for an hour, so take that bit really steady. She has a full-length mirror in front of the bed and she always gets me to look at the bruises from the cupping.

So, carefully I stood up and looked in the mirror. Still okay. Then Stu passed me my clothes and I sat back on the bed to put my jeans on. Thats where the fun started. Suddenly I couldn't breath properly and had a horrible crushing pain in my chest between my ribs. I couldn't sit, or stand. It was soooo painful and scary. Stu called the doctor back in and she tried to get me to lay down - bad mistake!! Agony when I tried to. So she got me some geinseng tea and opened all the doors to give me fresh air. I think she thought I was having a panic attack.

She left me to calm down , but the breathing and pain were still bad. After about 20 minutes, she came in with her stethascope (she's also a qualified MD as well as in Chinese Medicine). She listened to my chest and back and tapped away loads, but couldn't see why it was happening.

Tbh, I thought maybe it was a bad asthma attack (I have asthma so mild that I very rarely carry an inhaler), even though it felt like nothing I'd experienced before. My inhaler was at home, so I said that I wanted to go home and try that. So she let me go and asked me to call her when I was better.

We were only about 5 minutes walk from the car park, but I don't know how I made it there. Every step was agony. I was actually crying with fear when I got to the car. We made it home (20 min drive) and Stu got my inhaler. But it didn't help at all.

So I went to bed. I couldn't lay any way except on my right side. The breathing was still bad, but there was no pain when I laid that way. It was agony to sit up or move. I managed to get some sleep though. I got up at about 3.30pm, and called her. She said for me to go back to bed and she could call me later. Stu woke me at 6pm with her on the phone. She said that she wasn't very happy that I wasn't any better, and to call emergency if it got worse.

I came downstairs and said to Stu that I wasn't happy to wait till it got worse and I needed to go hospital. Tbh, I felt a bit silly and thought I might be over-exagerating, but just couldn't breath.

So, he rang his mum, got Charlie overnight stuff and dropped him off there. Arranged for Kayleigh to stay at a friends and dropped her some money off for dinner, and went to the hospital.

I will never hear another bad word about the NHS again - they were fantastic!

We walked into A&E and as soon as the receptionist heard me trying to talk, she asked Stu if he knew all my details and came round and took me straight through - I missed triage completely. One of the nurses was just saying goodnight cause his shift had finished, but when he saw me, he stayed. He took bloods, BP, and arranged for me to get an ECG. All came back okay.

Then they took me through to Majors and a doctor came. He examined me and kept asking me if I had any stress in my life. EDIT - shit, I've just sneezed and it really bloody hurt!!!! Anyway, doctor decided to send me for a chest x-ray. They wheeled me down and I jumped the queue! She asked me to take off my top and bra and put a gown on, and then I had to stand up for the x-ray - ouch! She said to keep the gown on so she could check the film had come out clear. She was back to me in about 2 minutes, and this was the scary bit.... "I've seen something on the film that will need further examination, so you'll need to keep the gown on" OMG - what had she seen? I was in bits. I was a smoker until October 2005, and all I kept thinking was Cancer. We were taken back to Majors and the doctor came back. He had a strong Indian accent and I was in such a panic that I couldn't understand what he was saying!! All I managed to hear was that they were moving me somewhere else for treatment.

So, they wheeled me into Ressusitation!! Bloody hell, I've watched Casualty, this it serious!!!

Suddenly I had about a dozen doctors and nurses around me, and the doctor from Majors had followed as well. One of them asked me if I knew what was going on. I had to admit that I couldn't understand what the other doctor had said. So, he got me the x-ray and said "you see this nice fluffy mass on the right, that's your lung. See this tiny bit at the bottom here, that's your left lung, and where your left lung should be is all air. And the more you breathe, the more it's pushing everything over to your right side"

So, they had to put a tube into my side under my arm to let the air out and re-inflate my lung! Loads of morphine later, they started. They were brilliant. I was surprisingly calm considering the were cutting and stitching me and pushing a massive tube between my ribs!!! The tube goes betwen my ribs, then up to under my collarbone. Then it went under the bed into a small bucket of water so they could see the bubbles.

After all this, they transferred me to another local hospital that has a specialist respitory ward.

It was very very painful, and I couldn't lay down so no sleep. Plus it was a very busy ward and patients were coming in and out.

Anyway, they told me I'd have to be in for at least 3 days, probably a week. If it didn't infate, they'd have to remove it and put it back in again. And if that didn't work, I'd have to have an operation. So, serious then!

I had another chest x-ray at about 11am.

Then suddenly at about 2pm, things started changing - for the better. The doctor came and said that on the x-ray my lung was completely re-inflated! Even he was surprised at the speed of it. He clamped the tube off and said he'd leave it a few hours. He left it an hour and then I had another x-ray. Everythings okay still! So, they removed the tube - ouch!!!!! Another hour, another x-ray, and the lung's still up!!! So they let me come home on the understanding that I do NOTHING! Complete rest and boredom.

So, that was the long story (sorry if I've bored you!!!).

They can't tell me for sure if it's the accupuncture that caused it, but I've done a Google search and there are cases. So, I'm ringing a solicitor later to see if I can get any compensation. I can't fly for 6 months and can't ever scuba dive again. No idea when I'll be back work, I'm seeing the gp later.

Thanks again for all your kind words, and sorry for boring you !!!

Glad you are feeling better hun, what a scare!!!!!!
I'm sure if you were feeling fine before the accupuncture then there is only that to blame, keep on it chick, don't let it drop, that is a serious mistake to make

Bloody hell hun - How scarey

Glad your home in comfort. Hope you have a speedy recovery x

Amanda

Glad your back home and take it easy!

oh my gosh really scary, i hope your oh is looking after you!!!!

i hope your better soon!!

Woah!
Glad your safe and getting better now hun.

Oh Jesus hun that is crazy!!!
So glad you are back home and everything is puffed up like it should be
Take it easy hun

wow, that is one crazy story.
and do take their advice, don't do ANYTHING.
take care.

OMG, what a traumatic time. ((((huge gentle hug)))) I'm glad that you're doing ok now though, but really sorry to hear what you've been through xx

Major hugs to you hun

I know how scarey that can be, to have all those Doctors and Nurses rushing about trying to sort things, it makes you panic so much

Im so glad you are home now and that your lung reinflated so quickly, make sure you do NOTHING! get your hubby to run about after you

Hope you feel better soon hun

xxx