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Subscribe to RSSNo, you can't really "cough up a lung." But according to a new case report in the latest New England Journal of Medicine, it's possible to get uncomfortably close.
Two days of chest pain drove a 40-year-old woman to Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom, for relief. The woman had asthma, and had been coughing especially hard for two weeks. When examining her, doctors noticed some cracking, popping sounds coming from her right midaxillary line -- or the right side of her torso. Further examination with the use of X-ray revealed that the woman had coughed so hard -- she'd herniated her lung. (You can see photos, if you must, here.)
"While she didn't technically cough up her lung, she coughed out her lung, through her ribs," explains Dr. Rachel Vreeman, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. Vreeman didn't treat this patient, but as the co-author of "Don't Cross Your Eyes ... They'll Get Stuck That Way!" she was more than willing to give her expert opinion on the strange case. "It's so unusual to have this happen that it would merit this case report -- unusual, but possible, apparently."
The woman's lung tissue slipped through the space between two of her ribs -- the ninth intercostal space, to be exact. It's actually somewhat similar to a NEJM case study from last month, in which a woman's body "swallowed" one of her breast implants while she was doing Pilates -- in that case, the woman's implant slipped between two of her ribs and was sent into her pleural cavity, or the space between her lungs. (Maybe those two should form a support group.)
In the case of the herniated lung, it's possible that she had some sort of defect explaining why the area between her ribs was particularly vulnerable. But even so, "it really must have been some intense coughing," says Vreeman, adding that there are occasional reports of violent coughing fits causing similarly strange and terrible things. Whooping cough patients may hack so hard that a lung collapses, for example. But it gets worse.
"There are reports -- it's incredibly rare -- of people who have had their spleens ruptured because of coughing," Vreeman says. "There also are occasional reports of people who -- and this is a gross one as well -- some people are more prone to having their eyeballs coming out of their sockets -- there are a few reports of people having problems with that from bad vomiting or coughing."
Surprisingly, Vreeman says in many of these cases, these people didn't have any underlying health problems that would explain these extreme happenings -- the ruptured spleens, the popped-out eyeballs. It's often simply a case of coughing way, way too hard, she says.
"Coughing, in and of itself, is not bad -- it keeps the lungs clear by not allowing things to build up," whether it's phlegm or dust or whatever, Vreeman explains. "But it's when you're coughing in a really violent way -- you should, by all means, see a doctor."
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Ow.
No comment!!
I'm thinking that if I had a cough that bad, I might have gone to the doc sooner. I am impressed tho. Blowin out a lung sounds difficult. Oh, those wacky Brits!!
The pics are just x-rays, but that shyte looks painful.
I have heard of people coughing their nuts up. Bet that hurt too.
Dude, it does. I've done it a few times. Coughed em up. Puked em up. Taken shots that made it feel like they were in my throat...Yeah, not much fun there.
So...the name Skiddy...does that have sentimental meaning or is that what the tighty whiteys look like after a couple months?? LOL!!
It's what they look like after you cough your nuts up.
Nice one!! LMFAO!!
I've had some bad coughing spells through out my back, ribs hurt, I have asthma so I know what can happen when you have an attack or when you get bronchitics and you can't stop coughing and your chest hurts but that has got to be painful.
I had a drug allergy to Lisinopril that caused me to cough uncontrollably. I never experienced a cough like that in my whole life. It would be so bad at times my eyes would water from coughing that I couldn't see. I remember having to pull off to the side of the road on the way to work to clear my eyes several times until I figured out that my ACE inhibitor was going to cause me to get killed in a car wreck.
Sounds painful, I am surprised she didn't seek medical attention sooner.
Smoker?
If you have asthma you definitely shouldn't be smoking...I'd think it would only exacerbate your condition...But I agree that even with her condition, she should have gone in sooner.
Gross.
hahaahahahahah omg too funny LMFAO
I coughed so hard one time, my teeth came out... Of course, I just put em back in when I stopped coughing.
Didja poop yer pants too, granny? Had stuff shootin out both ends, eh?
You are a sicko Harry Balsaki
Thank you. Thank you. I'm here all week.
Harry and nemisis, I had an inlaw years ago who got tickled at a comment I made and laughed so hard she spat her teeth out and they skipped across the porch. That made her laugh even harder and she pissed her pants. When she realized she not only lost her teeth but had also pissed her pants, I thought she was going to die from a stoke from laughing so hard and so long at herself.
That was July the 4th, 1990 and I remember it like it was yesterday. It was one of the funniest things I ever saw in my life.
God bless you Aunt Lou, rest well ol' gal. We all miss you.
John...Now thats a party!!
She did see a doctor prior to the CT scan. The NEJM article states that she was "treated in the community with antibiotics." She then ended up getting a CT scan because she had not improved. So at least two trips to a physician (first one probably with her primary care doc, the second was at Good Hope Hospital).
Patient did the right thing. Doctors did the right thing. Patient got better after surgical repair. All is well. Just a little odd.
I've coughed so hard I threw my back out but this...
When you get older, you will blow alot more things out than your lung when you cough! That's one reason to always keep fresh underwear in your glove box.
LOL, you made my day.
Spoken like a man who's been there before.
Like I always say (now)...Don't eat too many deep fried jalapenos and THEN go shopping. Shop first, and don't be too far from home.
Pulled a diaphragm muscle coughing too hard once... owwwie....
My husband had very severe coughing due to two pulmonary emboli that broke loose from a very large blood clot in his leg. He coughed so hard he thought he broke his ribs. A trip to the ER revealed the emboli. He was a very lucky man that he didn't die. If his leg hadn't swelled up, felt hard and hot to the touch, doctor would have kept treating him for pneumonia. The clots were very tiny and like I said, he was one lucky man. Due to Factor V Leiden, a genetic cause of DVT, he is now on lifetime regimen of warfarin. Any severe coughing, get to the doctor or ER asap. You just never know what is causing that cough.
I feel her pain. I have asthma, too, and it is not fun. When you get any type of lung infection it can blossom into pneumonia. I'll bet that was what they were treating her for and then she still felt pain. So they looked further. Same happened to me; had lung infection that became pneumonia. Coughed non-stop for weeks and my ribs hurt. Just assumed it was due to muscle strain from coughing. Finally went back to doctor. Guess what? I had broken a rib from coughing so hard! That took forever to heal!
I've broken ribs from coughing, twice. I guess breaking them is better than squeezing a lung through them but it was painful!
Daaaaammmmn
This happened to my Father. He had surgery and they did not repair the area where the breathing tube was placed in his rib cage properly and when he coughed, his lung protruded outside of his ribcage. Not pleasant.
Wow, I'll try not to complain too much anymore. I have COPD and cough a lot but nowhere near what I've read today. It is scary when you feel like you can't breathe. I guess it can always be worse!
DH did that but it was after a lung transplant. The interior stitches let go before they healed and the lung ballooned out his side. I went to the drug store at 2 a.m. when the temp was around zero and the roads were icy. I got Ace bandages and we wound him up in those until he could get to the hospital, then he needed a second surgery.
Is that what they call a "lunger"?
my mom cough so hard she broke 3 ribs. she does have COPD and was a smoker for a long time. she also has osteoporosis. she is smoke free for 5yrs now but the ribs are still broke and may never heal.
One woman ruptures a lung, and another has a displaced breast implant, and all the writer can think of to say is, "Maybe those two should start a support group"? Really??
This article is an EPIC FAIL compassionwise -- National Enquirer-style journalism. Ugh.
This story "took my breath away" ... I don't want to "rib" her while she's experiencing discomfort ... I just made two puns ... what a funny guy I am ... thank you very much.