Anybody Have The Zephyr Valves Removed?
I had 6 valves installed 5 months ago and I got way worse than I was. I went from 0-2 lpm part of the time to 4 lpm all the time. While in the hospital I got pneumonia and it lasted for weeks. I went to the hospital for the pneumonia and spent a few days there again. Then I went back into get the valves removed. I got even worse after the valves were removed I still had pneumonia and my lung collapsed I spent 6 week in ICU. Instead of going back to where I started before the procedure. Now I'm at 6-8 lpm all the time and need an electric wheel chair to go long distances. This is just my. story some people do well with the valves. The part that upsets me is a lot of the information about the valves say it is reversible and people go back to the pre procedure status. I don't think that going back to the pre procedure status is a given like everything else it more than likely is a case by case situation. I had the procedure done because I thought it would help and if it didn't I believed what I read that if they didn't work I could go back to where I was before the procedure. Now I went from not needing oxygen all the time to not being able to walk 20 feet without it. The reason for this post is I have not seen posts where people talked about the possible effects of the procedure or the results of the procedure even after the valves were removed.
I am sorry you are going through this. I am no stranger myself to procedures that are supposed to be "easy" going bad. I have had one or two of those events happen to me and one of them took 10 years to fix, and a lot of pain and money. It is frustrating. While we don't necessarily have any articles on removing them, we do have a few articles where they are discussed and you might start there. https://copd.net/living/zephyr-valves Some of our community members who have the valves might have had a similar experience or know someone who has. As always, remember, you are not alone! Keep on keepin' on, DPM I would be interested in what others have experienced if they had the valves removed
I had 5 Zephyr Valves placed in my right lung. My breathing never improved. Approximately 6 months after the procedure, I started having chronic yellow sputum with pink in the sputum. I called the doctor's office, and they prescribed an antibiotic and prednisone for 6 days.
A week later, I went to the emergency room after coughing up gross blood in my sputum. The lab confirmed that I was indeed coughing up blood. After a clear CT Scan, I was sent home on more antibiotics. This situation of couching up blood in my sputum became a daily (multiple occurrences each day)concern.
After a few months of this, repeatedly contacting my doctor, not being evaluated and just more antibiotic medication being prescribed, I found a new pulmonologist.
One visit to his office, exam, chest x-ray, I was informed that I probably have a Z-Valve that was infected. His recommendation was to remove all of them. I agreed and one month later they were out. My f/u after the removal procedure supported the pulmonologist initial diagnosis.
Since then, I have improved my breathing, my sputum is clear, and I would n0t recommend these valves to anyone. ReconDoc
