Hey Aaron,
Sorry about the pneumothorax. I can empathize with feeling concerned and confused.
My recovery is still successful. The only thing lingering from the surgery is it’s a little uncomfortable to do sit ups. I can tell there’s something like internal scar tissue around my sternum, but it’s not too bad and I only feel it when I’m trying to do sit ups.
I’ve reached my highest fitness level since the surgery (higher than before the surgery) and haven’t had any problems exercising.
I’m happy with the approach I took. I was cautious about the surgery but waited until I felt like it made sense. I’m happy I did the surgery and the results were better than I expected. I thought I would have some noticeable long-term issues with breathing and exercising, but that just hasn’t been the case.
I hope you find the care you need and make the right decision for you. Thanks for your comment and let me know how things play out.