LessWrong (Curated & Popular) “Hospitalization: A Review” by Logan Riggs
Oct 10, 2025
Logan Riggs, an author and essayist, shares a gripping personal account of his hospitalization for a spontaneous pneumothorax. He narrates the surreal experience of rushing to the ER under the fear of a heart attack. Listeners will learn about the diagnostic journey, including a mis-scanned X-ray that delayed treatment. With humor and candor, he offers practical advice on patient advocacy and communication with medical staff, and reflects on the emotional impact on loved ones, emphasizing gratitude for caregivers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Sudden Chest Pain And ER Ride
- Logan Riggs describes waking with left shoulder and chest pain and thinking it might be a heart attack.
- He calls 911, breaks into a cold sweat, and is loaded into an ambulance and taken to hospital.
Not All Chest Pain Is Cardiac
- The doctors initially suspected vasovagal syncope despite chest symptoms and dizziness.
- ECG and blood tests were normal, showing that not all chest pain indicates a heart attack.
Diagnosis: Spontaneous Pneumothorax
- Staff diagnosed Logan with a spontaneous pneumothorax and explained it as air between lung and chest lining.
- He learned tall, thin body types correlate with blebs that can cause spontaneous lung holes.
