Amy
I am a 29 year old woman and i had a chest tube twice. The second time around they did surgery and my lung has stayed up now for 2 months so far. Knock on wood. I would tell her to go for it. It takes more time to heal the second time around, but so far so good. Also, if she decides to do it, have her watch for pneumonia. It hit me one day out of the hospital. It happens to be one of the risks in the surgery. But it might be the answer for her. Good luck to the both of you and let me know how things turn out!