Let's Get Superficial

Hi from ME to YOU

All weekend I had the chest tube in with a vent that came up my back. The top of the vent couldn't get closed off because air was "supposed" to be escaping. My clever husband cut a hole in the back of this shirt so that the vent wasn't covered with cloth. I felt like the tube up my back was a smokestack. The hardest part was laying in bed because positioning had to be optimal for the tube to not be blocked by a pillow or blanket. Needless to say, my phenomenal husband didn't sleep well  because he was checking the tube constantly through the night.

I went back to the Heart and Thoracic unit of the hospital yesterday. The plan was to take the chest tube out of the left lung and if it was inflated as it should be, drain the right lung. When the nurse was unwrapping the "smokestack", she noticed a kink in the tubing. She said that it was absolutely nothing that I did but was the result of how it was taped. It also meant that the vent did not allow air to escape.

The x-ray confirmed that the lung was not fully expanded. It actually was worse than when I left the hospital on Friday. The right lung would NOT be touched. The radiologist said that the left lung may never come back. He called it a possible "trapped lung". They hooked the tube up to a suction machine and drained a significant amount of fluid off from around the lung. They attached a drain bag to the chest tube that I would be going home with until Wednesday. I'll go back Wednesday for more x-rays. I don't think they are going to entertain the idea of even touching the right lung. The risk is way to high.

While I was at the hospital, I mentioned that my right foot that is swollen with fluid was EXTREMELY RED. My left leg had a large "streak" going up a vein that started at my ankle and ended below my knee. It was black and blue over the weekend but was now EXTREMELY RED. I suspected that I had superficial blood clots again. The radiologist, who is beyond fantastic, called the oncologist on call. He ordered a bilateral sonogram to check for blood clots. Off for more tests. Luckily NO BLOOD CLOTS were found. The oncologist prescribed a baby aspirin a day. I have a feeling that I'll get a call today with a prescription for a blood thinner. The superficial clots are far too extensive for just a baby aspirin. The last time I had a superficial clot, I had to take 4 regular aspirin every 4 hours. It did resolve in time. This morning my legs are still extremely red and sore to stand on but knowing that it's not a deep blood clot, it's manageable.

Because I didn't have the smokestack coming from my back last night, my husband and I actually got some real sleep for the first night in many days. It felt so good.

I have not expelled any fluid from my lung since I've been home. I want to think that's a good sign but it makes me wonder if the chest tube is working properly because I had so much drainage when in the hospital. I'll keep an eye on it today, placing a call into the hospital if I become alarmed.