celeni's Cancer Blog
August 31, 2008
| Pleural effusion...major setback | Views: 1420 |
It’s been a long week…
Wednesday before last Wes was scheduled for his chemo but had been experiencing severe shortness of breath. After taking a chest xray, they found some sort of mass…10 times larger than what they had seen just a week prior. After ruling out a tumor that might havev “exploded” (what the f???) or a “blood clot” they determined it was fluid build up between the chest wall and his lungs. They scheduled a thoracentesis, which is where a needle (and sometimes a plastic catheter) is inserted through the chest wall to drain the fluid and send to a lab for testing. They withdrew a litre of this dark brown liquid …it looked like strong tea. The tests determined that cancer cells were found in the fluid. He felt much better for a day or 2 and then it felt like it was coming back. Freida called his nurse and explained what was going on and set up an appointment to take another look at it.
Freida called me at work and told me what was going on…they decided to go ahead and admit him into the hospital to have the fluid drained…which we thought that it would be a relief to go ahead and get it drained off instead of waiting a couple more days to repeat this procedure in the lab. I told her I would be there as soon as I got off work and took my dog for his annual shots ( I live about an hour away).
I rushed home and put Red in the car. I have adopted a little black mixed lab that was a stray and I have had her since the 4th of July weekend. Se hopped in the car with Red and I thought..well what the heck …Ill kill 2 birds with one stone and get her shots too…you know make it legit since I had decided to “adopt” her. I was “together” as far as Wes going in the hospital…but when they came out and told me that my newly adopted dog had heartworms…I just lost it. It was just that little extra thing that sent me over the edge. I am sure that they thought I was the most emotionally unbalanced person that they had ever encountered.
I took them back home…crying all the way…and headed to the hospital. When I walked in the room…his family was there…and there sat Wes in the bed. SO short of breath…jaundiced colored, he looked so weak and so tired…as horrible as this sounds…he looked like he was a prisoner in Auschwich…a concentration camp. His family left the room and we talked. HE told me “Baby, I dont think they are going to be able to pull me through this. I want you to get ready”.We cried and talked and cried some more. He told me that he did not think that “dieing would be this hard” and that he “would miss me”. I told him that I would miss him too and that I would never forget him…I didnt want him to “go”...but I did not want to see him suffer so.His mom and brother in law said good bye for the evening and Freida and I were going to stay with him in the room that night. The doctors determined that they needed to do a surgical pleurodesis, in which the two pleural surfaces are attached to each other so that no fluid can accumulate between them.THey were going to do that early the next morning. His breathing continued to be labored so they decided to go ahead and drain some fluidd off to give him some sort of relief during the night. A young doctor (I mean his voice sounded as if he was going through puberty) and another doctor who was “coaching” him ( University Hospital is a teaching hospital) did the grueling procedure. Wes was sitting ont he side of the bed with his head on some pillows on the bedside tray…sweat just pouring off of him saying…”I think Im going to faint…I think Im going to faint” as the doctor was being guided on what seemed to be the first time he had actually performed this. THe coach would correct him…”you’re getting off the path,etc” while this was going on whcih made this even worse…not only on poor Wes but on anyone who was witnessing this. WOuld you believe they drew off another litre PLUS a small amount in another bottle? He could breathe a little easier…but he looked so bad. He told me he felt like his mind was completely seperated from his body. Freida and I watched as through the night they came in and poked and prodded and tried to find veins that were so hard to find because of his dehydration. He looked so disconnected…head down…blank stares…as they did whatever they needed to. Sometime after 4:00 am his pain medication and mental and physical exhaustion finally aided to his ability to sleep. Freida had the recliner and I was in the straight back chair. I ended up getting my jazzercise mat from my car trunk and slept on the floor. THe next morning his mom and brother in law came before surgery…we all hugged on him and watched him being rolled away. Freida just broke down…which of course made me break down as well. SHe is so strong and has been such a rock…it was just too much for her. We all headed to the surgical waiting area…Freida and I both felt like that would be the last time we saw Wes.
A couple of hours later we were elated to find that the surgery seemed to go well. That the lining seemed to adhere and a permanent drain would probably not be needed…just the temporaary drain that would stay in during his hospital stay. They drew ANOTHER 2 litres of fluid out during the surgery…where in the hell was all that fluid??? No wonder he couldnt breathe.
We went back to the room and sat by him. Even though his breathing was better…he still looked like death. Freida brought up the fact that he hadnt peed in like…10-12 hours. He took the urinal and strained some…the color of it was so dark…brown…and very concentrated. We mentioned this and the nurse said well that is typical when someone was dehydrated. The odd thing was is that they did not have him on any fluids intraveinously. They said it wasnt on his “orders”. We finally caught up with one of the doctors( the one with the pre-puberty voice) and mentioned this. He said that he thought Wes was going to try to eat and drink something. We let him know pretty fast that he had not eaten or drank anything (ice chips before surgery)in almost 24 hours. They finally put him on fluids and within hours he looked like a brand new person. His color had come back..he “felt” so much better…we even ended up playing a match of backgammon…ahem..which I won. Like I told him…I wasnt too proud to take advantqage of a post-op, drugged up, sick man. Keep in mind that he had beaten my ass in backgammon the last 3 or 4 times we had played prior to this.
The day after…still looked so much better…he wasnt eating though..he just didnt have an appetite…but was much more himself. He even was cracking up the nurses when they came in to do their thing.
As of now…a couple more days have passed. In these past couple of days they have had him on antibiotics…they have mentioned the word pneumonia a time or two…and have also said that an xray ttaken this morning shows that there is still some sort of mass in his lungs…is it more fluid? Is it something else that was hidden by the large amount of fluid that they withdrew prior to and during the surgery???
Freida is with him at the hospital tonight. We will see what tomorrow brings.
I hope God is not tiring of my prayers…as well as the prayers of his family and friends.
veronica 
Sharon Traywick 
Thanks for your support -
But that I could be there to hug you and encourage Wes. I am still planning to ride the summer winds with him. This summer is past spent so it will require him to hold fast for a season.
Hold his hand and pray for me that Wes would be better and you would be at peace and the pup might run and play.
God hold these, my friends, near your heart through this night and all the nights to follow…Amen
Mac
Celeni,
Bless your heart for your strength and loyalty. I have watched many loved ones grow weak observing such procedures and running off to hide. You and Frieda hung in there and gave Wes the support he needed to come through his harrowing ordeal. I pray he does well. I know having a doc in training can cause much anxiety, but there are tremendous advantages to being at a teaching hospital. I would opt for one every time. You have a big enough heart for those lucky pooches too. Sending you much love and prayers. Gaile
Celini; Well you have proven that angels do exist on earth as you so bravely held the hand of Wes during what sounds like nightmares that noone wants to have or witness. Your gift of writing has drawn so many of us to you, as you impart highlights of your life with Wes. Of course one would not say this is the highlight but it is – real and it is scary. Facing life’s challenges is sometimes hard but it does prove who can rise, to not run away, to not loose faith, but be a companion through a journey noone wants to take. Wes is a very lucky man to have you, and we are also for you have taken the time to post these events with such claity. Prayers are coming your way for both Wes and you.
Weezie