Thursday's Update

The fluid in Mom’s pleural cavity was filling up rather quickly, so something needed to be done to control it. After much deliberation, and even a change of plans, we opted to have a PleurX catheter inserted so that we could drain the fluid ourselves every few days. It should alleviate her coughing almost entirely, making it easier to talk on the phone or just have a normal conversation, not to mention making her breathing easier, hopefully giving her more energy.

So the procedure on Tuesday went fine. It was a bit more painful than we expected, but then again, it did involve a lot--cutting a hole under her right armpit, placing a tube about 18 inches long into her body, half of it under the skin poking through muscle and tissue into her pleural cavity, and the other half sticking out of the front of her body so that we can attach a vacuum-bottle every other day and drain the fluid. So not exactly a cake-walk.

When the catheter was inserted, they had Dad & me go back with Mom for me to do the first draining under nurse supervision. It is a simple enough procedure, but the sterility of it all is a bit rattling for me. And the combination of the heat in the room, the lack of food on my stomach, the reality of what I was actually doing, and the pain it was causing her was more than I could handle. I didn't faint, but I did have to sit down with my head between my knees, breathing deeply for a few minutes. I regained my composure and we finished up, draining a full liter from her. The pain was excruciating as the lung reinflated, but after about 15 minutes, it began to subside, and within another hour, we were headed home. Much better than 2 nights in the hospital that the other procedure would have required.

All day Tuesday, Mom was a bit uncomfortable, but was better by Wednesday afternoon, and even better today. We had to drain it for the first time on our own this morning, and it went relatively smoothly. It was still a bit painful, but only for 2 or 3 minutes. And I got light-headed again, but regained composure fairly quickly. I think I did it all just right, and we drained about 400cc from her, a difference she said she could definitely feel. So, all in all, that was good.

But I'd still rather not have this piece of chocolate.

When we were finished with "the procedure" and had made our way back to the den, I hugged Mom as tightly as I could without hurting her, then I crawled in my daddy's lap for a few minutes. I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to be a child again--carefree and unaware of the harsh realities of life.

But I'm not.

The prayers you all are praying continue to lift us all up in amazing ways. I know the strength that I feel is not my own, and the sense of peace that I feel is not coming from within me. Mom gets 4 or 5 cards in the mail every day, and loves the flowers that people are sending. Those of you that remember Dad with a card or note are wonderful to realize that this is just as hard on him as it is on her. But he is learning how to negotiate household responsibilities, and Mom is learning how to let him. He has gotten pretty good in the kitchen, and today I taught him how to start the washing machine. They had enough food in the fridge tonight to have the five of us down there for dinner, which was really nice.

I said to Mom earlier today that I really never understood the comment that someone has "good days and bad days" before, until now. But it's very true. Cancer brings with it good days and bad days. And we are learning to savor the good, and patiently endure the bad ones, trusting that the sun will shine again, and that all will be well.

Peace, friends.