The Infection

The day after liver surgery I had a blood clot and right lung collapse. No chest tube. They sent me to ICU, gave me high flow oxygen, and let it "reinflate" itself. This meant when I left the hospital, I still had fluid around the lung. 

Two weeks later I returned for a follow up MRI. The fluid was still there, but Dr. S's thought was it would clear itself naturally. And natural is always better than shoving a catheter into someone's back to drain and risk infection...hahaha. Ha. Infection. Funny story. 

Another two weeks pass, I'm cleared for chemo and knock out round #7. The following week the pain is worse. It's painful to breathe. I cannot hold my breath more than 10 seconds. Just getting to my doctor is a feat. Fatigue is one thing. I can push through the loss of breath...because I can breathe. When you're working with one and one third lung, walk 15 feet without stopping and you're a darn hero!

I had mentioned the pain was a little worse during my pre-chemo chat with Dr. H, but this appointment I complained more and was sent for a chest x-ray. I was also anemic, so while waiting for x-ray results the plan was to get some iron through IV. That didn't happen. The finding was an abscess, and I was immediately admitted to the hospital. 

And then the talking heads got together. Dr. H was generally uncomfortable making decisions about the abscess. (It's another doctors work, they know the area, what they did, blah, blah, blah.) So he calls Dr. S (liver surgeon), who explains only 10% of his patients need draining and he still thinks natural is best. And the infectious disease doctor (Dr. V, aka The Russian) says no temp, no infection. So while I'm still in pain, and after two days of waiting in the hospital, they decide to release me. If I run a temp, I go to the ER. 

Fun fact. It seems every time a doctor throws out a percentage, I am that stupid fun percentage. Hours after I get home I start running a low grade temp. And by that night we're minutes from going to the ER, and then the temp drops. I was taking Loratab with Tylenol and didn't realize it was causing the temp drop. The next morning another fever, so I call Dr. H's office and we're off to the ER. 

I'm admitted around 9:30 AM, and by 2:30 PM we finally get rolling and the abscess is finally drained. Up until this point I thought the abscess was in the lung area, but I find out it's actually located where the liver surgery was performed. Upper liver. Hard to get to..remembering the first biopsy. 

Thankfully they kept me pretty sedated for the drainage, but it was still painful. The catheter was inserted right under my boob, practically going through breast tissue. Yeah, pain! And then I see the syringe of fluid they are pulling. It's not fluid. It's blood tainted white gunk. Like "light chocolate milk" according to one of the nurses. And these are not small syringes that are being used. The doc instructs the nurse to admit me into ICU. 

Five gigantic syringes later, I'm moved to my side, and they start to drain the fluid in my lung. There was a problem with the catheter so they only remove 100cc, but it's all clear. Basically the abscess was causing the fluid build up in my lung, it was unrelated to the lung collapse, and would naturally clear now that it had been removed. 

The drain tube is left inside. It's about 2 feet of tubing that is shoved under my boob & ribs. This thing is painful. I learn as long as I don't move the pain isn't bad. Bathroom visits required a shot of morphine to manage to pain of moving. 

Dr. H stops by for a visit during his evening rounds. He's shocked that I was walking around with all that gunk, and not really complaining when I had every right to complain. "Oh, here's Heather with a football of abscess fluid...it kinda hurts here Dr. H." Before he leaves we ask when I'd be released, he said Monday.