2/7: Adapting post-cancer surgery
Originally written: Dr. Rick Brown, Nov 22, 2016
Irony and Patience
Hello my friends, I'm home. They released me yesterday and we made the ride home last night. I'm in the process of adapting my hospital routine to home with Barb's help, and Xiaoyue stands ready to do whatever she is asked. Meagan was a wonderful support while we were in Rochester and did the driving in both directions. We couldn't have done it without her.
I have a persistent leak along the staple line where they removed part of my lung. Hence, I still have a chest tube in until the leak stops. There's no saying when that might happen. Might be two days, might be 10. I'm on oxycodone about every three hours which does a good job controlling the pain but it puts me in a weird headspace. I sleep quite a bit. Most of the rest of the time I spend staring at the ceiling contemplating.
The irony is that the leak may be due to the exceptional health of my lungs. My normal breath volume is above normal. That makes my lungs more flexible than most. When they do surgery they deflate the lung, and staple it back up in a flaccid state. Because they have no real way of evaluating how the lung will respond, and because I expand greater than most, the staples are pulling more causing the leak. They tell me all I can do is wait.
It's puts me in the unusual position of doing very little and waiting. I'm coming to a new appreciation of presence. If there is little I can do except wait, then that is what I will do. Time has a tendency to move slowly, but it is not dragging. It's an interesting sensation. The only time I feel anxious about the passage of time is when I am in pain. At those times my perception of most everything begins to fade around the edges, and my focus goes inward as the pain looms large.That is when I feel the slow march of time most acutely. This experience has given me a whole new appreciation for the patience of Job.
I'm scheduled for a planning session for radiation next week. It may be difficult with the chest tube, but I'm anxious to get it done. The sooner that is done, the sooner radiation can start. I do, however, have several questions for the physician who will be directing it which may change the timeline slightly.
I took an Oxy a few minutes ago and I'm beginning to get sleepy. I want to thank you for your steadfastness, your support, and your love.
