I would love to know how many people actually get sleep the night before a surgery. It’s 2am and I will be woken up by the nurses around 5:30 or 6am, in order to shower and start getting prepped. I will be going under the knife for my second thoracotomy. They will be doing a lobectomy on my left lung, which is a removal of one of the lobes. Hopefully this will be the last speed bump in my long recovery.
This past September, I caught a cold and went to an urgent care center to see if I actually had COVID. Test was negative, but the doctor said I had bronchitis. No big deal, right? I used to get that type of stuff all of the time when I was young. About a week later, I went in to work and had to leave about an hour later since I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had progressively been getting worse so I assumed I had COVID and that last test wasn’t right. I went to a different urgent care, and I was immediately put on oxygen. They did a COVID test (negative) and an X-ray. The X-ray showed that my entire left lung was whited out, and said they needed to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital (only 6 miles away 🙄). While at the hospital, they put in a chest tube. The doctor had told me that they didn’t get many people needing chest tubes and I would probably be sent to a bigger hospital. That was pretty much the last thing I remember before waking up in a hospital in Tulsa, OK....6 days later.
I was so confused and still highly medicated, and started begging for them to call my mom. I also was convinced that she had sent me there for punishment, and that they had taken me into outer space to do it. I hurt everywhere, didn’t understand why there were so many manchines, etc. My mom got there and explained what she could. I had been life flighted and put on life support. I went septic and had a thoracotomy to drain and clean out that lung. I had 3 chest tubes at that point. I had lost most function of my hand. I was on life support for 6 days and was told that they didn’t think I was going to survive that first night.
I spent 20 days in, was sent home, then came back 4 days later because I couldn’t breathe. I was admitted and spent another 14 days. At least I got to spend time with my daughter on her birthday when I was home those short 4 days. Altogether during those 34 days, I had a thoracotomy, thoracentisis, 6 chest tubes, a JP tube (draining from my stomach), 256 X-rays, 1 MRI, and 30 something CTs. They diagnosed me with Necrotizing Pneumonia, Necrotizing Pancreatitis, and they found a large pseudocyst. The pseudocyst went from behind my liver, up through a hole in my diaphragm, and was pushing up against my esophagus. I was sent home with IV antibiotics and I’m now on a 24 hour one while still going to work and taking care of my kids.
Which brings us to today. I started coughing up blood on January 2. Its been a constant, all day, bright red blood anywhere from the size of a quarter to a handful if I have a coughing fit. I spent this month going back and forth to see 4 of my doctors. I had a couple of CTs, xrays, labs, and a bronchoscopy. The doctors all said everything looks great and is getting better, but my left lobe is what is causing the blood. They believe it was just damaged too much during the previous stay.
I’m ready to get this over with. I’m also dreading the pain. They will go through my same scar that goes from under my armpit, around to about an inch away from my spine. It is still very tender. I’m not looking forward to the discomfort of the tubes, the box I have to carry around, the walks you have to take while in pain, the feel of the tubes being yanked out, etc. With how sick I was, I was told it would take at least a year of recovery. I’m just hoping this is my last surgery.
Anyways, wish me luck!
Ashley