Thoracentesis to Remove Fluid on the Lung

2-28-15

From the Notebook

Fluid on right side of lung

Needs to be drained, done from the back

Can be done bedside

Send out for testing

CAUSE? could be a bodily reaction - most likely this because fluid wasn’t present when he arrived or could be tumor has entered the lung.

Mathew had been complaining about his right shoulder hurting (this was from the fluid on his lung). He thought it was from the previous October when he was taken by ambulance from work when they thought he was having seizures. He wondered if the EMT's had hurt his shoulder when restraining him. He will reference this in his music and writing.

A local oncologist is brought in who says he will be starting Mathew’s treatment.

More news on the diagnosis:

-Neg for lymphoma

-not traditional carcinoma

-uncommon sarcoma

-pancreas

-looking for rare cancers

Again my ignorance, I thought that a rare cancer would get more results. Backward thinking.

Here is a photo of the prep for the procedure. You can see the top of Mat's guitar in the corner, the one from the Inspired Gift post.

The lung drain was done right there in his room. They had a portable machine for imaging. The Pulmonologist was amazing. After he drained Mathew’s lung and had an up-close look at my sons' condition, I overheard him down at the nurse's station doing my work for me. He wanted to know what was being done to get Mathew transferred to Moffitt.

Mathew said it looked like a stout lager. The dark color is from the high bilirubin. It was the same color as his urine.

This is when Mathew decided he needed to take pictures and journal the entire experience.

Pathology was negative for cancer.

*****

Thoracentesis is a procedure to remove fluid from the space between the lungs and the chest wall called the pleural space. It is done with a needle (and sometimes a plastic catheter) inserted through the chest wall. (Web MD).

For more information here is the site that provided the definition https://www.webmd.com/lung/thoracentesis#1

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