BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Crispy Fried Lungs, Round Two


Heh, that's kind of an icky image but a friend of mine referred to my surgery that way and it appealed to my, admittedly odd, sense of humor. Hey, there's a reason we're friends. LOL So, if all has gone according to plan, I'll be at the hospital as you read this for the second operation in my lung re-model. As some of you know, I have severe chronic asthma that is not under control. I enrolled in a research study for a new procedure where they burn away, yes burn, some of the excessive smooth muscle in the lungs. All asthmatics have extra smooth lung muscle; the more you have, the worse the asthma. So, in theory, getting rid of it will help reduce the severity of the asthma. I certainly hope so; life would be so much simpler. Below is a pic of a 3D model from my doctor's office of normal and asthmatic lungs. Once upon a time I was normal, don't laugh I really was!, and over the years I've deteriorated into severe.


If everything proceeds smoothly, I'll be at the hospital about eight hours, then back home. Supposedly, most people go back to work the next day. After I had the first procedure, I was out for nine days, developed pneumonia and ended up in the ER. So this time, I took off the rest of the week from work. With luck, that will be all I need and will return to work next Monday.

After this procedure, I have one more. Rather than doing both lungs at one time, they do a portion each time. I don't know when that one will be but at the earliest it would be three weeks from today. I've kept the blog light this week but I've got a few posts planned and I'll likely post health updates on twitter and facebook.

So, that's it. I'll see you all when I get home. 

ETA 9/26: I'm home, coughing and wheezing but not too badly, everything considered. I'm on my couch, watching tv and surfing the net.

I found a pic of what the doctor does while inside my lung, it's from the website for the procedure.

That device you see is the specially designed catheter that "cooks" the muscle so it's thinner and thus, theoretically, less reactive which should reduce the number and severity of flares and attacks. I hope.

Animation

11 comments:

  1. crossing my fingers all goes well with your errr fried chickens i mean LUNGS..LOL

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  2. *noms on virtual chicken*

    Today went well, better than the first procedure; there were fewer complications. I'm home now, resting on the couch and feeling pretty well. I did get wheezy coming up the stairs when I got home but I did my rescue inhaler and that helped.

    Thanks Kimba!

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  3. The real test of how you're doing; where is your canary cat?

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    1. Canary cat has been right by my side since I got home; well, after my friend left. He hides anytime someone comes over.

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  4. Scanardy cat = combination of scaredy + canary cat. Does he come from Schenectady?

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    1. lol No, he's from a broken home in New Hampshire.

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  5. Well, then, enough with the alliteration/rhyme stuff. You probably don't want to be laughing too much at this point.

    Re-reading "Fair Game" for hints on "Frost Burned", even though we've got 5 or 6 months until it arrives.

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  6. I had terrible childhood asthma, so I know how scary and annoying it is. Hope the lung-burning works great and you heal quickly!

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    1. Mine was adult-onset, lucky me. I'm glad you outgrew yours. :) This won't cure the asthma, but it should help. I'm already recovered from the second procedure and bouncing for the last one.

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