When my husband Brian suddenly started experiencing shortness of breath, I'm not too worried. Believing he most likely had a chest infection, I sent him to the doctor expects he came home with a prescription for antibiotics.
I did not know that his condition was much more serious than I could ever have imagined.
Doctors took X-rays of his chest, and later informed Brian that his dyspnea was caused by pleural effusion, an accumulation of fluid between the lung and the chest wall. They then drained this fluid, and sent to pathology.
with his chest now free of two liters of fluid he had accumulated there, Brian's breathing returned to normal, and he was greatly relieved. Tragically, her relief did not last long. The pathology report came back, and the news has not been good. The fluid contained cancer cells, and the doctor told Brian that further testing would be needed to identify cancer.
The tests were conducted shortly after diagnosis, and we spent several days pending the results. It was a scary moment. We found comfort in the hope that Brian could have an operation to remove the cancer, and improve its chances of survival.
Unfortunately, we were denied this hope. The test results confirmed that Brian had mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. No transactions were offered to extend his life. Instead, he was given only three to nine months to live.
How could Brian Be Dying When he looked so well?
For a few weeks after his diagnosis, Brian felt incredibly good. He was able to return to work and continue his life as he had done since he no longer suffered from dyspnea.
Meanwhile, it was almost impossible for me to believe that Brian had just under nine months to live. I am often asked: "How can he be dying when it looks and feels so good"
Without warning, dyspnea Brian returned worse than before He was unable to?. walk the smallest slope without becoming very distressed.
a return visit to the doctor revealed another pleural effusion was the cause of dyspnea Brian. Fortunately, the doctor was able to performing a thoracentesis (drainage of fluid) in surgery and Brian was again able to breathe freely. Before Brian left the surgery, the doctor warned him that pleural effusions would most likely become a common phenomenon.
fluid Returned at an alarming rate
as expected, the fluid continued to accumulate in the chest of Brian, and he became increasingly breathless. fluid Draining brought instant relief , but not for long. He continued to accumulate at an alarming rate, and finally the weekly fluid drains needed.
Brian endured a total of 21 thoracentesis procedures before his doctor suggested a pluerodesis may be useful to relieve his condition. The procedure eliminates the pleural space, preventing accumulation.
After an explanation of what the procedure involved, Brian was told to think about before deciding to proceed.
Although worried, Brian made the decision to go ahead with the pluerodesis. Once admitted to the hospital, the doctors told him that there must be little or no fluid inside his pleural cavity before performing the procedure.
Fluid Draining involved inserting a tube connected to a large glass container in the chest of Brian. The fluid then emptied into the bottle. A nurse measured liquid level in the container per day. Doctors hoped the fluid in his chest would decrease significantly and eventually stop, indicating his pleural cavity was free fluid.
Instead, a constant flow of fluid continued to make its way from the chest of Brian in the glass container. Doctors said it would prevent them from performing the pluerodesis.
This was a huge blow to Brian. The steady accumulation of fluid in his chest caused him great physical and emotional pain, and greatly affected his quality of life. He feared that because a pluerodesis was an option, the fluid in his chest would require a weekly flushing - a procedure he feared
Fortunately, there was a better solution
Solution final.:. Pleural Catheter
rather than subject to other Brian thoracentesis procedures, his doctor decided to place a tunnelled pleural Indwelling Catheter (TIPC) in the chest of Brian, and district nurse showed Brian how empty the bag.
Having a permanent tube protruding from his chest was unpleasant for Brian, but he prevented the fluid build. He was grateful for the respite. Although her skin around the drain tube was very tender at first, this facility and Brian grew accustomed to the tube. This allowed him to continue with life.
However, the only thing that really disturbed Brian was public view of the bag and the fluid inside. Understand his distress, I bought a plain black material and shaped pocket for the bag. I then attached Velcro to the top of the bag, so that it can close around the drainage tube.
This worked very well, and it was easy to remove the bag when the bag needed to be emptied. Brian could not be happier with my creation, and I was grateful to have found a solution to something that caused him pain.
There was nothing I would not do for the man I loved.
