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Click MOre http://www.IamFightingCancer.com/MDAnderson/Hospital9-7.html http://wwwIamfightingCancer.com MDAnderson Cancer .. Dr. decided put me back on Herceptin. My hospitalization occured a month after I got off it. I am feeling just great but watch everything.. Some fluid is tolerable in the lungs. Not sure how much. . I eat healthier today. Pray often. It helps. Houston Lung Heart Hospital Visit On Wednesday Aug. 29, 2007 I as given a thoracentesis by the Cardiopulmonary Center for an excessive fluid build up in my left lung. The right lung also had fluid but less.

On Thursday August 30 was given a Echo Cardiogram as an outpatient. I discussed my shortness of breath. The technician immediately suggested a quick look at my heart with the Echo. It showed a significant build up of fluid in the Pericardium preventing the heart from normally sending blood to the rest of the body, therefore the shortness of breath. Other staff immediately were called in to view the Echo live. It was agreed that I needed to be routed to the hospital via ER for quick admission.

Then they did what I think is called a Pericarditis. 450 ml of very bloody pericardial fluid was removed initially from the sac around my heart called the Pericardium . Gravity flow continued for a day or 2 until the flow eventually ceased.

Then my right lung was drawn down with another thoracentesis.

The lab results showed the heart fluid to be a METASTIC NON-SMALL CELL CARCINOMA.
On Tuesday Sept. 4 A Dr from Cardiopulmonary came to my room with a portable Echo machine and checked my lung fluid level. His concept was that there was not enough lung fluid to justify a Denver Catheter, which is a spigot that could be emptied daily. I continued to ask various medical staff then why I was not discharged then since there were no other tests or procedure for which we were waiting. Finally I did get discharged about 2 pm. on Wednesday. My visit in the hospital was very good. The staff was thorough, compassionate, pleasant and detailed. The food service was excellent.

Regrettably I was given no exit instructions. No one sat me down, looked me in the eye and stated here is what is happening in your body and here is what we are going to do.

Therefore I am looking for lay answers to the following simple patient questions. I do not want to “cry wolf” needlessly. (I did cry wolf calling my oncologist via his PA 4 times in one day stating I as having trouble breathing but nevertheless my calls were never returned until the following day. That is unacceptable. Looking back with my heart condition I should have even yelled louder. Although it is over the dam it is not the first time it has happened and should be investigated. )

This patient information requests are:
1. What type of problems can I expect from my heart?
2. What should I do when various heart symptoms come up?

3. What type of problems can I expect from my lungs?
4. What should I do when various lung symptoms come up?

5. Why am a I waiting 15 days for an appointment with you when it was determined that METASTIC NON-SMALL CELL CARCINOMA were present in my Pericardium? Do they just always go away and never come back? Do they have to be treated only when they grow larger.
6. Is my body not able to handle chemo until after a certain delay time? Somewhere in my 67 years I was told to nip things in the bud or catch them early before they can grow. How is my thinking out of line?. If so, then why was that not explained verbally and in writing prior to my discharge.

7. Should my out of breath problem improve?
8. How long should I consider it normal to cough?

9. How much exercise should I do?
10. Can I cut the grass, shovel sand, use a sledge hammer or pound nails?

11. A critical symptom. I gained 10 lbs in 5 days. I was 167 lbs going into the hospital. When came home I had diminished to 148 lbs. That is a lot of fluid loss.. The increased scale changes were a big signal to me. Should I continue watch then daily in the future to recognize pleural effusion?

13. Can I do any lifting?
14. Any ideas about my life span in this condition?

Brian Nelson

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