I was released from the hospital late Monday afternoon. My procedure that morning went well. They removed almost 2 liters of fluid from my left lung. That’s right….2 liters. No wonder I was having difficulty breathing! The fluid was sent to pathology to be tested. We have not yet received the results. The test will determine if there are cancer cells present. If so, that will mean the cancer has spread to my lung. If not present, it is caused by infection or pneumonia. I was on heavy duty antibiotics in case there is infection or pneumonia.

In addition to the blood clot on my shoulder, there are several blood clots on my left lung. I am on blood thinner to dissolve them. That means I am back to giving myself twice daily shots of Lovenox in the stomach.

Taking the slow release pain meds 3 times daily, instead of twice has made a huge difference. I am now taking 1 break thru pain med every 8 hours instead of 2 to 3 every 4 hours. We have a lot going on, but not having the pain is wonderful.

I am still experiencing edema in both legs and feet. It had all but gone away, but since I was in the hospital, the swelling is persistent. I am sleeping with my feet up and moving around much more, but taking intermittent breaks to try to relieve the swelling a bit.

We are planning to start chemo Monday morning. Instead of taking 1 large dose every 3 weeks, I will have a smaller dose once a week for 3 weeks and then have a week off. I am in good spirits and am hopeful that the chemo will shrink the cancer and enable us to resume a normal lifestyle once again.