Ellis Health Update - 170728

On 20 July, I visited Doctor Brenda Howland, my primary physician, as recommended by Baylor clinic for a followup to the “staging” surgery performed there on 10 July. This was because of the bleeding caused by insertion of a urinary catheter during the surgery. Meanwhile the bleeding has long since stopped and I am feeling no ill effects from the catheterization. She suggested that I remind them of the problem when I return for the next round of surgery so that they can perhaps use a smaller tube.

The next day, Friday, 21 July 2017, I saw Doctor Lindquist at the Arizona Oncology Center in Sedona. She had a fresh blood test drawn and, after checking the results, called for another B12 shot and a Zoledronic acid Q28D infusion (a bone strengthener or, as one doctor termed it, “bone cement”). Immediately on returning home, I went online and attached the blood test results along with the report of the shot and infusion to my file at the Baylor Clinic. They responded shortly saying that Doctor Sugarbaker had reviewed my biopsy results (from the 10 July procedures) and that he “recommends to proceed with scheduling the bigger surgery - pleurectomy and possible extrapleural pneumonectomy.”

Basically, as I understand the terms, that means they will first try to address the problem by removing the diseased lining of my lung along with any other tumors in my chest. This is called a pleurectomy.

If it turns out that a pleurectomy will not adequately address the issue, they will then proceed to remove my diseased lung, part of my pericardium, (membrane covering the heart), part of my diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the abdomen), and part of my parietal pleura (membrane lining the chest). This is called an extrapleural pneumonectomy. Diana sent me a narrated step-by-step video demonstration of this procedure. Watch it if you have the guts:

http://www.annalscts.com/article/view/1067/1595.

Doctor Sugarbaker said that, based on what he had seen so far, he thought he would be able to avoid removing the lung.

On 24 July I received a date for the “bigger” surgery. I am to be in Houston three days before the date of the surgery for a Nuclear Lung Scan, an Ultrasound of my lower extremities and an office visit with Doctor Sugarbaker. I don't know how long I will be in hospital following the surgery, but I am told that I can expect to spend about a week in ICU. We are tentatively planning to be in Houston for a full 30 days.

Part of the prescribed pre-surgery regimen is a 20 minute walk,”preferably outdoors, each day. I am satisfying this requirement with a short daily walk around the neighborhood; yesterday I did one mile, today, 24 July, I walked about 1.4 miles. By August 26 I was up to 2.5 miles. I had walked 2.5 miles at the recreation center a few days ago, but that was in an air-conditioned space. Outdoor walks are much more difficult in this hot, muggy (for Arizona at least) weather.

Rosemary snapped a photograph of me (right) all decked out for my daily walk. Note the GPS (in case I decide to deviate from my normal route) in my pocket and the dog whistle (for retaliation against the occasional dog who insists on raising the alarm while I am walking past of the street) strung around my neck. Most of the dogs on my normal walk have long since learned about the whistle and now let me pass in peace.

This will likely be my last health update posting until I am sufficiently recovered from surgery to care about such things: expect to hear from me again from the other side of the surgical gulf sometime in late August.