Independence Day

Yesterday was our post op visit with Dr. Carr.  We left our house at about 8:45 am and didn't get back until 3:30 pm which made for a very long day for Trent.  He was not looking so good to me and I don't think he was feeling very well.  Before we saw Dr. Carr we had labs drawn and an xray of his chest.  Then we waited, and waited, and waited.  Normally we don't wait too long for Dr. Carr because Trent is a bit of a special case for him.  But yesterday he was very busy because he has been out of the country for two weeks and had a heavy patient load waiting for him to get back.

When we finally saw Dr. Carr one of the first things he asked was how much oxygen Trent was on.  I told him .5 LPM to 1 LPM.  He immediately stood up and took Trent's oxygen off.  His oxygen saturation at check in was 97.  We talked for awhile and looked at pics from Dr. Carr's vacation.  We discussed radiation and where it would be given.  We will have to be at the Huntsman because McKay Dee does not have IMRT.  His treatments will be six days a week for seven weeks.  Trent was joking about using Life Flight to get him back and forth each day.  That sent he and Dr. Carr into a series of fantastical ideas about swinging from ropes and using Trent's cane in adventurous ways.  While that banter was going on Dr. Nagasawe showed my the xrays.  It was amazing.  There is a VERY definite line of fluid about 2/3 up his chest cavity.  We compared previous xrays and the difference is dramatic.  That is exactly what they want to see.  The bronchial stump is now covered by fluid and everything is looking good.  I am in awe that the human body can heal from that surgery and especially that the doctors know it!

Trent and Dr. Carr were still in fantasy land so I turned around, clapped my hands, and said, "Okay boys, how were the labs today?"  That snapped them out of it and we learned that Trent's labs are looking great.  Before seeing Dr. Carr we wondered if Trent would need some blood but again, his labs don't indicate that.  His platelet count and hemoglobin are rising slowly but surely.  His white blood cell count is actually down from the last time we did labs which is great.

We talked to Dr. Carr about using anti anxiety drugs and what is available.  It is not something that Dr. Carr wants to do because they are sedatives and that is not good for a person with one lung.  We discussed counseling and Dr. Carr was so understanding!  He told us he thought that now might be a good time to use a sounding board other than each other.  He said that he could not comprehend what we have gone through and knew of our dedication to one another and we probably need to decompress.  I think he is right.  We are so blessed to have a doctor that is so good for us.  He connects with Trent in a very unique way and at the same time understands exactly what I need (information, numbers, etc) to keep me going too.

After our discussion we tested Trent's oxygen saturation again and he was at 95.  Then they had him walk for six minutes and tested again, still 95.  So... they have discontinued the order for oxygen!  Yay!  We are finally free of those stupid tanks and hoses!   Happy "Independence" day!