Surgery Day

The Thoracic Surgeon abandons thoracoscopy procedure after a couple of hours of maneuvering her tiny cameras and hers tools of trade within the 3 to 4 inch incision. Dr. Jasleen Kukreja goes for the full open surgery at below Heidi's left arm pit and between the ribs so she can remove this one large "puppy" the size of tennis ball and golf ball combine.

I asked Dr. Kukreja how big the cut was and she motion with her fingers (pointing to her pinky and her thumb) the approximate length which i guesstimate to be about 9 to 10 inch. She said she tried really hard to get that puppy out using thoracoscopy but the mass was hard-firm to touch and difficult to maneuver her camera. Her original plan was to go in there, bag it with plastic bag and squeese it out of a small hole incision . Due to difficulties, she went with the second option by way of open surgery. This way she did not break any ribs nor cut any ribs.

Heidi checked in 6am Monday 6/25/07; and, at 7:30am she rolled into the surgery room. By 1:35 pm the surgeon handed me a picture of the "puppy" that she got out. Earlier when Heidi (and Caleb) requested a piece of the mass to take home to look under our microscope, the doctor look at her funny becuase nobody else has ever asked for sample. Heidi thought its kinda like when you take your car to the mechanic, you can always or at least the customer have the right to ask for the old parts. But because of some bio-hazard health code regulation, the next best thing was a colored picture.

At the previous office appointment, Dr. Kukreja said there was 20% chance that she may have to call in a Neuro Surgeon if the mass is wraped into the spinal chord areas. Dr. Kukreja did not have to call in the Neuro Surgeon. And she got it out.

However, the surgeon said because of the open surgery, the location and how big the incision was, Heidi will have some [BIG] pain. Later Heidi ask the surgeon about recovery if these was the 5 to 7 day hospital stay recovery as oppose to the 4 to 5 day hospital stay recovery for thorascospy - the surgeon responded by saying " we'll see..." . I think the surgeon did not want to answer becuase i think the surgeon did not want to plant in Heidi's mind that the hospital stay could be longer than 7 days (plus the weeks and weeks of home recovery) because its an open surgery.

The hospital finally let me see Heidi at the post-op room at 4:30pm. She had tears in her eye because the pain management doctors could not figure out how to relieve the pain in her shoulder. Heidi have epidural in her spine and a clicker on her right hand so she can self-click to control the pain from her chest area down to her odomen areas, but not the upper shoulder. The doctor tried one dose on Toradol and that did not relieve the pain. Maximum of one dose of toradal was allowed because possible side effect was bleeding - and doctors don't want bleeding.

Heidi is allergic to morphine, so that option is not available.

At about 9:45pm they move Heidi to the ICU (10th floor for cardiac, lung and vascular). I came in to the ICU about 11pm and they were changing her bed sheets. Heidi had to roll as much as she can to one side and she was in BIG pain while she rolled over.

Some of the side effect on the pain medication or whatever the anesthesiologist (i think that was the nurse said) gave her causes constipation. So, the ICU nurse give her some drugs to counter act the constipation.

Even though Heidi had not drink liquid since the night before, she has IV for fluid intake and the ICU nurse were a bit concern that Heidi's output (pee) level were not as expected. They then took some blood sample for testing on why her pee is not at the level they expected. They also flush her catheter.

As i left to go home at about 12:30am, i could see Heidi's skin below her throat areas shaking (vibrating) from pain in her shoulder.

And for the folks, friends and families reading this blog: Please pray for Heidi for relieve from pain or at least manageable pain at her left shoulder; and, a quicker than typical recovery from an open surgery. And for the other pain management to continue to work. And for the nurses and doctors to be always at their peek performance skill level and be able to make the right call/decision at the right time. And for the nurses and doctors to be attentive to Heidi's needs.

writing in for Heidi's blog,
Lawrence