recollections of a first pleural effusion

well, the pleural effusion caused these symptoms:

• breathing difficult (dyspnea)
  
• coughing on sittup up from a lying position,
• funny taste in my mouth.
  
• persistent dry cough for a month, very long time
  

I had a fever of 38 degrees C 3 times a day, which really made me uncomfortable and sleepy whenever that happened. I knew my temperature was high when I got a fever. That fever resulted from the fluid having a difficulty being absorbed by the pleura. If there is too much fluid building up there, the normal outtake valve is overloaded and so fever resulted.

Also anemia, resulted. The cause was unknown, supposedly this just went away on its own else it would've been mentioned before starting chemo. (I later learned that the cancer causes anemia)

They did a few things the first time around:

• put the hole in my chest and drain the blood
  
  
  
• give me a chest-tube and a klunky container to collect the blood which drained (about 20 mL per day, not a lot)
  
• checked my air valves to make sure there wasn't a problem in there which would stop the lungs from expanding
  
  
• did a VATS (Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery) and decortification (the word is "decortication" not "decortification". It is basically removing liquid around the lung that has solidified due to injury or illness)
  

what can they do now that chemo's started?

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