Surgery Tomorrow
Going in tomorrow morning for surgery. Here’s what’s going to happen:
The lung is first collapsed by blocking the main bronchial airway. Three incisions are then made to insert the scope and two instruments. One instrument staples the top of the lung just below the blebs. That part of the lung is then snipped off. To help the lung adhere properly to the pleural ling that surrounds it, the lining is roughed up with a type of electrified sandpaper. Finally, sterile sand (talc) to blown in to roughen it up even more. (Sounds rather medieval for 21st Century medicine, doesn’t it?) The bronchial block is removed, and the surgical team waits to ensure the lung inflates properly before inserting a chest tube drain and heading to recovery. 2-3 days of in-patient care follow while the lung heals and any weeping from the roughening-up is allowed to drain. The tube comes out before heading home.
