pleurodesis

[Don M]

A woman from the NSCLC mail list asked me to see if any of you who have had the pleurodesis procedure to elimiate fulid build up in the pleural space experienced a rapid heart beat after the procedure. Here is a cut and paste:

Hello Don,

Thank you very much for your response. My husband just had it done. They inserted the tube yesterday and they had the medicine put it today. With the tube there were no problems, but after the medicine, his heartbeat rate went very high (from his usual 115 lately) to 150. Would you do me a favor and ask in the BB you mention wheather that's normal or it happens sometimes. I'm running back to the hospital.

Thank you very much,

María

[Guest onestares]

Following up on previous post:

I'm writing on behalf of Maria and she also would like to know any experience from people having the pleuredesis done, besides from any information on the high heart beat rate; in particular how long did it take to feel an improvement in their breathing after the procedure was done (it's been four days since her husband had the procedure done and breathing is worsening...).

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

-Oscar

[cindi o'h]

hello, Oscar.

I had the pleurodesis procedure for a chylothorax. The chyle was leaking into the pleural space. I didn't have cancer in the lining of the lung.

I was pretty much "out of it" for the first 1-3 days following the talc procedure, but I do recall that my O2 sats were in the 80's though I felt no shortness of breath. Usually, my O2 sats were at the 92-95%.

I don't remember having any rapid heart rate. The xray tech came in every morning and snapped a chest xray and the thoracic surgeon followed up with a daily bedside visit.

I was hospitalized for 7-8 days. The drain was removed the day I was released. The wound continued to drain for about 2 days at home before it closed.

I had this procedure done using a VATS technique.

I have had no problems with fluid re-accumulation in this lung.

Hope any of this helps. If you have any more questions, please ask.

Cindi o'h

[Guest onestares]

Hello all,

This is María herself writing about my husband. Thanks, Don and Oscar, for posting my questions. And thans, Cindi, for responding. It is amazing that you were stage IIIB and you are still NED, congratulations and my best wishes.

I'd like to know also if you needed extra oxygen for some time after the pleuradesis. Archie does need it and, even though the monitor reads 100% oxygen saturation, he feels like he can't breath well. I know some people are on oxygen for 10 days and then don't need it anymore. Was it like that for you?

María

[cindi o'h]

hello again Maria,

I don't know if I am going to be a good respondent for you, but I will give it a go.

The reason I say this is that in retrospect, I am not so sure that I was in "need" of the pleurodesis. I had SOB, it is true. However, I had so many things at once going on that were contributing to an overall SOB including congestive heart failure, asthma, radiation scarring, ETC. that it is not clear to me that the pleurodesis gave me an edge up on conquering the SOB. I really can't say that I felt all that much better from before the surgery to after the surgery. With me, the talc procedure ended up not working all that well. It walled off many areas inside the sac and caused pockets of fluid to stay put for good. While it is true that the fluid no longer accumulates, my lung surface is further displaced with these orbs of now dense goo.

I continue to have SOB. I have O2 available here at home, however, I never use it, as it doesn't seem to make a difference to me. I become SOB only with exertion. Sometimes I can walk the length of the apt. without SOB, sometimes just rolling over in bed will leave me SOB. But, then remember, I have more than one trial going on nearly all the time.

Do you have good access to your husband's surgeon? Mine wasn't forthcoming about what was going on with me. I had to find out about the pockets of fluid through an ER visit a month or so later. It appeared as a new tumor and got all (including me) pretty shook up. It was a pseudotumor as was found on the follow up CT scan.

It was then the pulmonologist who informed me about the pockets of goo.

Like I say, I continue to have SOB, but I have learned somehow to live with it. I don't like it, but that is the way of it right now.

I do hope that your husband will get some answers soon. Is there a hospitalist or a pulmonologist there for you to consult? Is he receiving care from the pulm. techs? I have had really good experiences with them here in this town where I now live. They have been most helpful. However, I never had that same experience with the pulm. techs in the city where I used to live.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions of the staff.. doctors, nurses, and all else until you are satisfied with the answers. If your questions are not answered, then please ask for the floor manager.

Cindi o'h

[cmrsm]

As i recall when they placed the tube into my father his heart rate was extremely high that they were going to put him on a respirator. They say it is normal because there body is in shock because the drainage though may not be very fast is to fast for the body to handle. The fluid build up happens over time, while once you insert the tuble the fluid drains quickly to quickly for the body to adjust. My father was in the hospital for over 9 days if i remember correctly and they did not remove the drain until the day before he was released. If i remember correctly it took a few days before he was better. I believe it depends on the amount of fluid present. I remember that his pain started in the beginning of may and the xray showed nothing, but when we went back to the hospital on June 1, 2004, it showed the fluid build up. Do you know if the fluid smelled? They were able to determine that it was some type of infection based upon the smell when they inserted the tube.