229 replies to this topic

[ksl2017]

Thank you very much Annie! I shall check that link out for sure ...thanks for your prayers and i'm glad that we are all finally going to be getting the best medical help and moving on with the next steps in our lives after dealing with this health issue for so long.  It truly is wonderful to have such support, so thanks again!

 

Kymberly

[annie7]

Kymberly--Good luck to you on your surgery tomorrow!  i will continue to keep you in my prayers especially tomorrow!  hope everything goes well and that you have a complete and  uncomplicated recovery.

 

sending lots of prayers and positive healing thoughts your way--annie

[Miss Beany]

Hi Everyone - sorry i have not updated on here bit recovery has been rough. Surgery was a success - took about 4 hours. I'm still in the hospital, nauseous constantly, really have no control over liquid bowels and have had many accidents. Been many bumps in the road. I know this was the right decision though even with these difficulties. My surgeon held my hand in the OR until I was asleep and he was by my side when I woke up in recovery,Letting me know that my entire colon just looked lazy and was lacking muscle mass. We had made the right decision. So every time I've gotten frustrated this past week I keep reminding myself, this is the best decision in g he long run and things will get better. More to come...

[Miss Beany]

Kymberly-- my thoughts and prayers are with you for tomorrow. Remind yourself this is the best thing you can do for yourself longterm and that this too will pass. If you have any questions about what to expect when you wake up, send me a message. Praying for you!! Gina

[annie7]

oh Gina!!!  so good to hear from you!!  i've been thinking about you and praying...

 

so sorry you've been having problems--but yes it will get better.  yes it is a rough recovery isn't it. at least it was for me--yes--all the nausea, NPO for thirteen days, they even had to re insert that horrid NG tube --veins collapsed and then i got a picc line and TPN which was a good thing actually since the nutrition in that turned me around and also made my edema go away thankfully. long story but i survived  --but yes it's all worth it in the end once your body finally begins to recover and get used to a whole new way of pooping...

 

and your surgeon sounds absolutely terrific!!!   what a wonderful, caring man. the best!   so glad you have him taking care of you!  

 

and oh yes--with your colon in that terrible state this surgery was  truly was the ONLY thing you could have done--you've tried everything else and suffered for so long.  you are so right--it is the light at the end of the tunnel--the best and only decision at this point and will be so worth it in the long run.you are a very brave, strong woman, you'll get through this and oh yes-- things will get better.

 

praying for you and sending lots of positive healing thoughts your way---annie

[ksl2017]

Annie and Miss Beany,

 

Thanks so much for your prayers.  My surgery went successfully too on Friday morning, took about 4 hours as well.  My surgeon said that my colon was very stretched out and that this certainly was the best option for me to improve my quality of life.  She said I barely bled at all and that I was a tough cookie hahaa.  As I mentioned, I have a temporary illeostomy right now because I was so malnourished that they wanted to get my nutrition back up before I got the full reconnection so in March I will be having my second surgery to reverse the stoma.  I am on day 3 of recovery and things are going well.  Obviously just sore all over my abdomen, but they have been helping me walk everyday and drinks fluids which has woken up my bowels.  The staff here at Cleveland Clinic is simply amazing.  I will be advancing my diet tomorrow with some actual food so I am excited to see how I handle that.  But I am glad to hear about your success as well!  We are strong women and I know our lives are going to get better after we heal up  Always staying positive!  I wish you both a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  If you have any recommendations once you start your post-operative diet too don't be afraid to give suggestions because I am curious to see how it goes for you with the full reconnection Best of luck on your recovery!

 

Kymberly 

[annie7]

Kymberly--thanks for the update! so glad to hear your surgery went successfully!  and oh yes, with your colon as stretched out as it was surgery was definitely the only way to go.  

 

that's good you are up walking and drinking fluids.  walking is so good for you even though it hurts with the abdomen so sore and everything. i walked a lot when i was recovering--both in the hospital and at home. several short --10-20 minutes--walks a day. as much as i could manage without overtiring myself. i got tired pretty easily especially at first. this surgery does take a lot out of you so don't push yourself--and it will get better with rest and recovery.

 

and that's great you are progressing to real food today!  hope that all goes well for you. i remember how happy i was when i could finally eat--lol..when i finally got off of NPO i went to liquids then a soft diet for quite a while and then finally the regular diet--very low fiber because i still have constipation problems with half my colon left.  and i imagine your diet with the ileo  might be a bit different until you get reconnected. 

 

so happy to hear you're getting such excellent care at the cleveland clinic!  and hopefully you're getting a lot of great help from the stoma (WOCN) nurse as to how to handle the ileo.

 

i do hope you can have as good a Christmas as possible even though you are in the hospital and hopefully--fingers crossed and prayers said--you'll be home for the new year.

 

and yes you are so right--your life is definitely going to get better now that you've had the surgery!  and yes--always stay positive and strong! 

 

please do take good care of yourself.  sending lots of prayers and healing thoughts your way---and to Gina as well---annie

[Miss Beany]

Hi everyone!

Kimberly I hope this note finds you healing well!

Because I was unable to keep any type of liquid or solid food down and kept vomiting everything up, my surgeon opted to talk me into getting a pickline started with TPN last Friday. He said he hoped by starting this my malnourished body would get the nutrients it needed meanwhile giving my stomach and bowels a break. I had a miraculous turn around between throwing up Friday and getting TPN Friday night. By Saturday morning my nausea magically vanished and I finally felt okay. My bowers also appeared to feelingly be waking up. When my surgeon came in to see me he started praising the TPN 'gremlins' and was so relieved. He asked if i wanted to throw a curveball in and try some solid food on my low residue diet. I gladly accepted the challenge. The first thing I got, and successfully kept down was a turkey sandwich (just turkey and a little mayo) on white bread. Later that night i had chicken salad (just chicken , no additives other than mayo) on a deli white wrap. Again, success. My surgeon was ecstatic come Sunday morning and I was eating solid breakfast as well. At this point he said I could come off TPN as I could handle eating on my eon and asked if I wanted to go home...I said YES!! I was so thankful for this turnaround, had not been on any pain meds, and my bowels were happily sending me to the bathroom 15+ times a day which I was relieved about because they were working!!

I did go home Sunday afternoon, got a bunch of food with my mom per my new diet, and even was able to grab a bite at Applebee's with her for dinner (even tho it was just BBQ chicken in a white wrap). Things appeared to be great.

My mom wanted to stay my first night home just to be sure I was ok. Good thing she did. When I tried to go it bed that night, I couldn't lay down because I had awful stabbing pains in my lower left side that literally prevents me from breathing or taking in deep breaths. I tried taking my pain meds dialaudid hoping they would fix whatever this was. They didn't. I laid in fetal position on my left side as that was the only way I'd get any air. Figured maybe it was trapped gas from surgery. Every time I got up to have to run to the bathroom I almost fell backward because of the pains and not being able to breathe. My mom rushed up stairs, we tried different positioning in bed and pillows - nothings worked . Around 8am after I had passed out again, I woke up to go to the bathroom again. This time, same things happened only I fell and couldn't stand or talk. My mom was back upstairs . I told her to call the surgeon. He told me I needed to go to the ER immediately.

We rushed back to the same hospital since all my records and doctors were there. Got there by 10am, I knew I was being admitted by 12. The only thing they knew and really only thing they still concretely know is that I have pulmonary effusions in my right lung, fluid, and it appears to collapse at certain angles and when I take deep breaths. My white blood cell count and platelet counts have been very high. I have my surgical team, pulmonary, internal medicine , and infectious disease doctors investigating this issue right now. Have another chest X-ray scheduled for tomorrow morning, possible a whole body scan to ensure they didn't miss a blood clot floating around . Pain meds have drastically helped control the pain, but when they wear off I'm back in the same boat. It's a confusing mess right now. I literally was only home for about 10 hours before coming back. Spending Xmas in the hospital was not what I expected...but given how scary this breathing thing is, I'd rather be here then alone afraid. I'm hopeful they may release me tomorrow but that will depend on what we find out tomorrow .

On a good note - I am doing well surgically. I still have been eating my low residue diet , liquid stools have started to slow Down and turn into small semi solid fragments which may just be a result of all of the pain meds I am on. Incisions are healing nicely . I was supposed to get my staples out for the large open incision this week, but at this point I think that will have to wait until next week . Definitely very thankful I went through with this surgery as it is so nice to be able to move my bowels, not get sick after eating, and not look pregnant. I may have zero stomach at all right now but that's ok by me!

Merry Christmas everyone . I do apologize for the book, but I was overdue to update as promised

Gina

[annie7]

Gina  -- oh so sorry about all the lung problems you've been having!  it's a good thing your mother was with you when you went home and that you went back to the hospital for treatment.good luck today on all your tests. hopefully with the tests the docs will be able to sort it all out and treat you successfully.  it sounds like you have a great team of doctors helping you.

 

glad to hear you are now doing well surgically and are able to eat low residue and keep food down. i had a big problem with food, too, but yes, you're right--the picc line and TPN was a miracle worker.  it turned out to be a lifesaver for me.  and that's terrific that your bowels are now moving so well. wonderful news!

 

i will continue to keep you in my prayers and i do hope the lung problem gets resolved quickly and you'll be feeling better and home soon.

[ksl2017]

Gina,

 

Thanks so much for the update.  Turns out I think they started me on the low residue diet too quickly because I am having backup issues with my illeostomy and am back in the same constipation and bloating boat.  I'm trying to be patient and wait for my bowels to wake up as they said it can take several days for the stoma to function properly.  I'm glad to hear you are having success.  I have not been released from the hospital yet because they want to see how my output is with the ostomy and the diet.  I'm a bit nervous because it seems like I am just back at square one, putting stuff in me that doesn't come out (even into the bag this time).  Hopefully things turn around in the next couple of days or they find a resolution to this problem.  Your story makes me very hopeful for the day when I get my full reversal and the whole attachment to the rectum.  Wishing you both Happy Holidays!

 

Kymberly

[annie7]

Kymberly--sorry to hear your bowels have been slow in waking up.   from what i've read from other peoples' experiences it can take a while sometimes--mine sure did--took quite a while. what finally got mine going was when they finally  took me off the IV's (they had to --all my veins had collapsed) and put in a picc line and put me on TPN--real nutrition with protein and some fat,vitamins etc. that woke my bowels up. it was a miracle.

 

and my surgeon and the nurses all said that bowels being slow to wake up can happen sometimes--the body is in a bit of  shock from the surgery and it can take the bowels a while to figure out what to do with their new situation -- figure out how to function now-- and "wake up". and yes it's hard to be patient and not worry---i had problems with all that too.  fingers crossed and prayers said that they'll wake up soon...

 

take care...keeping you both in my prayers,   annie

[Miss Beany]

Hi Everyone!

 

I did get to go home on Thursday afternoon, being reminded to stay on top of my pain meds before they wear off (since the right pulmonary effusions, fluid, and collapsing are still there) and to be sure to keep walking and do the breathing treatments.  My surgeon felt awful I spent Xmas in the hospital, but said he was thankful i was there because he has been worried as anything about me.  I guess my mom scared him to death when she called him monday morning saying I couldn't breath.  He has since emailed me to tell me what i am able to do and not do at this point in recovery, again reiterating he is thankful i am home and stating they still are not sure what caused me not to be able to breathe, but just thankful i am okay now.  Not to hesitate to contact if that happens again though.

 

Surgical-recovery has continued to be going well, though my bowels feel backed up again at times.  I just try to increase fluid intake (hot tea seems to help a bit) as my surgeon did tell me to make sure to keep drinking a ton throughout the day to 1) keep hydrated because I am losing so many fluids whenever i go to the bathroom, and 2) because the liquid will help move things through the small intestine.  The last thing I want is some form of blockage.  I do get severe abdominal pains when i stand up at times, i think related to going to the bathroom.  For this, I asked if i could use a heating pad - he said that would be fine.  In terms of exercise, I am supposed to stick with walking for the next two weeks, then can slowly introduce my ellipitcal back into my routine.  Food wise- sticking to the low residue diet.  Things I have tried, that you may want to keep in mind Kymberly are: turkey lunchmeat on white bread with mayo; chicken salad (from the can, or chunks of cooked chicken with mayo) in a white pita wrap, flatout wraps are really good and pretty healthy for you; egg beaters with a piece of fat free american cheese (I traditionally do not handle cheese well, but do like omelets...but given i can't have vegis, i am trying this); white rice with roasted red pepper soup from target - box kind, no chunks, just liquid, add a piece of white pita bread; i tried some califlower, broccoli and carrots steamed and boiled so very soft with this soup last night.  Went down fine, still okay, just got very full, very fast; chicken breast with seasoning or bbq sauce in white wrap; chicken lunch meat with mayo on white bread; bagel with cream cheese; white toast with peanut butter.  To this point, those are really the only foods i have tried.  i guess i am tending to stick to things i know agree with me.  I also asked my surgeon about alcohol given new years eve is coming up this week - he said alcohol is ok, just a sip and see what happens.  Now, mind you, i do not drink that much regardless, but this was semi-comforting to know, especially if i decide to go to my friends' new years eve party (which i am still leery about given there will be limited foods i can eat there, plus i worry about having to run to the bathroom).  

 

In terms of my bowels - a week ago they were flying out of me and i was constantly having accidents and had to sleep with a bed pad under me in addition to wear two pads back to back so it would collect depending on my position.  Now, i still wear a pad to be safe, though (knock on wood) haven't had any accidents.  I do not sleep with the pad under me anymore - that stopped as of Monday when i was re-admitted to the hospital.  I feel like my rectum is getting signals when it is time to go, and i am also able to hold it for a few minutes if i am walking and need to get there - for e.g., i was walking my puppy this morning, we were about halfway done and had a half mile left.  I got the sensation, stopped for a minute, but was able to continue my walk.  No accidents.  I did have to buy two different kinds of cream for my butt because it is raw - the one the hospital gave me, the other one my surgeon swore by - Calmoseptine.  You need to get that one from behind the counter in the pharmacy.  The other one is just a vasaline-like substance they gave me to use in the hospital.  I also have a type of silk powder prescription they used in the hospital, but i find that hard to use on my own.  

 

Kymberly - i understand what you mean with your bowels being slow to wakeup.  I am also sure you are on pain meds, which all work to slow things down.  I think what really woke mine up was a toss up between the TPN and the fact that i was actually able to not take pain meds at all from Friday - Sunday of my last three days in the hospital.  I was lucky though, for whatever reason, i did not have much pain, but i think my pain threshold has gotten significantly higher having been through 3 abdominal surgeries by this point.  We also switched my pain meds off of using dialudid to purely using the Toridol - what do they have you on?  The only reason i take pain meds now is for the lung pain, but also for the abdominal pain.  

 

Hang in there...i am sure things will start turning around for you.  Have they suggested TPN for you yet?  It was basically after i had been there for a week without eating that my surgeon said he needed me to do that.

 

Thinking of you!

Gina

[annie7]

Gina--so relieved and glad to hear you are home now and that your recovery is going is going well for the most part.  i do hope your lung problem and pain soon gets resolved, i had abdominal pain for quite a while after surgery but mine was an open surgery not laparoscopic and it takes longer to heal from that. and the ab pain does get better over time.  you're doing the right thing to keep walking--that sure does help.

 

keeping both of you in my prayers...

[ksl2017]

Thanks so much for the recent posts.  I was just discharged from the hospital and got home yesterday.  My bikini line below my belly button is where my laproscopic scar is and it is EXTREMELY sore still.  It still hurts to get up and walk around even, but I am forcing myself to because I am trying to wake up my bowels still.  They just seem to have minimal lack of motility and I am hoping this is just due to the major surgery.  I am trying to be patient and listen to my doctors and nurses who said that it can take up to 6-8 weeks for this recovery, but I am still just worried about the bowel waking up.  They did perform the attachment already to the rectum with the end of my small intestine so that is on its way to recovery and healing currently while I wait.  As I mentioned I have a temporary loop illeostomy right now until my reversal in March.  So far I have eaten very small meals (mashed potatoes, saltine crackers with pb, french toast, mashed bananas, eggs, ice cream), chewed my food extremely well, but the stoma output just isn't very much so its hard to want to eat if you keep putting stuff in and nothing is coming out.

 

Annie-you mentioned you had abdominal pain for quite a while after surgery....do you recall about how long it took for your recovery and what your appetite was like?  Basically anything you can recall from your surgery and recovery would be helpful! I am staying positive and being patient because they keep telling me it will take some time and obviously its only been 9 days since my surgery.  If you have any suggestions for waking up the bowels or even any exercises that would be helpful

 

Gina-I appreciate the food suggestions...I am sticking to very very soft foods right now until I can get some output from my stoma.  I don't take any pain medications right now and I am trying not to take any actually because I don't want it to slow down my bowels any more....if you don't mind me asking, I was wondering if maybe you could mention to your surgeon why some surgeons recommend this temporary illeostomy compared to just having the total surgery such as yours.  My surgeon hasn't mentioned anything about TPN and they feel I can get my nutrients back up before my reversal.  She said the illeostomy was basically for trying to get my nutrition back up before just jumping into the surgery, but from what you are posting, it sounds like your recovery is going fairly well which is great to hear and read about.  It makes me very hopeful for the future.  

 

I passed all my classes for my first semester of pharmacy school even and I am extremely proud of that, but I am deferring my second semester after this surgery because all I can manage right now is trying to take care of my body lately.  It is a major surgery and its going to take some time to get back to normal.  I used to bicycle a lot so I am hoping that when my abdominal pain by my scars goes down I can start cycling again and that will hopefully help immensely with the motility in the bowels.  But as I mentioned, if there are any exercises you can recommend or any tricks for the bowels....do either of you have suggestions such as the warm tea, miralax, heating pad?...anything like that would be helpful....I currently actually heat up all the fluids I drink to help with motility and I'm always cold too so that just helps in general.

 

On a side note, I don't feel any lighter after having my whole colon removed hahaa Looking forward to hearing from you both

 

Kymberly

[annie7]

Kymberly

 

so glad to hear you are home now but yes, i do understand your concern about the stoma output and bowels waking up.  it does sound like you're doing the right things as far as walking as much as you can--walking does help to stimulate the bowel.  that's what helped me the most. and it was the only exercise my surgeon approved for the first three weeks. 

 

my recovery from my surgery took a very long time partly because i was in the hospital a total of 16 days--13 days NPO. i couldn't keep food down and my bowels were very slow to wake up. i lost ten pounds while in the hospital so when i left i weighed only 87 ( had a BMI of 16)  and i went in with an emergency situation--vomiting, passing out etc due to a cecal volvulus--that's why i had the surgery--it wasn't elective; it was to remove the twisted colon--the twisted half.  so all that and the weight loss was a big shock to my body in addition to the surgery--which was open surgery-- itself.  the nurses and surgeons all told me that for every day spent in the hospital you can plan on needing  about  three days to recover. my biggest problem during my recovery was extreme fatigue and exhaustion. it took me almost three months before i got most of my strength back. i very quickly found out i couldn't push myself and do too much too fast.

 

gaining back my lost weight also helped with my energy levels.  my appetite was extremely poor at first because i was NPO for so long.  i'd get hungry but i felt full very fast. had to eat lots of small meals and snacks--stuck to a low residue diet.

 

and yes i had ab pain for quite some time after surgery but it was open surgery so that's probably why. and it was the sort of pain that did get better as time went on and i healed.

 

if you haven't already done so you might want to check in on the ostomy board i mentioned earlier.  the people there are very friendly and helpful and i'm sure they can answer a lot of your questions about ostomy recovery and pain management, stoma output, waking up the bowels etc. i read that board regularly just in case i end up with an ileo with my next surgery.

 

     http://www.inspire.com/groups/ostomy/

 

and congratulations on passing your pharmacy classes!!  that's wonderful!!!  yes you should be very proud of yourself!  it's not easy being so sick with constipation and going to pharmacy school at the same time----good for you! you are indeed a very strong woman!

 

please do take good care of yourself.  annie

[annie7]

Kymbery--i should also mention--the regular Inspire board--AGMD motility disorders support board--has quite a few colectomy and post-colectomy threads on it. here is the most recent one but there are more--you can search for "colectomy"

 

   http://www.inspire.c...your-colectomy/

[ksl2017]

Thanks Annie, I checked out both of those sites today and I have posted some stuff and am hoping to get some responses.  I am a bit concerned that the slow transit has transfered to my small intestine too as I have read some other stories where this has happened in patients.  One thing I am finding out however is that mostly all who have had this condition diagnosed have not had a temporary ileostomy.  They have only had the total colectomy with the full reconnection done.  I will be contacting my nurses however if things don't improve the next couple days.

 

Kymberly

[annie7]

Kymberly--if you're not having any stoma output at all i think you should either call your surgeon or go to the ER---you don't want to have a blockage . the ER can check that out. 

 

i hope you get some answers quickly from your posts on AGMD.  really, not to alarm you but no output at all is def something to investigate. i would at least call the office right away tomorrow.

 

i'm no expert of course but i do have a couple friends from the board with ostomies and have been reading there for a while. i  remember people saying drinking coconut water, white grape juice helps with a blockage and yes also hot tea, coffee.

 

good luck---fingers crossed and keeping you in my prayers.

[annie7]

also--i remembered that Deepak Dhillion had a temp ileo in june and then had the ileo takedown surgery and a colectomy in early december.  sounds a bit  like your situation. have had heard back from him on how he's doing--fingers crossed he's ok. here's a link to his post and i think his e-mail address is in there also

 

 

       http://www.ibsgroup....otal-colectomy/

[Miss Beany]

Hi Kymberly - 

 

Just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling?  I also had some thoughts for you regarding why your output might not be that much.  For me, at least for the first week, it was just liquid stuff that was yellow, not that much.  i k ept asking why, and i was told it was because i wasn't consuming anything to really make more or anything with more substance come out.  Maybe that could be it?  Have you had any nausea/vomitting?  I have faith that things will get better for you, i just think it will take time.  Not only did you have your colon removed, but things now have to go through a different opening and become adjusted to that for a time until it is reversed.  The reason i think my surgeon did not opt to move to a temporary ilestomy was that 1) I wanted to avoid that at all costs, 2) i cannot take off any time from grad school as it would set me back substantially due to the internship and field work experience, and 3) i just wanted to get this over and done with.  He felt because my anal mamometry tests came back okay, even with some pelvic floor dysfunction, it was worth it to go with the ileo-anamosis.  Now, if things, like the incomplete emptying that i have which was continued even after surgery, continue and i am miserable, then i will need to get another surgery for a permanent ilestomy...i just really want to try to avoid this because i am 28 and would ideally like to live a normal life at some point.  But, if it is going to be the best thing, and if i get miserable and get to my wits end, i know there is an outlet...just one i am not ready for at this point in time.

 

As far as why my surgeon opted for the TPN - i have a past history of anorexia and malnutrition, which may or may not have contributed to my overall problem because i was anorexic from 12 to 22.  While i have been in recovery for the past 5, almost 6 years, my surgeon was well-informed of all of that, especially before my first surgery as i thought it was my fault for having rectal prolapse from the malnutrition and anorexia.  After all of the tests however and finding out it was colonic inertia and slow transit constipation, he told me to stop blaming myself.  Regardless, when i went into the hospital for this surgery, i weighed about 100 (i'm tiny, 5'0).  Now, my weight is dwindling in the 90s.  My heart rate was very rapid when i was in the hospital, my blood pressure very low, and my blood tests were not coming back good in terms of electrolyte and potassium balances...so that was another push for him to push me on the TPN.  He also said that after a week, if his patient isn't eating or keeping food down (mind you, he made it explicit that my case was complicated because of my extreme nausea and stubborn system) that he begged me to get on it because he was afraid that the lack of nutrition was substantially push back my ability to heal, my bowels ability to start working (and he feared they wouldn't work because, as he said, i am not out of hte woods for permanent ilestomy).  So I think all of that paired together made him beg me to get it started.  I was totally against it...i hated the idea of liquid nutrition because it brought back bad memories from when i finally got help on my own for my anorexia, and the threats of needing that and a feeding tube...so needless to say, i was freaking out a bit, even if it wasn't the same thing at all.  I just wanted to be able to give my body the nutrition it needed and my body was not cooperating!

 

As far as me and how i am doing now - the foods, even though it is the same thing basically every single day lol, is going okay.  I do get awful pains, especially at night, when i standup.  Sometimes it relieved after going ot teh bathroom, but not completely.  It gets hard to standup straight.  Don't know what this is, if it is some reaction to something i am eating, or what, but something i will likely discuss with my surgeon when i have my followup appointment January 17, or if it gets worse ,via email before then.  I am dealing with a ton of utter exhaustion, lack of energy, and feeling short of breath a lot, especially when walking up stairs or exerting myself, or even walking, in general. My cold night sweats are also starting up again...and so is tightness and pain in my chest.  I am going to keep a close eye on this and if it continues for the next two days, figure it would be worth an email to the surgeon to be sure there is no reason for concern, particularly because i am at risk for developing penumonia after the plueral effusions and fluid in my right lung.  Anyone ever experience this before?

 

At any rate, I wish everyone a happy, healthy start to 2014.  May this be a good year for us all

Gina