Success on the thoracentesis. That got rid of the fluid around the right lung. Karen's breathing is much improved and oxygen numbers have gotten back into the 90's while resting. That's a good thing because using supplemental oxygen is a royal pain. In fact after we left the hospital we didn't realize for over 24 hours that one of the hospital aids turned her flow down to zero instead of turning the tank off. This happened when they put her on the hospital O2. Later, Karen was using the tank but the gauge never moved. It took me longer than I want to admit to discover this. I thought we had a faulty tank but finally realized what happened. Luckily the procedure worked and her O2 level didn't fall too far. I try to stay with her during procedures to watch out for this kind of thing but a sometimes a nurse or aids will be equally equally insistent that I wait in the "waiting room". Sigh.... Staying on top of this as best as I can. We've had a home oxygen concentrator for a few months and it works well but you are attached to a 50 foot tube that might as well be a leash. Our portable oxygen comes in bottles. They get delivered weekly and we call in how many we estimate we'll need during the week. The oxygen company is difficult to work with. Often missing their deliveries or not supplying enough tanks. Constant calls to complain adds to our stress every week. Our oncologist's office is working with them to get Karen a portable generator instead instead of the bottles. All our complaints this week seem to revolve around oxygen. Except for breathing easy, we did ok. Photo - 12 hours of oxygen
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AuthorWilliam and Karen - Karen and I have been married for 41 years. Karen's breast cancer has reached stage 4. This is what happens next. Archives
May 2017
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