A few updates on my health, and new woodpecker named Needlenose

How are you all doing today?  It is semi cod here in TN.  I have been awake for about two hours.  I got to see the sun come up and listen to a very early rising woodpecker out in our woods.  He had great determination to get inside the tree he was working on.  I've decided to name the woodpecker "needle nose" because "Woody" is too common for this woodpecker.  I have seen this little guy before.  He is much prettier than I had pictured a woodpecker to be.  He is red and has a white stomach with black spots on it.  And he is smaller than I pictured as well.  Maybe I can catch a photo of him sometime.  If I mention Needle nose again, I hope you know who I am talking about.

I had promised you and update on all the tests I have been having to determine why I am not breathing well and have pain in my lungs and chest.  I have had a chest xray, LOTS of blood work, pet scan and a second ct scan.  I went to the cardiologist for an ekg, and was told that he suspected I had a cardiac effusion.  (fluid around my heart) or at the very least heart muscle damage from the three years plus of chemo.  I left his office feeling very scared.  He had order additional blood work and for me to come back next week for an elctrocardiiogram. (He actually wanted to do more invasive tests-but I would only agree to this test as a springing off of point)  I told him that I was seeing my Oncologist that afternoon to get the results of my pet/ct scans and if they showed fluid around my heart he could then order the more invasive tests he wanted.  I did see my Oncologist that afternoon( I just really love Dr Shu.) He confirmed NED. No evidence of disease.  I have a more pronounced fracture on one of my micro fractures in my right hip, NO fluid, clots or scar tissue around my heart muscle.  BUT I do have a greater amount of fluid in both of lungs than I had even two weeks ago.  It is even greater than the amount I had in January of last yr.  So this is why I am short of breath and having sharp stabbing pains in my lower back lung area.  Also the pain in between my shoulder blades in not heart related.  It is what is called differed pain.  When I take a deep breath and my lungs cannot expand, the pain signal shoots to the middle of my back.  Mystery solved.  It is what Mo and I have suspected all along.  After all I have been living with this fluid in my lungs for three years now.  So what will be done?  Today I go and have a thoracentisis on the right lung since it has the greater amount of fluid.  The hope is that the fluid will not return.  The truth is it probably will.  If it does, I will have a more permanent procedure done called -





Pleurodesis is a procedure that adheres the outside of the lung to the inside of the ... into the chest cavity using a bulb syringe, a method called talc poudrage. ... doctors use one of the following two procedures to gain access to your lungs.

If it comes to that, I will be happy to not have my lung fill up again and be able to breath more fully.  My hope is that it won't come to that.  I hope that today's thoracentisis will take care of the problem.  Then I will only have to deal with the left side having fluid in it.  I just want to breath!

Well that is the update on the health side of things.  I will let you know how today's procedure goes.  
Thanks for stopping by,

Leslie