Got the Diagnosis Today

Wow, last night was a rough night attempting to sleep in a chair in the hospital room.  Didn't sleep much and neither did Amy.  Went to work and was grateful that I got off at 3 and was able to go back to the hospital.  I also was able to go up for an hour during lunch and she had a visitor early afternoon and that cheered her up.

They determined today that she has a "pericardial effusion" and not a plural effusion.  It's an effusion and collection of fluid around the heart that has gotten into the lining surrounding the heart.  I guess with cancer, this can happen just as it happened with the pleural effusion.  So, the fluid on the heart is creating pressure and that is causing her high heart rate - about 120 to 125 beats a minute.  She also has a tiny bit a pneumonia and they believe that is what is causing her fever and infection.  So, they took her to ICU this evening just to monitor her because sometimes blood pressure can drop dangerously low since the heart is working so hard and sometimes can't pump enough blood.  Tomorrow, they are going to do one of two procedures - the one they want to do is go in and cut out a tiny window in the lining of the heart so the fluid that is in there can drain and any more leaking will always drain and this won't happen again.  If they don't think they can safely do that (they are concerned there may be a cancer close by and they have to determine this more accurately), they go in with a needle and aspirate the fluid but the same problem can occur again in the future.  They are treating the pneumonia and fever with antibiotics.  We will know in the morning what procedure they are doing and she will spend a day in ICU after the operation.  We are hopeful and both are spirits are higher.  Docs said she should feel better soon after the surgery.  Want to get her home!