Today was, far and away, the worst so far. If it weren't for the nurses today I don't think I could have got through it. I had my Bronchoscopy this morning, my biopsies, and my lung washing. I was most apprehensive about any needles as that is my biggest fear but that was actually the least unpleasant thing. I had a delightful nurse who knew exactly what she was doing and found a vein with ease, I hardly felt it. I had a cannula fitted to the back of my hand for venus access and for the sedative they would give me.
The most unpleasant thing about the whole experience was the anaesthetic that they spray your throat with; I coughed, I spluttered, and felt like I was choking. The anaesthetic makes your throat feel like it is on fire, and the taste was rancid, I was advised patients say it tastes like rotten bananas, and once it hit, I felt that immediately. As you lose the sensation in your throat.
As for the sedative, that didn't work. It made no difference to me at all. I was fully awake, but got through it in the end with the help of the nurses. My actual procedure lasted about 25 minutes in theatre. There were 6 people present, 2 senior nurses, 2 junior nurses, the consultant, and a second doctor. The Fibre Optic Bronchoscope went through the nose. I had to inhale some liquid through it before the scope was inserted - that was a very odd sensation. My right nostril is still rather numb and feels blocked hours later. My head feels like I have a cold and I really want to blow my nose but I am not allowed for 24 hours.
The scope passing over the ridge of my nose and going down was the most uncomfortable part involving the scope, once it was down it went along a lot easier. What surprised me most was how easy it was to breathe whilst the scope was down inside, it didn't feel obstructive at all but I imagine the anaesthetic had a big part to play in that. Once inside the lungs the consultant had a look around, I heard a lot of medical terms I didn't understand. Once they had looked around they took 6 biopsies from various positions, collected a sputum sample [not entirely sure what that is, a type of mucus I gather], and then I had a saline wash. The wash was an odd sensation, rather like the feeling when water goes down the wrong way.
From the moment the anaesthetic was sprayed into my mouth I started to drool uncontrollably. One of the nurses had a suction tube like the dentist would have, they kept the mouth clear for me. I had to cough at several points, each time more spit mixed with pinkish gunk came up. After the wash the scope was removed, that felt very relieving when it came out. I returned to the ward for observation. I had a private room which I was grateful for. Feeling in my tongue and in my throat returned rather quickly, I was able to speak within about 10 minutes. After 45 they tried me with drinking some water, that went down okay. I had some squash and some shortbread after to see how I handled food.
Ever since the procedure I have been coughing up blood in varying amounts, as the locations of the biopsies heal they will bleed somewhat. I've had large globules come up and phlegm. Some of it has been bright red and others have been deep dark red. During my TB test on Tuesday the blood that came out was very dark, almost black, so I am guessing the darker it is the less I need to worry. The coughing up blood has become less frequent now. I have managed to sleep, my mum kept an eye on me. I'm not allowed to be alone for the next 24 hours in case anything happens, so a responsible adult has to stay with me.
This procedure has been the most unpleasant one yet. If it weren't for the nurses I don't think I would have got through it. The CT scan seems like a walk in the park now in comparison.
As for diagnosis, the consultant is confident there is no TB given what she saw today so is happy to progress to treatment. They will still get TB test results in 2 weeks time, along with the biopsies in 1 week, but from all she has seen she is confident the granulomas are benign and have not formed tumours. Only the biopsy results can confirm that diagnosis though, so I am not in the clear yet. Nevertheless they are happy for me to start a course of steroids, which will be Prednisolone. Which is the best outcome I could have hoped for. I have to see my GP to get the actual prescription and to discuss additional medication to mitigate the side effects of the steroids.
I feel relieved, but there is a lingering worry about the results. Until I am told I am all clear, I won't take it for granted.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated before they are published. If you want your comment to remain private please state that clearly.