I failed to mention that Ma's chest tube did not completely drain all the pleural fluid. Her x-ray this morning showed that the fluid has increased since yesterday. This is not good because it means the painful pleurodesis treatment did not work. Ma has a second tube in her chest that creates negative pressure to inflate the lung. It's a thin tube that's inserted into the top of her lung area. It also drains some of the fluid. Ever since the chest tube was removed yesterday, the second tube has been draining fluid like mad, about 2 liters. The doctor decided to tap Ma's lung today to get rid of the rest of the fluid. But the ultrasound revealed that the talc used in the pleurodesis caused some, but not all, of the lung to adhere to the pleural lining, created compartments of fluid in the pleural space. Therefore, the doctor couldn't tap the fluid from a single location. He wants to let the second chest tube keep draining. Whatever doesn't get drained will hopefully get absorbed by the chest wall.
Ma has cold sores on her lips and thrush in her mouth. They don't seem to bothering her much, and she's getting treatment for them. But she isn't eating much. She said food doesn't have much flavor. Maybe it's time to start tempting her with forbidden foods.
I haven't questioned her too closely, but Ma doesn't remember yesterday's events at all. She doesn't remember the pain when her chest tube was removed. That's a relief. I'll have to ask her if she even remembers being on a ventilator.
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