Well, it turns out that John has a plural effussion.  This is not particularly good news. Especially considering the main reasons he could have it, what the fluid could consist of, and the treatment sounds like just a ton o’ fun.  *HEAR the sarcasm here*

OK, it sucks.

The doctor listened to him and ordered a chest x ray that he SHOULD HAVE DONE THE FIRST TIME, then looked at it and sent us over to get a cat scan because he didn’t “like the x ray”.  Neither did I.  I posted a pic of it on amendment at the end of yesterday’s post, but here it is again for any of you lagers.  THAT’S RIGHT!  I’M TALKING TO YOU!  I SEE YOU SITTING THERE WITH YOUR COFFEE AND PAPER NAPKIN!

Photo_09Ain’t it purdy?  See all that white stuff that looks like clouds in his lungs?

Guess what.  They’re not.

That? is the plural effusion.  Oh and there’s also the pneumonia that we already expected down at the bottom of the lungs.  It’s kind of hard to see on the “John’s cell phone camera” that I was sporting today at the professional building.    I forgot my camera at home, and, honestly, can’t remember much of anything lately.  So tired.  So busy.  So worried.

So we did the cat scan. They robbed charged us to the tune of $275.00 and sent us on our merry way.  Not.  And our insurance covered 80% of the cost.  Gee-awd!

The radiologist leaned out the door as we were leaving and said, “I’ll be calling your doctor within two hours with your results.”

Considering there were other people there and I was assuming he’d call him sometime.  This, I thought, boded ill.

Sure ’nuff, ill boding was what was done.

The doctor called and said that John has a plural effusion and he got him in with a pulmonary specialist at 10:15 tomorrow morning.  Seeing a specialist, of any flavor, that fast, (without having to wait forever), also boded, well… you know.

So the best guess, from looking at good ol’ Wiki and Medline Plus, is that he/she will do a thoracentesis.  And I don’t know about you, but that, right there sounds like the truly FUN part of the whole thing.

“They” will biopsy the sample they get and determine what is causing the excess fluid to collect around the lungs.  Then we will know the proper way to proceed.

Hey,  we are nothing if not proper.

STOP LAUGHING!

This is just one exciting, sexually charged, emotionally wrenching, ongoing, telenovela going on up in here, people!