What was my point again? Besides fishing around for scraps of sympathy and attention among whatever remaining readership we have, because TRUST ME I've already overfished my IRL friends for sympathy and attention, even going so far as to tackily put up medical trauma pics on fucking Facebook in a blatant gesture of exhibitionistic self-pity. And besides using my near death experience* as an occasion to turn Feyfriends into even more of a self-indulgent one-man "personal" blog than I already have.
Oh right, my point: SMOKING KILLS!
I'm not a thoracic pathologist so I can't say for sure if it was the Blus, the American Spirits I had started sneaking again, or my previous uninterrupted 17 year stretch as a smoker--or if, as is certainly possible (I GUESS) it was none of the above--that caused it to happen, but I can say that just as I was starting to get cozy with inhaling carcinogens on a daily basis again my RIGHT LUNG FUCKING EXPLODED. It's called a spontaneous pneumothorax, and the experience of it--the wheezing, shortness of breath, and stabbing chest pain--is pretty scary and hurts pretty bad, but is nowhere near as scary or painful as the experience of it not healing itself (which it typically does) and having to have it treated surgically.
But I'm going to back away from my initial plan to lead you through it beat by icky beat, because I'm lazy and I've told this story some forty times too many already and that's not the point of this blog anyway. But re: scary, painful, and gross here's a picture of the chest tubes I had in for four days following surgery:
This was moments before I had the tubes removed, so you are spared the sight of the reddish-yellow fluid that filled these tubes for the first three post-surgery days.
ANYWAY! Today was my last check-up with my thoracic surgeon (who by the way was totally hot) and although he said that since he only took off the top part of my RIGHT lung my left lung is at pretty high risk for another one of these things--so I may have to repeat the entire six week ordeal at some terrifyingly impossible-to-predict moment in the future--it's over for now!
And as the perfect little coda, as I was leaving the parking structure at Cedars Sinai for what I hope truly is the last time I got turned around, fortuitously ending up in a little cul-de-sac near the exits where the following sight greeted me.
IT WAS ALL WORTH IT.
*(It wasn't even remotely a near-death experience.)
Oh right, my point: SMOKING KILLS!
I'm not a thoracic pathologist so I can't say for sure if it was the Blus, the American Spirits I had started sneaking again, or my previous uninterrupted 17 year stretch as a smoker--or if, as is certainly possible (I GUESS) it was none of the above--that caused it to happen, but I can say that just as I was starting to get cozy with inhaling carcinogens on a daily basis again my RIGHT LUNG FUCKING EXPLODED. It's called a spontaneous pneumothorax, and the experience of it--the wheezing, shortness of breath, and stabbing chest pain--is pretty scary and hurts pretty bad, but is nowhere near as scary or painful as the experience of it not healing itself (which it typically does) and having to have it treated surgically.
But I'm going to back away from my initial plan to lead you through it beat by icky beat, because I'm lazy and I've told this story some forty times too many already and that's not the point of this blog anyway. But re: scary, painful, and gross here's a picture of the chest tubes I had in for four days following surgery:
This was moments before I had the tubes removed, so you are spared the sight of the reddish-yellow fluid that filled these tubes for the first three post-surgery days. ANYWAY! Today was my last check-up with my thoracic surgeon (who by the way was totally hot) and although he said that since he only took off the top part of my RIGHT lung my left lung is at pretty high risk for another one of these things--so I may have to repeat the entire six week ordeal at some terrifyingly impossible-to-predict moment in the future--it's over for now!
And as the perfect little coda, as I was leaving the parking structure at Cedars Sinai for what I hope truly is the last time I got turned around, fortuitously ending up in a little cul-de-sac near the exits where the following sight greeted me.
IT WAS ALL WORTH IT.*(It wasn't even remotely a near-death experience.)
Hi,
What an awful trial. I too am a smoker about the same age. I hate your story, it scares the hell out of me and I hate that you are having to go thru this.
You are smoking without the smokes but I know the habit and have never tried to quit or alter it. I hope for your recovery at least you are able to stop enough for your body to heal.
I wish the best and am glad that you were well enough to explain your ordeal and share with us.
Take care and thank you.
paul j.
Get well soon!
wow thats mad! well i hope you get well, and will resume teh blog soon. all the best. ^^
Hi Bobo;
I read your blog and usually have such a great laughing time. I understand well your confusion and confusion when experiencing a health scare in your youth. I am currently trying to get a handle on my battle with my body over diverticulitis, recurring perotinitis, and a consistent scarring issue that continually sends my intestines (both) into distress and closure that can only be treated two ways: multiple days of ice chips diet and heavy drug therapy to relax the stricken intestine to untwist or reinflate; or open cavity surgery. I have had five surgeries in the last 15 months, and experienced the same number of blockages in between these operations. I am only 45, and have been health the rest of my life, other than testicular cancer at 16, and hepatitis at 25. Serious, but curable/treatable diseases, even in the 1980's.
I sure hope that you will be better soon. Definite recommendation: utilize the support groups that your doctors/nurses/hospitalists/house religious helpers can steer you to-they really do help.
God speed and keep on writing-you are hysterical at times, and an obvious talent-
dave beam
Hey There,
very sad to see you so ill, but I have to say.. its better to look good than to feel good and you LOOK MAHVELOUS!!!!
Get well soon mr!!!!
Get better soon amigo. : )
xo
HB