Life is rollercoaster
Fortunately, I can already go to LUMC three days after the bad news. I first have a conversation with the pulmonologist and then he wants to take a look at my trachea trough a bronchoscopy.
During the conversation, the pulmonologist tells us that the tumor must be removed regardless whether it is good or malignant. They can do that by removing a part of my trachea. As he tells it, it really sounds like "we'll just do that" and I don't realize that this may not be a simple surgery.
After the conversation we walk together to the room where he will do the bronchoscopy. The procedure will be done under local anesthetic. They start anesthetize my throat, who has had the nonsensical idea to make the anesthetic more nasty with banana flavor? Every time they anesthetize a little deeper. Inserting the bronchoscope is no fun, especially the part past my vocal cords is very bad. If I want I can watch the screen what the doctor is doing, but I am mainly busy with breathing calmly. The doctor is able to remove a few pieces of tissue and I am happy when the surgery is done.
Then we talk again with the pulmonologist. He explains his findings and indicates that he had a good picture of the tumor. Because the tumor makes it difficult for me to breathe, he wants to literally give me more air in the short term.
Under general anesthesia, he will re-enter my trachea with a bronchoscope and then partially burn away the tumor with a laser. At first he talks about next week, but soon it will be: tomorrow. Because the surgery will take place the day after, I have do another round through hospital: blood tests, a heart film and see the anesthetist.
The Corona virus arrived in the Netherlands and all kinds of measures are noticeable in the hospital. Non-urgent appointments are canceled, no shaking hands and alertness to colds. I cough up some blood because of the biopsy. Quite normal but coughing in Corona time gives a lot of suspicious looks.
The next day I have to be in the hospital at 8 am. It soon turns out that the surgery will not take place before lunchtime, so I could have come to the hospital a little later.
Before and after the procedure, I get a nebulization that makes the alveoli open better and absorb oxygen optimally.
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