Clear

Chest scan is clear!

VAC and Chest Scan

VAC Wound Therapy

Coming back to this blog takes an exhale. It would be nice to package the last six months in a trash bag on the street corner. However, the residual affects of treatment, both physical and emotional, are slow to vacate.  When Jon had his primary tumor excised, a rather large chunk of muscle was removed. In the hollow, a seroma (a pocket of clear serous fluid) began to develop. This seroma fluid found a way to vacate the wound site; and latent infection began to develop two months after surgery. A compromised immune system (chemotherapy) and exercise also played a role. None the less, Jon had a VAC (negative pressure wound therapy) put in last week.

This process involved opening up a small part of the wound site and inserting a sponge. A sealed dressing is then applied to the wound with a tube attached to a small device that provides negative pressure. I have had to change the dressing twice at home; and both times failed to adequately seal the site. Jon's battery-powered VAC device reminds me (with a gentle vibrating buzz) that I failed....I have sealed and resealed with extra tape to no avail...

Tomorrow is Jon's 3-month follow-up CT scan of the chest. Invariably it produces a bit of anxiety...but the vibrating wound VAC has served as a great distraction.

Our South Pasadena YMCA had a fitness fundraiser for Jon last week. Our reflections/musings on this event will soon follow.