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.