Thoracentesis

Went into the hospital yesterday for the thoracentesis procedure. I had to check in at noon, the procedure started at 2:30, took about 30 minutes and we finally left the hospital at 5:30. A long day for a pretty short procedure. I was a little nervous about it all, I pictured a huge needle being jammed into my chest and puncturing a lung. But all went well. It was relatively painless and quick. They extracted a full liter of fluids from my left side. The fluid was the color of a light beer, it even had a foamy head on it. They said that there is probably a liter or more left in there, but there are risks with taking out too much at once so they stopped at one liter. We can always go back in and take out more at a later time. I felt an immediate improvement. It was like someone took a clamp off of my chest. I can breath better, I have more energy. I can put my pants on in the morning without feeling like I need to pass out. What more can a guy ask for. -Eric

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