ChanomiTalk

A little over two years ago I had to have my smallest rib bone taken out because it was pinching my vein which caused a blood clot. During the procedure the lung was moved and because of that there was a build up of fluid and also a build up of a type of fatty tissue on my chest wall. For the last two years I could only use at most one half of my right lung. It always felt like a giant hand was squeezing me. It was hard to run and especially to swim. For the last year I have been wanting to get it out and I finally was able to do that. On January 22nd I went in for the operation. One tube was inserted through an opening that was made between my ribs. This was a video camera that was used to see if there were any problems and also to help the Doctor. One other larger tube was put in to suck out the fluid and the fatty deposits. This was left in for a day and a half.
The operation was a success as about one liter of fluid was taken out! My sternum and rib cage were very sore and I was under very strong pain medicine for about 5 days. After I woke up I was so happy that I could breathe again! Even though I was in a lot of pain I was very happy! My operation was on a Tuesday and I almost got to go home the next day but the Doctor decided to have me stay one more day. Once I got home I was only able to sleep sitting in a chair as it was too painful to lay on my bed. Also, I had no appetite at all and I in fact lost about 3 pounds.
This Tuesday will be one month since my operation. I can sleep on my bed on my back and my left side but not on my right. My appetite is slowly coming back and I am back to work and can even run again but am still a bit weak. It will be about 2 weeks before I can go into the ocean or a pool. I am very happy to be able to use both lungs again and even though it was painful, I am glad I did the operation. The nurses and the other staff did a great job and I always felt like I was in great hands!

Upon my mother’s initial arrival to the hospital, it became very evident that the level of care here in Okinawa is much more personal than back in the US. After assessing her needs, Dr. Kinjo did not want to move forward with surgery until I had a chance to speak with each of my siblings. He wanted to make sure that we were all in agreement before he performed surgery. My mother, a retired nurse anesthetist, had never seen such a response. I explained that the approach here is much more family oriented. This was very evident and I felt like she was very well cared for from the beginning.