I am terribly worried about my closest friend and I would value advice from my friends here who have undergone this procedure.
My friend has had no chest problems up to this point, not even a chest infection after a virus.
In August she suddenly became breathless and it was discovered that she had fluid in the pleural space by her right lung. The local hosital aspirated it and tested the fluid. It was negative to everything, even bacteria.
Because in a normally healthy person this can be a sign of something going on in the rest of the body they embarked on lots of other scans, xrays , a hysteroscopy ( came back clear) and she was sent to the big teaching hospital for a VAT procedure. On thursday it will be four weeks since she had this procedure. She had a 3 in cut in her right side where the camera went in and two other entry points. One in her back and one under her right breast. They found no more fluid and took away a one inch nodule.
She has been in agony since the procedure. She is more breathless than me at my worst, the whole of her upper body is black and blue and her right breast is just one huge haematoma.
She has been back to see the surgeon twice. The second time there was another doctor there who was shocked at the state of my dear little friend. The surgeon has now prescribed oromorph!
Worse, there are still no results.
She is so ill that she cannot leave the house. All this in a previously healthy person who led a very busy life.
Can anyone tell me if this is usual after a VATs procedure? If not, who can she go to for redress? She is stuck between the local hospital and the teaching hospital and the attitude of both is lax to say the least.
Any help very gratefully received because I hate to see her like this.
I’m so sorry to hear your friend is having such an awful time ,your a very good friend and I’m so glad she has you because emotional support is very important to recovery .Im sorry I can’t offer any advice regarding what you are experiencing ,but fingers crossed someone on this forum will be able to advise you .X
That sounds really awful Littlepom and thank goodness your friend has you by her side.
I know nothing about VATs procedure but it doesn’t sound normal to me. Can you contact PALS? Perhaps they could advise you further. Something needs to be done for your dearest friend because throwing oramorph at the problem is just plain wrong.
Thanks Sassy. She is supposed to be seeing the surgeon again next week. The problem is that these people don’t want to acknowledge their own mistakes. If she is no better and still no results I will really have to encourage her to take action. Luckily she has kept a record of everything since August at my suggestion. PALS. Are now on the list for going forward.
Hi LP so they haven't informed anyone as to why the procedure was formed and why they have taken what sounds like a biopsy where you mention they have taken a nodule away ...have the results come back for this as yet ??
I'm really sorry your friend is going through so much at the moment . You mentioned a haematoma has it been drained off as these are very painful in themselves .
You must be a great comfort to her and hopefully she will receive the help and treatment she needs from the hospital
Thankyou for replying. Yes they were taking a biopsy and no results after 4 weeks in spite of numerous phone calls to both hospitals. nobody has suggesting draining the haemotoma. Mind you I don't think she is in the mood to let anyone touch her!
If the haematoma is large then it's going to be giving her lots of pain and I would suggest maybe a visit to a GP or a call out to get things sorted . Also make enquiries to her GP regarding results of any tests such as the biopsy that was taken at the time keep us posted but I think it's time to kick somones posterior 🙂
LP these are the know possible complications from VAT's procedures ,normally possible complications are listed in some form of documentation on discharge,i would start the Pals procedure soon rather than later as they are notoriously slow to act and also very much on the side of the physician,wishing your friend a speedy resolution.
What are the risks of VATS?
Many people who have VATS do very well. But there are some possible complications. Some of these are:
Air leak
Partial collapsed lung (atelectasis)
Abnormal heart rhythms
Excess bleeding
Pneumonia
Collection of thick pus in the chest cavity (empyema)
Wound infection
Blood clot. This can lead to pulmonary embolism or stroke.
Shock
Complications from anesthesia
Your age, other medical conditions you have, and the reason for your VATS will help determine your risk for different complications. Before your surgery, ask your healthcare provider about your specific risks.
At the moment getting your friend sorted is a higher priority and probably better to elicit care from the offending department before going to battle with them,
With regards Pals,they are useless and definitely pro the establishment they seek to defend as i found when registering complaints on behalf of Cecilia but there are more ways to skin a cat as you know(sorry scruffy) x
I am hoping and i imagine that even the most inept department would have spotted problems within the biopsies and the analytical people are normally on the ball.
Vats procedures although now commonplace within the lung treatment community still lack suitably experienced physicians to perform them and even in the best and most specialised of hands complications are quite frequent,especially air leaks but it would appear from your description that there may well be an element of bleeding here given the bruising.let us hope that with more attention to detail your friends problems can be resolved quite rapidly. x
I wasn't happy with her having it but she saw a spanish surgeon in Coventry who told he he had devised a new system with a micro camera and wire. He cancelled her twice and then another surgeon did it in the old way. They never told her. I had to explain the difference.
It is a difficult and fiddly procedure and physicians need to specialise in it to reduce the risks and complications,but done well it can aid a much quicker recovery.
When you mentioned a 3" incision i began to have my doubts if a proper Vats procedure had been attempted as normally the entry wounds for the camera and working utensils if you will excuse the description are much smaller and also there is no spreading of ribs involved which reduces muscle and tissue trauma and reduces post op pain and discomfort.
I know nothing about that and cannot help ,but would to mention that i just heard yesterday about a man who had gone black and blue all over, and eventually they found out he was on two lots of different anticoagulants.
He, had been sent to hospital who said normally he would be admitted, --- but he was sent home again.
While i am not suggesting this possibility the obvious things are sometimes not noticed these days.
Sorry to hear about your friend Littlepom sounds really bad what she has endured. I was thinking the same as blackbird maybe you should go with her for moral support. Good luck and let us know what the outcome of her appointment is x
Ha ha maybe but I would love it if you came with me to put my consultant to rights. Still just a caring person to talk to helps so much and you are that good friend x
Best wishes to your friend, if good vibes really can travel then I’m sending lots her way. You’re such a good friend, which must be a big help to her in this awful situation.
Im so sorry Littlepom, your friend is going through such a lot, Im so sorry. Hope the results on Friady are as good as can be expected, and that her overall condition improves. What a lot to go through and what a brilliant friend you are. Please let us know how your friend progresses.
Thank you. I’m struggling a bit because my three closest friends are going through horrible things. In addition to this dear soul having all this done to her and not knowing what is wrong, One of them has grade 4 brain cancer and is going through 6 weeks radio and chemo and the other has uterine cancer and is also having radiotherapy. Thank you for your concern and support.
Oh so sorry particularly about your friend with S.4 brain cancer - my oldest London friend from when I lived there was recently diagnosed with this. She is about to start the same treatment programme.
We need our friends - I do hope yours will be ok though I know the prognosis for brain cancer isnt good. Life seems to be full of loss, sad. You take care LP xx
Thankyou O2 Trees. I’m sorry that your friend is going through this too. My friend has grade 4 rather than stage 4. I’m not sure of the difference but it doesn’t look good. Tomorrow we will find out the results of my other friend’s VATS procedure.
You are so right about life at the moment, they seem to be dropping around me.
Do enjoy your Christmas. I hope that you are spending time with your family and friends.
I put my tree up yesterday to try to cheer myself up.xx
I must have been thinking of copd stages. It would be Grade 4 for my friend too.
That VATS procedure sounds vicious. Like a few others I hadnt heard of it either. Bad enough to have this procedure without all the things which have gone wrong with your friend. Do hope things improve all round. Take care xx
I feel bad I am going to have knee surgery and I am a total infant about it I hate surgery but I can hardly walk. So I need to fix my sad little attitude I hope your friends do better some how. Thanks for sharing
Thankyou Mrynelson for your kind thoughts. We all hate having surgery but as you say, sometimes there simply is no choice. I do hope that yours goes well and that you will soon be skipping around like a little lamb.xx
I'm showing my ignorance - what's a VATs procedure, please? I really feel for your poor friend who is obviously going through the mill at the moment, and I hope something gets sorted out for her soon. xx Moy
Video Assisted Thoroscopic Surgery. They put a small camera into the chest wall and use it to identify areas of interest or nodules for biopsy etc. This surgeon seems to have taken a film camera and crew around my poor friend's chest. Thank you for your care.
Our nhs is brilliant but sometimes does go wrong. It seems that we are at the mercy of these people and you just dont know where to turn when things go wrong. If you were my friend I would def want you at my side. It must be hard for you staying on the sidelines. I do hope you get some good news, fingers crossed for Friday x
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