Two Thoracentesis and MORE Fluid!

A few days after the latest thoracentesis, with 1.5 liters of fluid removed, I am still coughing like a mad-woman. It is exhausting and it is the weekend. So what do I do?

I decide that maybe I should start taking a more proactive approach to this cough, and start using my Advair and Allbuterol every twelve and four hours respectively, and see if I cannot knock this cough to the curb; I even tried Mucinex; all to no avail.

And if the cough is not aggravating enough, it seems as though luck has decided to aid in the development of thrush in my mouth, too. Of course, being that  Advair is  a corticosteriod, and a side effect of using it frequently, is a fungal infection in your mouth, I have no doubt that this is likely the cause. I tried to offset this side effect by rinsing my mouth after use, eating yogurt and taking a pro-biotic, but it did not work.

But get this! I have another crazy theory. The thrush did not appear on my tongue, until my husband started making a sour dough starter on the hearth of our fireplace, which would logically put more yeast into the air, right?  And with more yeast in the air, would it make any sense that that would contribute to the yeast infection on my tongue? We talked about it and realized that I have been using Advair, on and off during the past six years and that this is the very first time I ever developed thrush, in my mouth. All interesting nuggets of information.

Soooo, he threw the starter away and within two days, my mouth was halfway healed; co-incidence?? I don't know, but definitely interesting., and worth mentioning.

At any rate, Monday rolled around, and  since I was still coughing and had a half-crappy tongue,  I talked to my most awesome doctor, here in Boise, and she prescribed Nystatin, for my tongue,  and a chest x-ray, "just for fun", for my cough.  I have had a sneaky suspicion that there is more fluid in my pleural sac,  as my cough has gotten worse, and I have been short of breath going up stairs, despite the latest throracentesis.

Since it has been less than a week since my last thoracentesis, and I have been on a Sprycel break, I am not a happy camper! What the @#$% is going on now?? It just doesn't make any sense that I should have MORE fluid!

At any rate, we head to town, pick up the prescription, and go to the Imaging Center, for ANOTHER x-ray ; after the gal takes the x-ray, I take a look, and what my untrained eye tells me is that I have a fairly large pleural effusion in my left pleural sac; AGAIN!

After talking to my doctor, she confirms my suspicions and recommends that I see the pulmonologist to get his take on the situation. The fact that the fluid just keeps returning, despite being off of Sprycel, and having it removed, is not only frustrating, but concerning as well. Getting to the bottom of this, before we leave for Europe, is essential.

Fortunately for me, the pulmonologist has an opening in two days.....so the saga continues!

Maybe my next update will hold the Golden Key, and I will have some answers soon.