Friday June 25, 2004: Spent a tedious day yesterday at the local hospital having fluid drained from my right pleural cavity. It began at 7:30am when I was admitted as an out-patient. Later I had a blood test, and then a CaT scan. From there I was wheeled to Ultrasound, where the precise location to insert the needle was determined. I had a local anaesthetic, followed by a capillary needle into the pleural cavity. Back to the ward for a long wait while it drained into a bag. So far, little pain, just discomfort. I stayed on the bed, enjoyed a lunch of soup, sandwiches and some chocolate cake, and two cups of tea (I was so thirsty). Finally I had a chest X-ray and was discharged at about 3:00pm. I slept very well last night.

 
Monday June 21st, 2004 I've been busy with editing Bonzer! and have overlooked writing my diary. Suffice to say that I'm now fairly comfortable with the C-PAP machine. Sometimes I wake up, aware that the mask is leaking air, in which case it's relatively simple to adjust it.
This week I'm paying a visit to the Heart Clinic at Box Hill hospital, and having a blood test, CT Scan and Aspiration at Maroondah Hospital.

 
Sunday morning June 13th 2004. I am really getting used to the C-PAP machine now. I sleep most of the night, and if I do wake up, it's a simple matter to slip off the mask, re-set the machine to the set cycle, re-fit the mask and go back to sleep.

The machine sits on my bedside table and looks like one of those small Japanese vacuum cleaners that you pull across the carpet. Except this one has no wheels. Like a vacuum cleaner. it has a long hose. But in this case it ends in a plastic mask, the 'nose' part of which is very soft and pliable. There's an LCD panel, some press-button controls, an on-off rocker switch and a water chamber to humidify the air. I found the two menus difficult to understand at first, but acting on the advice of the salesman, now ignore them and just switch on and off.

Currently, I plan to buy the machine once the rental period has expired in about 6 weeks. Although it's an expensive model, my health fund will subsidize the purchase price and make it more of a good proposition.

 
Friday June 11, 2004 Slept pretty well again last night, after using the company's advice to pause if woken, then resume at the beginning of the cycle.

 
Tuesday June 9th 2004 Had a very strange night. Started off well with the mask, but. as I had done the previous night, woke up at about 1:30am, feeling constrained and unrelaxed. I replaced the mask with the concentrator, which would normally carry me through to after 6:00am, but I awoke at 3:00pm. I dozed in the recliner chair in the living room until about 6:00am, got up, checked e-mails and returned to bed, sleeping until 8ish. As I write, with rain pattering at the windows at 10:30am, I feel drowsy and in need of more sleep!

 
Sunday morning June 6th, 2004 I've been remiss—I haven't posted for several days now. For the past few nights I've continued to use the concentrator, unwilling to face the mask, putting it off, making excuses. I'm losing weight—5 kilos in the past couple of weeks—which must mean that the edema is receding. I definitely feel 'lighter' and looser, and am not as obsessed about my pathology as I have been since Christmas.

Orietta is still home, but plans to return to school tomorrow. I need to get out on my scooter and shop today. It's very cold outside, down to 5ºC.

 
Tuesday 2nd June 2004 Seem to have a head cold, or viral infection, since my nose keeps running and I feel as if I have a cold! So I used the oxygen concentrator last night and slept quite well until about 6:00am. Orietta has a nasty cough and has decided to stay home for the day. She faxed her school with lessons for her classes.