Arnold's health notice

Spoiler Alert: the following is an update on my health condition, a subject which has probably been given way too much coverage in the past three months.  The bottom line is that I’m doing well and, following currently  planned treatments, expect to be as healthy as one can reasonably hope for a 68 year-old with Parkinsons.  You can now comfortably skip the rest of this essay.

When I last reported, the life-threatening constriction of my pharynges  which was responsible for my 19 days in the hospital during January and February was still a puzzle to my doctors.  The constriction was possibly the result of infection, pneumonia, or allergic reaction to a medication.  A trach tube was placed to bypass the obstruction and the tube remains in place, an uncomfortable inconvenience.   While one part of me wants that out NOW, another part of me says it’s a small price to pay to keep me from another emergency admission and the possibility that I won’t make it in time he next time.  I also have a direct gastric feeding tube in place should my throat become so constricted that I cannot eat or drink normally.

Yesterday, my head and neck surgeon fed a scope into my right nostril and down to the problem area in my windpipe.  Comparing that to the way I looked last month and the month before, he recommended laser surgery to remove  “redundant posterior pharyngeal mucosa” loose flaps of tissue that appear to serve no purpose except make it more difficult for me to breathe.  Instead of having a wind pipe that is one inch  in diameter, I have one that in places is barely the diameter of a drinking straw.   When aggravated or irritated, even this small opening begins to close up. 

The surgery is scheduled for this coming Friday, April 19, around mid-day.  As currently planned, it will be on an outpatient basis.  That means no overnight stay in the hospital.  For the first couple of days following surgery, I will likely need to eat through my stomach tube.  Two weeks following surgery, if the airway has been sufficiently cleared and enlarged, the trach tube can be removed.  Yayyyyyyyy!!