I had surgery to remove a lymphangioma that was puffing up along my collarbone and putting pressure on my esophagus.  It was at once barely noticeable and glaringly apparent.  If you weren't looking for the puffiness then it was easy to miss, but once it was pointed out people wondered how they missed it.  How often do you really look at someone's collarbone?

It has been quite an adventure dealing with insurance!  I was in a mild catch-22 as I needed to see a thoracic surgeon to get this resolved.  The surgeons I called were reluctant to see me until I had a CT scan, but the insurance would not approve a CT scan until I saw the surgeon.  A little cajoling, along with desperate pleading, managed to get that sorted out.  Fortunately, I lucked into a spectacular surgeon!  Shortly after seeing him, I was scheduled for surgery.  The CT scan has since been approved by insurance.  The surgery was more than a week ago and I have not heard a peep either by way of a bill or further insurance notices.  I expect there is some back and forth, but the surgery was necessary and much better done sooner, so I will deal with insurance as it comes.

I was lucky that my Mom was coming through Atlanta for a rare visit the weekend before the surgery.  She stayed an extra couple days to see me through.  I can't be sure, but I suspect that I was released from the hospital only a few hours after surgery because Mom, a nurse, was with me.  I was told to expect to stay overnight, but since I brought my own personal nurse who was going to look after me, I think they were comfortable letting me go.  I owe Mom big time for getting me out of the hospital early!

The incision is healing beautifully, though it does itch a bit on the inside where the internal stitches are still poking around.  There is also a hole in my chest about an inch below the collarbone where they put in a very irritating drain!  No sign of infection anywhere and it is great to swallow again without the pressure on my throat.  I could swallow, but it was starting to require concentration due to the slowly building pressure.  I was back at work after a couple days, but I took a break from flying because of the discomfort involved with moving my neck.  I will be back in the air soon, too!