Severe swelling around pulmonary & SVC

[camperic]

Since Dec I've experienced shortness of breath & dizziness when excersising. I started off by seeing my cardiologist and ran ekg,eeg, and CT scan. Orig CT came back with fluid in chest, but was overlooked or not a concern to Dr. Then in Feb my sternum sarted to swell. I was admitted to Swedish Hospital after a CT showed swelling behind the heart on the SVC. the thought was lymphoma. A Biopsy through the windpipe was performed and cancer was ruled out. I started speaking with Infectious Disease Dr, and the plan was to go through the sternum to take more samples.

2 days before surgery the swelling looked like a giant pimple. The thoracic surgeon lanced, drained, and sampled the infection. They then did a bone scan and saw a potential infection around the wiring in my sternum from the last surgery.  They did the new biopsy on 3/12 and took 20 samples. Nothing grew for 2 weeks, then P. Acneas grew and a mold, both of which have been thought to be contaminents and not true cultures.  Since the last biopsy I had a drain in my chest and it oozed for 6 days. I've had a esophogeal echo which showed that my St. Jude Vavle, and root were in great shape. I've been on azithromycin,fluconazale, rifampin, and levaquin
Last week 4/2 I had another CT done and it showed that the swelling had increased and was putting additional pressure on my pulmonary artery, as well as the SVC.  My Infectious Dis. Dr & my Cardiologist agreed that itwas time for me to come back into the hospital where I sit, while everyone is baffeled as to what I have.
They've taken me off all antibiotics and are taking blood samples. I had a biopsy through my windpipe on Wed., it hasn't grwon anything. Yesterday they put in a triple lumen in order to start treating me with Vancomycin. Then today they removed the wiring in my chest from the previous Aortic valve replacement surgery. As mentioned earlier there has been some severe swelling above the knots that are tied by the wires and they have shown signs of infection. This has been tough to explain because it has been 3 years since the surgery andI've had no issues with wires. On monday I will have an MRI done with a chemical that will tag my blood cells so that they can tell if there is a mass of white blood cells around the area nearest to the pulmanary & svc.  Then on Wed. the plan is to go through my rib cage under my arm pit and remove the swelling to that area. They will leave a drainage in to allow the swelling to drain off.