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Pleural Effusion to be drained Tuesday 7/21--UPDATED


fillise

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It's usually no big deal, and your mom should feel a lot better after it's done. I sat on the edge of the table and watched the ultrasound monitor while the radiologist guided the needle into the pocket of fluid. He said I would feel the need to cough as the fluid drained and the lung started to expand, and he was right. Really, the only other thing I felt during the entire procedure was the little skin prick where he injected the numbing anesthetic. They had me hang around in the recovery area for a while to ensure there were no complications, which there weren't, and I would gladly have it done again if necessary, which it hasn't been. Best wishes and Aloha,

Ned

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Thanks everyone. She has been really uncomfortable for the past few days. I think it is more apprehension about the procedure than anything else, but I also think the fluid might be increasing as well.

Ned--I called her and read your post to her. She seemed to relax a bit after that. She has it at 1pm EDT today. Then, hopefully she will feel better and can relax a bit before we see the oncologist next Tuesday. I fly up Monday night.

Susan

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Thanks for your prayers and good wishes. I just talked with mom and the procedure went fine. She said there was nothing to the procedure, but she is a little sore now that it is over. They drained about 1 liter of fluid from her. She is home now and sleeping off the percoset.

So now we wait to get the results next Tuesday.

Susan

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Thanks for the update, Susan. I'm glad things went well. You mentioned in another post (at GRACE?) that the fluid was a dark rusty red color. My liter had a similar appearance, and no cancer cells were found in the fluid, but because of other characteristics noted during my exploratory surgery I was declared to have a "presumed" malignant pleural effusion. I was already IIIb because of two clinically separate nodules in the same lobe, so whether or not I had an MPE had no effect on my staging under the old system. Under the new system I think an MPE would push the staging up to IVa, but since your mom is already IV I don't know how significant the presence or absence of cancer cells in the fluid would be. That would be a good question for the oncologist next Tuesday if he doesn't offer that information up front.

Tell your mom we're proud of her! Aloha,

Ned

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Great news Susan. I had 2 liters of bloody fluid and did have adenocarcinoma cells in the fluid. I agree with Ned though, I don't know how the absence or presence of cancer cells in the fluid would change anything. Keep us posted anyway. I'm so glad it went well for your Mom.

Judy in Key West

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Thanks Ned and Judy for the information. Yes, since she is stage IV already, malignancy in the fluid wouldn't change that. But this entire time she has been symptom free in her lungs--no real SOB, no difficulty breathing or anything. So I'm wondering if this means that the primary in her lung is growing. I think that would make the real difference in that it has been pretty indolent until now.

Susan

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Susan, I can see how that would be a concern. But I was symptom-free before the pleural infusion. Mine was malignant and didn't come back for more than a year. And then it was just a little fluid and still no symptoms beyond fatigue. Your Mom is a trouper. Here's hoping and waiting for the best possible results.

Judy in Key West

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