Hi There,
the fluid will keep coming back until chemotherapy dries it up. I am sorry to hear about what she is going through. it is so rough!
please keep us posted
best wishes
Hi Dr. Goodman,
For two days after the procedure my mom was feeling great. She could sleep and eat and her spirits were up. Then she started loosing her apetite and feeling sick whenever she ate. Her stomach is still distended and hard as a rock (although not as distended was it was before), is this normal? How long, after a paracentesis, does it take for the stomach to shrink, if at all? Her oncologist's response was "I told you so, I told it would come back".
We might have to schedule another procedure this week if an ultrasound shows fluid. Is it possible for ascites to accumulate so much fluid in a week?
Thanks again Dr. Goodman.
Dear Sandra,
thank you for the follow up. How is your mother doing now?
take care
Thanks for your prompt response Dr. Goodman.
We had to take my mom to the ER again yesterday. She was getting worse. She had pain when she ate and drank and even vomited a few times. The doctor did an xray to see if there’s an obstruction. There wasn’t one, so he sent her to do a CT scan. The clearly showed the fluid and her performed a paracentesis right then and there. He drained 4 liters of fluid! 4 liters! When just on Thursday her clinical trial nurse (and doctor) said the other doctors were idiots for saying she needs to get this done. They tested the fluid to see if it’s infected and it wasn’t so we took her home.
I know she’ll have to do this procedure again, but for now the pressure is relieved and she can focus on getting better.
Thanks again Dr. Goodman, I really appreciate it.
Hi Sandra,
Thank you for your detailed information. The two types of xrays that are really helpful in seeing fluid or ascites are ultrasound and CT scan. Sometimes physical exam can be misleading especially if the abdomen is distended. So if either of those types of xrays did not show ascites, the cause of the distension is either tumor or bowel distension. If the CT scan does not show a larger sized tumor, then it must be her bowel.
if she is really uncomfortable or in pain, I worry about a bowel obstruction. the bowel can be blocked either in the small intestine or in the large intestine. Sometimes a large intestinal obstruction is hard to diagnose on a regular xray but a CT scan should be able to see that. The other option is to get a gastrograffin enema (like a barium enema but with water soluble dye). You should ask your mother's doctor about those possibilities.
Please let us know what happens
take care