One of my biggest challenges with this cancer has been the fluid build up. After draining the abdomen twice the doctors decided on a permanent port that I would drain at home. It stayed in for two months until it got infected. Because of the infection the scars are worse than any of the others that I have.
I ask the doctors why I have so much fluid in my belly and they give me a few reasons:
- The cancer that I have leaks fluid
- The body builds up fluid to protect itself
This time around with this recurrence of cancer, my lungs have been filling up. After the doctor has drained a liter of fluid off of both lungs twice, he stated that he would have to put a port under each arm so that I could drain at home. But thank God the chemo has helped the fluid remain stable at about half full.
I asked the doctor why I have so much fluid build up in my lungs this time. He said that there are three reasons that I have fluid:
-The cancer is leaking fluid
- The fluid in the abdomen is looking for more room and leaks into my chest wall and eventually into my lungs
- The lymph system is unable to do its job and move the fluid because the cancer in my lymph nodes is clogging my lymph system.
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