...and More Fluid

I had another paracentisis again today after having an ultrasound yesterday of my abdomen that showed moderate amounts of fluid in my abdomen. We got more fluid today versus the last one a couple of weeks ago. Today we got 2.275 liters (imagine a 2 liter bottle of coke,though it is more the color of mountain dew) where the last one we got 600 milliliters. It is a relief to have the fluid drained off. My abdomen was rigid, I couldn't eat as much, I was short of breath, along with just being uncomfortable.

I am going to Phoenix the week of April 10th to visit my Mom and Dad. My Mom is enrolled in some clinical trials for her cancer so they won't be going back to Michigan this summer, so I decided to go out and see them in Arizona. We will have a nice little visit.

My voice is still only a whisper. I am doing speech therapy, but haven't seen much progress.

Have a great rest of your week.
Michelle

It's all about Fluid

On Tuesday, March 9, Bill and I met with the oncologist. We talked a little bit about the pain that had started back up though it wasn't hurting that day. The doctor suggested we might want to do another thoracentsis if the pain comes back and it wouldn't be unheard of doing one every 6 weeks. After that I got chemo. Bill stayed with me and we played a little cards.

Thursday I woke up and was hurting more than usual. We talked to the oncologist and he suggested we have a thoracentsis done that day to drain the fluid from my lung cavity. That went fine except my belly was pretty rigid. We knew there was fluid in my belly from previous CT Scans and we knew it was increasing.

The next day it seemed the rigidity went down a little,but was still there. Bill called the doctor again. He suggested we have a peracentsis done that would drain the fluid out of my belly. So we did that on Friday. So after having fluid drained out of my back and my belly I am feeling a bit beaten up, though I am feeling okay.

What a Beautiful Day!

Today is just an awesome day outside. It is in the low 60s, partly sunny with a quiet breeze. Bill and I took our cat, Kira, to the vet. She needs to have her teeth cleaned and needs to lose a couple of pounds. Otherwise, she is doing okay.

I got good news yesterday. My CA19-9 is down to 522. It was 606 a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time it has gone down since October 2009. Let's hope the trend continues.

My voice is still only a whisper. I went to see a speech therapist. She gave me some exercises to help my right vocal chord help compensate for my paralyzed left vocal chord. Up until now, it hasn't made an impact on my voice.

On Tuesday, March 9th, I have an appointment with the oncologist to discuss treatment options and for chemotherapy # 32.

Thank you for all of the prayers. Please continue to pray that the CA19-9 decreases.

Have a good weekend.

Michelle