The Battle of the Pleural Fluid

Mark and I met with Dr. Campbell this evening. We hoped for some clarity on why I have been feeling so awful. We had the results of a CAT scan from Tuesday and tumor marker numbers from a blood test on Tuesday as well.

We didn’t get the clarity we were hoping for, but we did get this… We are still winning the War (though I usually shy away from these “war on cancer” analogies, it works in this case). My tumor marker numbers were drastically lower–great news. And the CAT scan showed mostly reduced tumor activity with only a few nodules increased slightly in size. So, on paper, I’m doing fine. But. I feel awful most of the day. So it’s the Battle of the Pleural Fluid that we are trying to resolve to get to the bottom of why I’m so nauseated, etc.

This will take us back to the Interventional Radiologist to get the pleural fluid resolved faster. We will be making calls in the morning to try to get seen by him. Dr. Campbell is deferring to his expertise on the mechanics of draining the lung–there may be other options than the bulky lung drain I have in now. In addition to the physical draining, Dr. Campbell will be putting me on a new chemo to try to dry it up as well.

So, grateful for our position in the “war”, Mark and I are embarking on the Battle of the Pleural Fluid. With the unflagging support we have around us, we must be able to turn this one around. Thank you for your prayers. Dearly.