Does stomach fluid cause pain??

midnte0708
midnte0708 Member Posts: 166
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Since the doc won't call me back and dad is in pain, I thought someone on this site might shed some knowledge on current problem, especially since this board is more informative than doctor anyway. Thanks...

My father is getting weaker by the day, jaundice, etc...and eating less and less each day since his liver tumors have grown, I think yesterday he one bite of a sandwich. He sleeps almost the entire day. (One week ago he was working full time, 10 days ago doc told him he has 8-12 weeks to live because the liver tumors have all increased in size. His liver is huge and stomach filled with fluid. We have a 2nd opinion on April 8th, if things continue like this he will never make it. Maybe it is already too late already????

My question :His stomach has been filled with fluid and today is the first day he told me he has pain across his stomach area. I asked the doctor last week about draining it and nurse called back with a "no," they reserve that to people who are having trouble breathing from the lungs getting pushed by the stomach. But doctor told me last week also that he will have no pain.
I called the office 2.5 hours ago to talk to doc and no call back yet. Could the fluid be causing the pain??? does draining it hurt bad also, I don't want him to go through more pain. Any suggestions or personal experiences????


Thanks,
Sue

Comments

  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #2
    fluid in the abdomen
    I didn't have any pain with the fluid, per se, but the tumor certainly caused pain! You know, if they won't drain unless he is having trouble breathing, then TELL THEM HE HAS PROBLEMS BREATHING!!!! It doesn't hurt to have the fluid drained, they numb the sight of the tube they are going to insert; so, actually, if you consider needle pricks painful, then the answer would be yes. However, the relief from draining off the fluid is IMMENSE and well worth it!
    mary
  • midnte0708
    midnte0708 Member Posts: 166
    #3
    msccolon said:

    fluid in the abdomen
    I didn't have any pain with the fluid, per se, but the tumor certainly caused pain! You know, if they won't drain unless he is having trouble breathing, then TELL THEM HE HAS PROBLEMS BREATHING!!!! It doesn't hurt to have the fluid drained, they numb the sight of the tube they are going to insert; so, actually, if you consider needle pricks painful, then the answer would be yes. However, the relief from draining off the fluid is IMMENSE and well worth it!
    mary

    Thanks Mary
    He said pain could be from stomach and I asked the doctor again about draining it and he said first my dad would need blood work to make sure the blood could still clot, etc...then he said they could tap the stomach but it would only last 3 days. Didn't you say it would last a week?? Maybe after 3 days the fluid starts to return and after 1 week it's full again. ....then he said he would prescribe pain pills to see if that helped first.
    Anyway, I keep pushing and now the doc is setting him up for home nurse visit to come take blood work after I called doc again (3rd time today), doc said they would come and check blood for clotting, etc...
    If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't keep pushing so hard so thanks for your messages. When I hit a brick wall i tend to stop and accept matters until I start reading on these boards. They are my lifeline.

    Sue
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #4
    midnte0708 said:

    Thanks Mary
    He said pain could be from stomach and I asked the doctor again about draining it and he said first my dad would need blood work to make sure the blood could still clot, etc...then he said they could tap the stomach but it would only last 3 days. Didn't you say it would last a week?? Maybe after 3 days the fluid starts to return and after 1 week it's full again. ....then he said he would prescribe pain pills to see if that helped first.
    Anyway, I keep pushing and now the doc is setting him up for home nurse visit to come take blood work after I called doc again (3rd time today), doc said they would come and check blood for clotting, etc...
    If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't keep pushing so hard so thanks for your messages. When I hit a brick wall i tend to stop and accept matters until I start reading on these boards. They are my lifeline.

    Sue

    sure it will return
    but hey, think about it this way, even without draining the fluid, the tumor (or liver) continues to produce fluid ... draining the stuff that's there, or as much of it as you can, helps your other organs to function somewhat until the fluid returns to an unmanageable level once again, then you go and have the fluid drained off again! It's certainly not a cure for the fluid build-up, it's merely a way to make your father more comfortable until a more permanent solution can be reached! As far as blood clotting, sure, the catheter inserted into the abdomen produces a wound, and I can see that it would be important to know that the wound is going to heal once the fluid is drained, but we're going to assume this is normal or he would be having more issues! Mine always scabbed up just fine, no more issues than when they access my port for IV therapy! You keep at them and insist they do everything possible to keep your father comfortable! The thought that my comments here could possibly help your father be more comfortable is an awesome thought indeed! You go girl!
    mary
  • jcavanaugh
    jcavanaugh Member Posts: 100
    #5
    Hello:

    My dad is in the same boat. It began in September 2008 for him. He had pnemonia during August and after that he had fluid in his somach. We tried fluid pills all through the winter until Mid-March. At that point, he had the stomach drained. He did mention that he had pain but he still had some pain after the stomach was drained. It is no big deal to drain the stomach. He just had it done again this week. The fluid did come back. He went about 2 weeks between draining it. After this time, the doctor increased his fluid pill dosage. If I were you, I would get a second opinion about the drainage situation. My dad does not eat very much either and he has lost a lot of weight. He is down to 160. He used to weigh 185. He has been off of chemo since the end of February. I thought that he was on a break but recently found out that until he gains some weight, he cannot go on chemo. I hope this helps.

    Jennifer
  • Kanort
    Kanort Member Posts: 1,272 Member
    #6
    Advocating!
    Hi Sue,

    I am so sorry your father is having such a hard time, but he is so blessed to have you advocating for him. Mary and Jennifer have certainly given you first hand information. Please continue to come here for support.

    Sending you strength during these difficult days.

    Hugs,

    Kay

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