Swelling and a couple other questions

mlgeorge

Hi. I care for my father who is 84 and was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer about 8 months ago. He is under hospice care at home and I am his sole caregiver. He has an aspira drain on each side. The right side fluid stopped (that's where the cancer started) and I drain 1000 ml from the left every 3rd day. The fluid color has gone from yellow clear to rust and back to very cloudy yellow. Any significance in this? Dad's appetite is okay although he gets full quickly. So far he's only complained of the occasional pain in his chest. He sleeps a lot and has lost a lot of weight. Still gets around pretty well. What has me troubled is that he has a lot of swelling in his face, hands, arms, and feet. The swelling in his face subsides as the day wears on but everything else remains. Is this a sign of spreading?

Our hospice nurse hasn't offered much in the way of answers other than saying that the swelling is concerning. In her defense though, no matter what kind of week Dad has had, he tells her that he feels fine. I figured that correcting him is of little use. We are due a new nurse this week so maybe I'll get some answers. Until then, does anyone have experience with this? Thanks

ClaCla

Swelling and Fluid Color

mlgeorge -- Ask the nurse to ask the doctor.  It may be that his kidneys or liver are not functioning well.  And maybe the doctor would want to give him something that would help with the symptoms.  Good luck.  God bless.