[Pam P]

Sheila,
I'm sorry to hear of all that's continuing in your life. You are dealing with so much with your parents illnesses and your own treatment as well. I pray you can all find relief soon. You are in my thoughts daily.

I've had the thoracentesis to drain the pleural effusion done 4 times. I'm wondering if the avastin has caused this since it has caused you so many other issues. My pe enlarged a little when I was on avastin. When I was on taxotere I developed pe in both lungs. I had to have each side drained twice over the course of one summer. They also tested for cancer cells in the fluid and thank God there were none. They think it was caused by the taxotere. I still have some pe in each lung but very minimum. Each time they drained the fluid they took off about a liter and it made a huge difference in my breathing. No the procedure wasn't 'fun' but it was such a relief to have the fluid gone. One thing I remember well is I had 3 different doctors who did it. With one doctor it was horrible, with the other doctors it wasn't bad at all so I think the technique and skill of the doc can make it a very different experience. Be sure you get a good one.

You are in my thoughts and prayers... I hope you'll have a chance to check in after you seen your oncologist next week and let us know the plan. Pam