Thoracenticis-Lung Mets

[hope]

Well I met with my pulmonary specialists about my increasing shorntness of breath. I looked at my latest chest scans and there is not only some progression in right lung tumors but quite a bit of plural effusion too. So last Friday I had a thoracenticis done, in which a catheter is placed in the plural spce between the lung to drain fluid. I was so shocked they drained 550ml of fluid! No wonder I coudn't breathe right. They sent the fluid for testing for ER/PR and Her2neu again to see if things have changed in the right lung. I am currently ER/PR- and Her2+++ elsewhere. My onc said that they could have been a mutation and that a small number of people around 8% that this has happen to. I will get results hopefully tom.

I was wondering if any of you have had this done and how do you feel afterwards. I had some minor pain and soreness in lung but that has subsided so has the heavy feeling in my right lung but I still have shortness of breath and feel very fatiued. I hope this did not disturb the big tumor in right lung. I will talk to my pulmonary specialist tom. but wanted to get other opinions. Continue your prayers for me. Hope

[StephN]

Madubois just posted here about her lung talc procedure and the draining prior to that. She says it made all the difference for her. She has continued on chemos being Inflammatory.

Are you doing some breathing exercises?? Sometimes they send you home with those tube things with the little balls that you suck into to increase your lung capacity.

Yes, keeping you in prayers.

Hi, Hope. My mom was having thoracentises weekly for about two months last year when she was on Navelbine and her cancer was progressing. She felt pretty much how you described afterward, with the pain and soreness. Her shortness of breath and fatigue were related to how much fliud she had (they drew off between 1 1/2 to 2 liters a week). Since she was filling back up so fast every week, she was always short of breath. At one point her oxygen saturation was down to 82%.

We switched chemos and got the effusion under control, so she can breathe better and her oxygen sat is back up to around 95%. We opted against the talc procedure, b/c when she's on a chemo that works for her, the effusion is not a problem.

I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this. We regularly keep you in our prayers.

Regards,

Stephanie, daughter of Marie
San Marcos

[madubois63]

Dear Hope - I had thoracentesis done twice - both times they removed 2 liters of fluid. Removing the fluid certainly relieves the pressure making easier to breath, but the fluid kept coming back. I was exhausted. Going to the bathroom was my one "outing" for the day. I lost a lot of weight even though I hardly moved out of bed. The thoracic surgeon said I was breathing with my neck muscles and burning more calories than normal because of it. I then opted for the pleuradesis (when they seal the lungs with the talc)...best thing I could have done! You will probably be a walking barometer for a while. It was explained (and I felt it) that when the air pressure in the atmosphere changes (wind or fronts) it also put pressure on the lungs. Weird but true. Within a few weeks of the surgery, I was painting my daughters bedroom and doing my normal routine (not as fast but good enough for me...). I doubt very highly that the procedure irritated the tumor. If you have any specific questions please ask - email or the boards... madubois63@aol.com

Get and have done Pluerodesis. It can be lifesaving. Too much throcentesisis is dangererous, drainining and in most cases the fluid comes back and you keep having it done. I had 20 of them before a GOOD surgeon said, "you need surgury". By then my lung was collapsed, fluid loculated and I had a thorocotomy---a very serious surgery. A GOOD surgeon will not just shoot talc in there--that is "old school". Pulmonologists do that, but a surgeon will not. If the lung is not collapsed and he has to fix it, he will use a three-pronged scope to look at your lung and he will carefully seal the lung with one of three medicines--bleomycin, talc or WHOOPS! i forgot...another antibiotic I think.

nitrogen mustard (same as mustard gas they used in World War I)--historically it was used for pleuridesis