ellen666
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Posts:7
My husband was diagnosed 4/12 with sclc/ext. Mets to spine, pelvis and now brain mets. spent 10 days in hospital for pain control. Had an intrathecal pump but in. While in hospital had a port put in as well as finished wbr and pelvic radiation. We are home but his feet and ankles are really swollen. His belly is huge as well but it has been for about 6 months. In the hospital they gave him lasix for two days. The day we left his input/output was the same so they discharged us. I don't think he is urinating enough. They sent a nurse the day after discharge and she recommended his feel remain elevated otherwise he may leak fluid. What are your thoughts on reasons this could happen.
Thank you
Ellen
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Reply # - April 7, 2013, 09:23 PM
Reply To: sclc ext
When someone is very sick from any of a bunch of different causes, such as infection or cancer or a severe auto-immune disease, the blood vessels become leaky, and people often develop very swollen feet and ankles. The decreased urinating could be because when the fluid leaks out of the blood vessels, it isn't circulating back to the kidneys to be filtered and make urine. This is a complication called third spacing (the "third space" is the compartment of the body that is out in the tissues, not circulating in the blood or lymphatic system).
I don't know if there might be a role for any additional systemic therapy (i.e., chemotherapy), but otherwise I fear it's related to the cancer itself and a marker of the general harmful effect the cancer is having on his body.
Good luck.
-Dr. West