Ascites Fluid

Mom's weight gain this month is good news.

Why?

This is good news because it means she is able to consume calories without experiencing extreme discomfort. Before she started going to the Mayo Clinic, she could not eat much at all because of the ascites fluid buildup in her abdominal cavity. The ascites fluid is caused by the cancer.

The fluid buildup was so great (they took out 30 liters of it - or 7.9 gallons in October and November) that it forced her internal organs out of their normal position including the stomach and intestines -- and this meant the food would not go down her esophogus and if it did the intestines could not properly digest it. A couple weeks ago we were talking and Mom recalled that whatever she ate, "it just got stuck in my throat and wouldn't go down."

When they did the abominal taps, her organs eventually "migrated" back to their normal positions and she could begin to consume solid foods again and her body would digest it correctly.

So the ascites fluid is one of the reasons why she lost so much weight so fast (close to 100 pounds in just about 8 months). And the fact that the chemotherapy treatments are keeping it from building up again means that she can consume more calories, put some weight back on, and build up her strength.