Help with ascites

Posted by asingh90 @asingh90, Jul 14, 2023

Hello everyone, my mom is an advanced pancreatic cancer patient. She had the whipple in July 2020, but the cancer came back a few different times starting in Dec 2021, but we were able to handle it through surgeries. She recently left an immunotherapy trial that targeted her particular genetic fusion. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and she began getting ascites during the trial. Since April, she had to get drained once every three weeks, but now it is 1-2 times a week. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to handle this? She has not received chemo and will he staring her first course very soon. The ascites is making her very symptomatic, but she feels a lot better once it is drained. I’ve heard some things about the at home catheter. Thank you for your advice

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We were told these catheters are well tolerated and should provide relief and help with both appetite and bowels. Spouse will be given it soon so we don’t have to schedule hospital trips every few days for another paracentesis (3 so far). He has also been given IV albumin to help replenish the protein lost in the ascites.

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