Pleural effusion

Hi

So sorry to hear about your dad's horrible diagnosis. My dad was diagnosed in September and stayed reasonably active until January. He was always in pain but was prescribed plenty of liquid morphine which kept it at bay most of the time. Perhaps he was fortunate that he didn't have much fluid in the lung. They tried to drain it but were unsuccessful. 

In December he started to have problems with his leg which was numb and he had a lot of falls. Presumably the cancer was putting pressure on his spine. 

After a few weeks he started to have difficulty in swallowing and was prescribed a Fentanyl patch which was very effective in controlling the pain. He died peacefully on 20 January. If the Fentanyl patch hadn't worked he would have been offered a syringe driver but luckily he didn't need one. He got an electric heat belt which helped and also tried Tens which was sometimes helped.

We were rather shocked at how fast dad deteriorated and it seems to be typical of Mesothelioma. 

My dad had support from the local hospice team and I hope your dad has too. 

April

Sorry to see that you had to come on here. My mum was diagnosed last April presenting with a plural effusion. They ended up removing fluid, sealing with talc and doing a biopsy at the same time. She has not had a problem with the effusion since which is great as it really was a problem for her initially - she too had pockets. But the operation dealt with this. 
have heard good things about the drain too though - obviously not as ideal as dealing it, but if it takes the pressure of his lung then that’s good. 
Hope they can sort for him and best wishes to you all.

Thank you. He is well apart from pleural effusion and the amount of weight he has lost. Fortunately he is in no pain and we are hoping a drain can be fitted. We’re waiting on a ct scan to see if the pockets will cause a problem with this. He too had biopsies at the same time as talc added. Glad it worked for your mum and hope she’s doing okay. Take care