pleural effusion, shoulder pain - hospital questions?

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minxie
minxie Member Posts: 484
edited July 2017 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

I was told yesterday by my onc that my last CT scan showed pleural effusion. When I told him i had no symptoms, we didn't discuss further. Last night my shoulder, which has been acting up, caused me excruciating pain. I'm thinking they are connected. The thing is, he's out of town until the 11th. On the 11th I start my first dose of a clinical trial. If the pain continues, I think I may have to go to the hospital. If I do and they drain it, how long is the hospital stay? I really can't miss any work. I have no shortness of breath though my pulse ox was only 95. I can hear crackling when I lie down. What would indicate a need to go to the hospital ASAP?

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  • Sadiesservant
    Sadiesservant Member Posts: 1,995
    edited July 2017

    Hi Minxie,

    I wish I could help but I did not have shoulder pain with my PE. I had shortness of breath and a persistent cough. Is it possible to find out from the CT how much fluid is there? If it is only a small amount it may be of no concern. If it is enough to cause you trouble with breathing they can drain about a litre off by thoracentesis. I had this as an out patient procedure before they finally inserted a PleurX Catheter.

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited July 2017

    Ditto sadiesservant here.  95% oxygen saturation is not all that bad especially if it's at a time when your heart rate would be low.  In addition to my pleural effusion, I had a small pericardial effusion, but it resolved itself during treatment for my mets.  So if your effusion is small, your treatment for mets may resolve it.  If you get SOB, that you should report that to your MO.  I don't think the shoulder pain is related, but if it doesn't clear up, you should report that also.

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