Late last week we had become concerned about some larger purple bumps forming in a couple places along Karen's incision and scheduled an appointment to see the general physician. That visit was yesterday. Karen had a CT scan directly preceding the visit with the chemotherapy specialist last Friday. They didn't expect to find anything; it was to be used as a baseline for comparison against future CT scans, to see if cancer is developing. However, the general physician was able to tell from that CT scan that there was some fluid build up along the incision. He lanced the areas and drained them. It was clear fluid and not infected, but said it's best to let them drain.
Since he was looking at the CT scan he said it was clear of cancer, as should be expected at this point. He also said that while he didn't see a fistula, he couldn't rule it out. However, the treatment for a fistula is an ostomy, which Karen already has. So while there is reason to be concerned about it, it's just something to keep an eye on for now. Lastly, he seemed pleased that Karen's weight loss has all but stopped - less than a pound a week - but he would like to see her gaining weight again before starting chemo, as that is likely to cause weight loss as well..
