It's called "ascites" and it is the pooling of excess / fugitive fluid pooling in the abdominal cavity - and Cathy has developed it over the last two weeks. The 5-6 month "pregnancy" look is the result and Cathy could no longer tolerate the pain. Thus, we spent 7 hours of today in the ER at Delnor awaiting tests, results, and finally the "paracentesis" whereby the fluid was removed.
Cathy didn't sleep last night so when they finally gave Cathy some Dilaudid [pain killer], she rested deeply ... for ten minutes at a time as I had to "force" down the solution she needed to drink before another CT scan. That, in and of itself, was not easy as Cathy already was so swollen that she didn't have the room for more, and yucky at that, fluids in her abdomen.
The paracentesis / tummy tap was very painful even with local anesthetic as they poked a needle into Cathy's abdominal cavity. A lot of fluid was removed and she's a tired ragamuffin so I'm hoping sleep will breathe new life into her frame tomorrow.
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