Chat with Dr. Reisfield, 23 Oct

I had Dr. Reisfield paged this morning to tell him about last night's chest tube excitement. He dropped by and spent about 45 minutes with Dad, Sarah and me. The best possible outcome of the pleurodesis is that the lung and chest wall are "velcro'd" together. That way, the nodules can't draw fluid into the chest cavity and the chest tube can be removed. Removing the chest tube means Grandma will be more comfortable and it will minimize the risk of infection. It is not curative and will not contribute to an improvement in her overall condition. I explained to Dr. Reisfield that we have been working on the assumption that Grandma will not have long after IV fluids are discontinued. He asked about her current intake of food and water and based on our answers, he said that her passing would be sooner rather than later.