By the fourth day in the hospital, my wife seemed a little brighter.
The fluid draining from around her heart had decreased significantly. Even the color of the fluid appeared to be changing. What had initially looked dark red and blood-stained was gradually becoming lighter and more yellowish. To us, it felt like a sign that things were moving in the right direction.
Apart from requiring supplemental oxygen and having blood pressure that remained slightly lower than usual, there did not appear to be any major warning signs. The doctors and nurses continued to monitor her closely, but overall the day felt calmer than the days before.
The biggest concern remained her appetite.
It was not that the hospital food was bad. In fact, the meals looked perfectly reasonable. The problem was that she simply had no desire to eat. Even the smell of food seemed difficult for her to tolerate.
Throughout the day, she managed only a few small sips of milk and water. Watching someone you love struggle to eat even the smallest amount can be surprisingly difficult. As caregivers, we often focus on test results, scans, and procedures, but sometimes the most worrying thing is seeing a person lose interest in food altogether.
One positive sign was that she seemed to be urinating frequently. After weeks of fluid retention, swollen feet, and abdominal bloating, seeing her body finally release some of the excess fluid felt encouraging.
Day four was otherwise uneventful.
No new procedures were performed, and no unexpected complications occurred. Instead, we spent the day waiting.
The surgical team confirmed that the pericardial window procedure was scheduled for Saturday at 6:00 PM.
Knowing the date and time made everything feel more real.
At the same time, the doctors informed us that samples collected from the fluid around her heart would be sent for advanced genetic testing. These tests included K-4CARE and LiquidMARK (7 Cancer Types) with an additional ctRNA analysis.
We did not yet know what those tests would reveal, but we hoped they might provide important clues about how the cancer was behaving and whether new treatment options might be available in the future.
For now, all we could do was wait for surgery day and hope that the coming week would bring good news.
In the next chapter, I will share our experience on the day of the pericardial window surgery and the emotions we faced while waiting outside the operating room.
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