Cancer patient with dark urine and yellow skin

[mummynumnum]

Mil has stomach cancer and had jaundice before and then was fitted with stents. She isn't a well lady but has been doing ok. Yesterday though she had pain, her urine was tea coloured and she is yellow. Went to ooh yesterday. Gave abs even though no infection. They found protein in urine but sent her away telling her to speak to kings consultant on mon. They didn't even take bloods. She looks even more yellow today. Should I insist she goes back to ooh and they do bloods? V worried.

Sounds like blocked stents. Can you get to Kings A and E? Or your local one, if they have facility to change the stents.

We are in mstone. She doesn't want to go into mstone and talking about waiting to phone kings tomorrow. I am worried that one more day is already a v long time! She said she was going to ring ooh again or try for an emergency no on kings consultants line but she has disappeared upstairs and not sure what she is doing!

Sorr but classic signs of liver disease- could it have spread?

It is secondary breast cancer and in stomach and bones, so yes v likely to be spreading. Chemo stopped ages ago but has been doing ok till now.

Well she would probably be ok until tomorrow just keep a close eye for shivering or temperatures etc. it doesn't necessarily mean it has spread to her liver if she has already had the jaundice and it settled with stents. They do block off and it's rare for people to only need one.

I don't think she is going to get anywhere today as it is Sunday.

Unless she becomes very unwell in the meantime it would be best to phone the consultant who originally put the stent in on Monday morning. It is a very specialised procedure.

I know where I work we only put stents in Monday to Friday. We do have patients coming back to have another stent put in when the other one blocks.

I think she is happy to wait till tomorrow and no temp at mo. Both her stent procedures have been horrifically painful for her but the hospice took her in after last one and really helped with pain control. Doc yesterday said didn't that it was blockage as still doing toilet business. Who knows!!

Biliary obstruction would not affect her going to the toilet, and bowel obstruction wouldn't automatically make her jaundiced so not quite sure what the doctor meant...but anyway yes see what kings say tomorrow if she remains well over night. Going to A and E isnt necesssarily about getting the stents done today-its about if she needs IV fluids or antibiotics etc, and increases the chance of her getting an emergency stenting check tomorrow. I work in a major liver cancer centre by the way, so there is some basis to my waffling! Not at Kings though

It is the Common Bile Duct that is getting blocked not her digestive tract. It takes bile (the yellow stuff that make poo brown) from the gall bladder to the digestive tract.

When it blocks (either from a nearby cancer or from a gall stone) you become jaundiced.

I got the sense the doc was not sure. Think doc admitted as much. My concern is need for iv fluids etc but she does not seem overly ill today so may wait it out till tomorrow. Thanks for advice.

Hope they manage to get her sorted out quickly and with minimal stress for her.

Thanks