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Urgent need of PleurX drain for pancreatic cancer ascites

GG2
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Hi

Please could you confirm if there is a manufacturing problem with this product, as my cousin is terminally ill and having pallative care at home, which includes the need to drain his abdomen on a daily basis due to the large amount of fluid build up caused by ascites. 

 

Sadly, he is being told by his nurses and GP that they are unable to get hold of the 1 litre bottles to drain his abdomen, which means his daily pain is severally increased due to the pressure of fluid build up and he is also unable to eat, as this increases the fluid build up.

 

Please could amyone come back to me with any information off how and where the 1 litre bottles can be obtained from for my cousin, who is based in the Manchester area of the UK.  

It's shameful that a human being should be left to suffer so much pain during his last few weeks of life, due to a shortage of the necessary equipment.

Thanking you in advance.

 

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    Hi GG2,

    I am very sorry to hear about the problems your cousin is having in acquiring the PleurX catheter for his ascites.

    Have you asked his GP, nurses, or more likely, his pharmacist, what the problem is and how soon they will be able to overcome this? If they don’t know, ask for the address and/or telephone number of the usual supplier and contact them direct.

    I am afraid that I know nothing about this drain, other than that it would have been invaluable when my mum was still alive and battling cancer 21 years ago. I would imagine that the most likely place to find this should be with a medical catheter supplier. I just did a quick check on the internet and found mostly American firms.

    I do hope that you can trace a supplier soon, as this must be very upsetting for your cousin.

    Please let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

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