Symptoms Spotlight: Ascites with Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk

In this Symptoms Spotlight episode, Abigail Johnston and Melanie Sisk are joined by Dr. Jill Tirabassi to talk about ascites, the buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity that can occur with metastatic breast cancer and liver disease. Dr. Jill shares both her medical expertise and her personal experience, explaining what ascites is, why it happens, and how it shows up on scans. The conversation covers symptoms to watch for, including abdominal pressure and pain, abdominal distension, shortness of breath, back pain, leg swelling, and itching. Dr. Jill describes her own paracentesis, a procedure to drain the fluid, and how life changing the relief was, along with other options like diuretics, dietary changes, and drainage ports that can be managed at home. The hosts also discuss when to bring specialists like hepatologists or interventional radiologists onto your care team, and why ascites is not always caused by cancer itself. Sometimes it is the treatment, and switching therapies can reverse it entirely. Above all, this episode is a reminder to advocate for yourself. Your quality of life matters, and pushing for interventions that help you feel better is always worth the conversation with your care team. This is general information, not medical advice. Always talk with your own doctor about your specific situation. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and leave a review — it really helps. Follow us on social media @livefromstage4 and visit our website at www.livefromstage4.org (http://www.livefromstage4.org/) for show notes and links.  Your support helps us continue to share important stories and advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Until next time, take care and keep pushing for progress.