PLUMBING PROBLEM

I don't read the comments on this blog often, but if you have written asking questions about surgery, I will answer with this comment. What Superior Vena Cava syndrome consists of is a plumbing problem. The blood that should go through the SVC can't, so it has to go around it. That creates a backup of fluid in the upper body. Someone said the swelling was so bad that the arms were weeping. Mine didn't get that bad because it came one slowly and my body had time to adjust to the problem. Adjustment to this plumbing problem means growing new smaller veins to reroute the blood back to the heart. In my situation this means that the process has directed the blood flow to the Inferior Vena Cava. Many people develop larger veins just below the entrance of the SVC so that the lower portion of the SVC continues to work.

It is a hard thing to say, but surgery doesn't pose a very good risk/benefit ratio. I chose to avoid the surgery because the risk of death was so high. In the end, I think this was a good choice because my body did eventually grow new veins. It has been a long process, but I'm glad that I was a patient with patience.