RBG status update 11/24/19
0/ I posted several tweets yesterday on the current hospitalization of SC justice RBG, which were not easy to view. Hence, reposting them below, followed by more of my analysis of the situation.
0/ I posted several tweets yesterday on the current hospitalization of SC justice RBG, which were not easy to view. Hence, reposting them below, followed by more of my analysis of the situation.
1/ To follow up my post from 10 days ago, it seems that the "stomach bug" is not going away. Of course they are hiding the underlying pancreatic CA that is now likely growing at the margins of the radiation ablation treatment. startribune.com/ginsburg-hospi…
2/ Their goal 3 months ago appeared to be not for the cure, but for stretching her functional lifespan to as close to 2020 summer as possible, by which time confirming her replacement would become more politically challenging (as getting too close to Nov.)
3/ Now, it's becoming harder to control their narrative as the cancer recurs with the vengeance at the margins. The fact that she's having fever and chills (signs of a systemic infection) suggests that the tumor has invaded into adjacent vital organs such as liver,biliary tree...
4/ or it could also mean her tumor is now reblocking her biliary tree (recall that she got a biliary stent placed in Aug). Blocked biliary ducts can cause sepsis leading to fever and chills. If she is having a reblockage despite an existing stent, her prognosis is not good.
5/ I mentioned 3 months ago that I'd be very happy for her if she is still out and about by X'mas. I'm sorry for her that my concerns weren't misplaced. I now have grave concerns for her that the chances of her recovery from this are slim to nil.
6/ If she were an ordinary person, we would be talking about hospice referral and management of end of life affairs. As before, I wish her all the best and hope she could enjoy her precious final moments with her loved ones.
7/ Another point: you don't ordinarily transfer a patient with routine infection to JHH 50 mi away, especially because Sibley is a perfectly capable hospital. This indicates that there is something serious going on.
8/ Upon further review, there are a few possible causes of her symptoms (GI symptoms followed by fever and chills). It could simply be that her stent was blocked or was failing. If that was the case, she would already have gotten a new stent by now at JHH. .....
9/ But how about her tumor? She got just the radiation treatment back in Aug. That most likely didn't have clean margins. She got no chemo. Over the past 3 months, the tumor was sure to regrow at these margins. ........
10/ These must be contributing to this most recent bout of biliary obstruction and sepsis. Now, the radiation treatment is no longer a good option. The growing tumor would likely continue to invade the adjacent vital structures and metastasize. .....
11/ She must be feeling very tired and painful from all these. There is no way she can function normally on the court in the very near future. I would predict she will have to leave the SC in the next 3 to 6 months. Best of luck to her.
