We dealt with ascites with my mom. As far as anybody knew, it was from her liver involvement. Malignant ascites of the abdomen is very commonly associated with significant liver involvement. She was dx'd in June, and had visible abdominal swelling by mid to late October. It was not painful, but uncomfortable, because untreated you can swell to the point you appear to be 6+months pregnant and it puts pressure on your stomach, intestines and lungs.
The procedure to drain is called paracentesis and is a relatively simple outpatient procedure. At my moms first paracentesis procedure the doctor drained approximately 5 liters of ascites fluid from her abdomen (For reference, this is about 20 lbs, its a lot). The next two or so they also drained 3 to 4 liters. The fluid is a clear, I'd say lemon yellow color fluid.
This is OK, until your ascites becomes advanced and fills your abdomen too often. In the last few months of her life her ascites would need draining every two weeks or less. At that point it become more than just an annoyance--it was another burden, and in my experienced opinion, at that point a permanent drainage catheter that you can drain at home is a much better option . Even the catheter installation was an outpatient procedure. I believe she had about 3 outpatient paracentesis procedures before we opted for the drainage catheter.
My mom used the PleurX system seen below and I must say I have a good opinion of it. Easy to use, effective, and safe.
http://www.carefusion.com/our-products/ ... age-systemThings you can do to help slow the ascites include limiting your sodium (salt) intake and taking diuretic medication. This may help slow, but not stop, the ascites.
Please feel free to ask me here or PM me any more questions as I have personal experience with this as my moms caregiver.
Josh