 Brazilian media is reporting that ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will make an emergency trip to Brazil after allegedly suffering intestinal burns during his radiation treatment in Cuba.
| Differential diagnosis based on what little we know includes radiation enteritis, an inflammation of the bowel from the radiation beam hitting it, chemotherapy induced colitis (similar), colonic infection (C diff), obstruction (not mutually exclusive with enteritis), bladder inflammation from radiation (cystitis), metastatic spread of his tumor (whatever the primary location was) and certain other things. The enteritis could be significant, particularly if he has an obstruction, and metastatic spread would be ominous for him. |
Chavez, who in June of last year revealed that Cuban doctors had removed a cancerous tumor from his abdominal region, has been going back-and-forth from the island nation for treatment. The Venezuelan leader had returned to his country on Wednesday night from radiation treatment in Cuba.
"So far, fortunately there hasn't been any adverse reaction to the treatment," Chavez said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. "All the exams that have been carried out have shown positive results of physical recovery."
However, the Brazilian daily O Globo reported a rumor from Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda that Chavez could be headed to the hospital Sirio e Libanês in Sao Paulo.
| One wonders why his own country can't take care of him. They used to have decent health care for the middle class and wealthy... |
"People close to Chavez fear that it is too late for a new treatment here in Brazil, which could have started long ago with the offer made by President (IgnacÃo Lula da Silva) and President Dilma (Rousseff)," O Globo reporter Merval Pereira wrote.
Chavez refused treatment in Brazil due to the Brazilian hospital not being able to provide the level of security and privacy he wanted, including blocking off hospital doors and searching all hospital visitors while Chavez was interred.
| He could have pretended to be a Saudi and gone to the Cleveland Clinic... |
| Wait -- interred? It's a Fox News report, so that can't be a language issue... |
The rumors of Chavez's trip to Brazil cast not only his chances in Venezuela's upcoming presidential elections in jeopardy, but more so his chances of winning his battle against cancer. While he has given little details about his treatment or his condition, Bocaranda seems to believe that the radiation applied in Cuba could have been improperly aimed and caused the burns.
There is also speculation that Chavez suffered intestinal problems that could have originated from the metastasis of his cancer.
| Yup, either or both. He just might not make it to election day. That means there's going to be a shooting war in Venezuela real soon, as his Marxist pals will do everything and anything to stay in power. |
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