Griffin - still getting bigger

Griffin's chest is just huge now. And the the fluid from that chest swelling is filling up his left leg and between his legs. He's stiff and walks very carefully. I talked to the vet yesterday (but one that doesn't actually see many horses, because the two local equine vets are BOTH on vacation!!!), and seeing how we can't handle him, they didn't think an exam would do much good, and he didn't want to give antibiotics if we don't know what the problem is. He said that if it seems localized right now (just in his chest) that we should just wait and see. If it seems to go systemic and he gets really depressed and loses interest in eating, then he said call, and we'll get some antibiotics into him somehow. Maybe if he actually gets that sick, we can work up a chute with some panels and he won't put up as big of a fight. I hope it doesn't come to that. I don't know what else to do for him. I really am sick of dealing with sick horses that I can't even get close to. I am going to try the pole with him. I think that this situation calls for some now gentling, and maybe he's slowed down enough to think through it. He does seem like a thinker if not pushed to hard. I cleaned out his pen yesterday and he was just fine with me swinging the pitchfork around. I even "trapped" him in the barn and was cleaning in the front part. As I would leave with a pile to dump outside the pen, he would advance, as I would come back, he'd back a couple steps, and we did that dance for a good half hour. He was letting me come pretty close in that confined area by the end, but then again, I was just ignoring him (talking to him once in a while - telling him he needs to quit peeing in his hay in the barn cuz it gets stinky).