Fluid Retention

           Thank for the reply Connie & CB, Connie you are always reliable to answer my post even when you have been through so much the last few months. I have been reading all your post but not posting or giving any of my advice. I was on the Spironolactone 200 mg.,s plus tweaking the meds with the Metalozone. I bottomed out on 08/31/2011, waking up at 3:00 A.M. with cramping, anxiety, nausea and clouded judgement. My girlfriend said I was pale, white as a ghost. She drove me to the Leahy Clinic in Burlington MA. emergency room. I was too sick to make it to the Mass. General Hospital in Boston, MA. where my Liver doc is. My sodium level was down to 126 and Potassium was 131. For the past few nights before that I was just getting catnaps and waking up with cramping in my legs, feet, calves and toes, sometimes fingers. I felt like sicker than ever before. They kept me overnight giving me lactulose, and shots of Zofran for nausea,a 1 mg. Ativan and  hooked me to IV solution for dehydration in the ER. Then stopped the IV a quarter ways through the bag and the ER superviser called my Liver doc for instructions. Admitted at about 12: 30 P.M to my bed where they resumed IV solution bag, another shot of Zofran ( about 3 or 4 shots during admission), another ativan and some Magnesium Oxide. I asked the nurses what about my regular meds. I do not know why they did not give me them. They discharged 09/02/2011

9:30 A.M. I asked the male nurse is this because I have Medicaid. He said why did you come here this place ##cks. I think this was the first time maybe I was entering the 1st or beginning stages of Hepatic encephalopathy the previous days before admission.

       Cablepoodle a baked potato has more potassium than bananas for the cramping. I had about 3 paracentisis in a 3 month span when my fluid was like your boy friend or hubby. I been in his situation with the pregnant skeleton look, but never hospitalized for that length of time. Again thanks for the reply and hope everything goes well for all of us. I am still not a hundred per cent. Made appt.'s to see PCP and Liver Specialist next week just resting over the weekend. BostonMike. 

Mike, you have certainly been through it the past few days!!  Get some rest over the weekend.  Did you receive any instructions about your diuretics?  Any changes?  When can you get to MGH to see your hepatologist?  I hope you will be okay until then.

Hugs,

Connie

Mike, thanks for clarifying.  I do believe you slipped up there by continuing to take the diuretics w/o having the required blood work.  I have been cautioned about changing my diuretic dosages "at will," but am doing fine on 20 mg of Lasix and 50 of Aldactone twice a week, so am not going to mess with it.

Hugs,

Connie

     I used to be on the same dose as your husband 40/100. It was not doing the job with the fluid retention, so they doubled my dose 80/200. I try to eat no-salt added foods & beverages keeping it well under 2 grams or 2000 mg.'s of  Sodium. It's a real hassle, but if the fluid retention gets worse it creates problems for me like cramping. Hope his docs get his fluid problem under control.

      I have had 3 taps and they always do an ultra sound and mark the spot with a black magic marker before a frontal side paracentisis. Mine were opposite the liver side, on the left side. Sometimes you get an experienced doc and sometimes you get a nervous med student just out of med school. There should be a doc to oversee the med student. Every time I had one it was a big relief for me. BostonMike.