A new step down the road to transplant.

If the fluid cant be reduced by diuretics then the only other option is the Paracentesis procedure . Have you had it done yet ? You mention a hospital visit from ascites but no indication of what if anything was done . It's not like they are poking you with a pencil and if done properly doesn't hurt anymore than a normal hypodermic needle . Your belly is a tender spot so sure it's gonna hurt more than say a shot on the arm and the stinging feeling is for the brief second it takes to poke you , The rest is sitting there watching your stomach deflate . I dreaded sitting there for 5+ hours at the hospital from check-in to check-out more than the procedure . I instantly felt 100% better typically after it was done . You'd be surprised at the reduction of stomach diameter we the fluid is removed .

The hernia may be filling up with the fluid in your stomach . The pressure of the fluid on the intestines can cause the intestine to be pushed through the internal opening in the hernia , That may cause the intestine to kink when it pushes into the herniated area . This is what happened to me . My hernia never really bothered me other than the obtrusion itself and was always soft feeling like a half full water balloon . When the intestine pushed through it got hard and very irritated . If this happens go to the ER immediately , If the intestine kinks ( Gets pinched ) it can rupture .

Sorry your not feeling better but hopefully you'll be o.k till you can get to the G.I .


A. Ziffle

Hi Susan,

One tip they gave my dad was to limit his sodium intake to 2grams or less a day. They may also suggest fluid restriction. I also heard something on NPR about how a doctor in San Francisco uses an abdominal binder to push the fluid back into the veins and through the liver. It probably takes a lot of monitoring and adjustment to make sure they aren't causing any other complications though. This sounded like a great idea to me, but when I brought it up to my dad's GI doctor, she looked at my like I was crazy.

Hope this helps.

Ziff, I've managed to get a couple of binders after hernia surgeries. I just asked while in the hospital. I've also bought a couple of binders that are like Spanx, but much less expensive. None of these are to be worn right after abdominal surgery. Incisions have to heal some and have no staples or drainage.

Hugs,
Connie

Thank you all so much for the replies. It was a harrowing three days in the local hospital. My NYC hospital could not take me, as they are the only hospital up and running in the southern part of Manhattan after the storm. Plus of course, it was Thanksgiving.

I finally saw a gastro who read the CT scan of my abdomen and said it was fluid free. My liver numbers were off from their usual state. My bili is usually in the 1.somethings, and it went up to 3.7, which was quite alarming. They found an ovarian cyst and I clued them in to a breast lump so now I have to follow up on those.

They ruled out ascites, so they went on to look for the source of the infection causing me all this trouble. My whole stomach was distended and tender to the touch. The umbilical hernia still hurt from the pressure, but fortunately, the hernia is made up of fat, not intestine, at least for now.

I had taken Xifaxin, which totally messed up my lower intestinal system. I had been off it for a while, but that drug is associated with C-diff, so I was in isolation the entire time, which was nice, having a private room.

Finally they ruled out C-diff, and they kept looking for other nasty bugs, but I assume by that time the IV cipro and flagyl had done their job, because I finally started feeling better. On Thanksgiving, my temp was up to 103 and by the time I left on Saturday, it was finally normal again.

So, some nasty bug got me, and it affected my liver, causing the labs to go a bit askew. Fortunately, none of the numbers got really crazy. And like I said, the labs are back to their normal abnormal selves.

Thank you so much for the description of what exactly they do when they remove the fluid via a needle. My imagination involved large bore needles and buckets to catch the fluids. Not a good image.

The local hospital did ok, and I even found the MD who will be my local gastro, and I found the breast surgeon that I will stick with for now. Both of these MD's seem really terrific, great credentials, great staff, great bedside manner, etc. So, tomorrow I start working on following up with the gastro, the breast guy, and the obgyn. Just more fun!

I am very thankful for this trial run to see how things might go if my liver took a fast turn for the worst. Hopefully, it will never do that after a holiday right after a hurricane. (I had no power for over a week).

Thank you all again for your help.
Susan

Connie,

My local hospital is Huntington Hospital on Long Island, and my hepatologist is at Beth Israel at Union Square.

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts. It is so much better to feel better.

Susan

St. Vincent's was closed a year or two back.

It was in 2010. They went bankrupt.