Water Retention

[carista]

Ok, my anxiety is kicking in again because I've been starting to retain a lot of water again. I'm retaining so much that I can't see or even feel my ankle bone. I'm over 5 weeks past my aortic valve replacement surgery and won't be seeing my cardiologist for probably about another month so I would like to know if this is something I should worry about. I'm out of town in Ok and really would rather not have to make an urgent care trip if I don't have to, but I'm just worried about retaining this much water right now. I've been feeling fine and I was told I did have a little water around my right lung,which I've been taking Ibuprofen for and don't know if this could have anything to do with is. Am I just being a worry wort or should I make a trip to the ER? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Oh by the way besides the Iburofen the only medication I'm on is Lopressor which I am currently weaning off of right now, so I only take one a day right now, don't know if that matters or not but thought I should mention it.

Thank you for any help and advice you can give me!

Carista

[KristiinSD]

but I think I would make a call to the dr. I think it sounds like pretty significant water retention if you can't feel your ankle bone! The visiting nurses always checked for swelling, so I think its a concern. I believe I read that if it doesn't go away after staying off your feet for several hours, that it is time to call.

Good luck

Kristi
mitral repair
11/30/05

[Marguerite53]

Carista. I think the water retention is a concern. You have been travelling (how many hours by car? by plane?) which could add to the problem. Still, I would at least call in for advice. It is okay to call doctors in the middle of the night......they sign on for that!!

I'm still pre-op, but I know there has been discussion here about water retention. Did you try using the Search button?

At any rate, please call and speak to a medical person....there might be a nurses station in the cardiology ward at the local hospital there in OK??? That might save you a trip to emergency..

Good luck. Let us know.

Marguerite

[geebee]

Carista,

You may have already acted on this but, if you haven't, you should (at the very least) call your doctor. This amount of edema cannot be good; it is indicating something is wrong.

It may something as easy as taking a diuretic but, if you have fluid in your lungs or around your heart, you may need treatment.

Sorry to scare but this can be a sign of something serious.

[Mary]

Carista,

I have developed a chronic problem with fluid retention, so I feel somewhat qualified to give you advice. I would call your cardiologist, or whomever is on call for your group, tell them you've traveled out of state, and see if they will call in a prescription for a diuretic to a local pharmacy. If you're only 5 weeks out, you might even call your surgeon's office.
I imagine that the retention has been exacerbated by your car ride, but once you start to hold extra fluid, it is terribly hard to get rid of.
If none of these suggestions work, then you might need to visit an ER. I think I read somewhere that NSAIDS can contribute to the retention, but I'm not positive.

[LUVMyBirman]

With the others on this one. Some individuals are just prone to retaining water. With or without the help of heart concerns. Happen to be one of them. I did retain in the adjustment period after surgery. Mild diuretic did the trick. If you go this route.... make sure you keep the potassium levels up. They can deplete with diuretic use. Eating bananas and or an RX for liquid potassium may be noted.

Take care

[carista]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I followed them and called the person on call from my surgeon's team and he said I should definately go see a doctor here and then the cardio when I get home. He thinks it can be that there's more fluid around my lung, but I thought if there was a lot of fluid you get chest pain? Anyway, I'm probably just going to go to an urgent care in the area and see what happens....I'm sooooo sick of going to Doctors and hospitals!!! I just wanna be normal :mad: Yes I'm whining, I know. Yes, many people have it worse than me but for cryin out loud I'm starting to dislike Doctors even though they're the ones that saved my life.

I'll get over it. Let you guys know what I find out. :(

Carista

[perkicar]

Carista,

You may have already acted on this but, if you haven't, you should (at the very least) call your doctor. This amount of edema cannot be good; it is indicating something is wrong.

It may something as easy as taking a diuretic but, if you have fluid in your lungs or around your heart, you may need treatment.

Sorry to scare but this can be a sign of something serious.

Gina said it all. I had alot of swelling in my lower extremities that developed about a 3 weeks after my surgery. We jokingly called my ankles "cankles" since I didn't really have much of an ankle, just one big calf extending down to my "loaves of bread" feet. They put me on 80 of lasix in the morning and 40 at night. I had a mild pleural effusion as well as a pericardial effusion which caused the problem.
Please get it checked out!

[geebee]

Carista, honey, whine away. We have all decided that OHS (or facing it) gives us a license to whine. Sure, some people have it worse than us, but I have heard people with a cold whine more than some of the members on this site.;) :rolleyes:

Fluid around the heart or in the lungs will cause pain eventually but it doesn't always at first.

I understand the "getting tired of all this". Sometimes it seems like, when you are feeling your best, that's when something comes along and slaps you back down. It happens to us all and, sorry to say, will probably not be the last time for you.:( :(

So whine away, ask for help and we will all get each other through.

Good luck at the doctor visit.

[Karlynn]

Whine all you want Carista dear. When you're 6 months or so post-op, no one around home will listen to you anymore. Then if you have kids - your whining is pretty much over for eternity. (But you can always come here to whine.)

So whine whine whine. I hope your water retention turns out to have an easy solution.

[aussigal]

I am assuming you have gotten some relief now...and see you called the docs for advice...

just wanted to stick my head in and let you know we are still watching out for you...and hope you dont end up with "cankles" :( .

and we shall be waiting for you to come back and whinge some more..cos you are allowed to!:D .

as Gina says we have earnt our right to whinge here...

[Georgia]

Carista - hope things are better by now. That's why we have instructions to weigh ourselves every morning - that water gain can be sneaky and the heart really doesn't like it. And yes, ibuprofen can certainly cause water retention.

Please let us know how things are going.

[carista]

Ugh. I'm so tired of trying to make appt's, and snotty secretary's. Ok, so I went to the ER in Oklahoma, explained I was retaining water, got admitted. Do you guys always have the problem of one doctor telling you one thing and then another saying a whole different thing? I'm so sick of that. Anyway, they weighed me, I was 10-15lbs more than my usual, and my blood pressure was 177/109! They gave me an x-ray and the ER doctor told me I had fluid around both lungs now (before it was just my right) and that either my heart was enlarged or I had fluid around my heart. She told me my heart looked like a 70 year old woman's heart.

OK, first thing I tell all Dr.'s and nurses that don't know me is that I have anxiety. Anyone guess what this did to my anxiety? And no, she wasn't a cardiologist. So she calls my surgeon's on call dr. and he says give me an echo. I get that done and have to wait for the one cardiologist there to look at it and tell me what's going on. In the mean time they gave me 40mg's of Lasix through my IV. I kid you not, every 10 mins I was up peeing, which was good I know, but also annoying.

So the cardio finally comes in and tells me I have congestive heart failure which caused the fluid around my left and right lung and water retention. But also said that my echo looked good. My valve seems to be working properly and my heart rate is fine. I asked him if my heart was enlarged and he said no. He told me his guess is that for maybe a day or two my valve wasn't working properly which caused the heart failure and then basically fixed itself and got back on track. Does this sound right to you guys? So I was released with a prescription of Lasix and told to see my cardio right when I got home. (Which by the way, is a pain in itself. He's booked till March she said and will have to get a hold of him and call me back.)

This is long I know...thank you soooo much for listening and helping out! I have a couple questions. The right side of my neck is just killing me. I told the nurse that when I was in and she asked if I wanted pain killers, but I had gotten valium which seemed to help it a little so said no. I asked them if this was a cause of the fluid or if I just must have done something funny. They just told me it could be from this. Has anyone had this before? I mean the pain in my right neck is pretty bad. I got Bengay, which helps a lot and take tylenol but it still sucks. Any other suggestions? And has anyone else had this same pain from this? It's just the right side of my neck. Ok, forgot what else I was going to ask so nevermind lol.

Thanks for any help.

Carista

[Nancy]

Carista-

What gives with your card??? You are having difficulties that need immediate attention, not when he or she decides to make your appointment for you. You need an immediate appointment, not some other time down the road. Those kinds of appointments are for follow-ups or regular office visits. What you need is an urgent appointment.

Absolutely do not be imtimidated with any person answering the phone. Ask to have the doctor call you back and talk directly with the doc. And do not wait long to talk with the doc. Keep calling until the doc calls you back. And if you get a snotty person, then tell the doc that you do not appreciate that.

You should never be afraid to call your doctor with a problem that needs immediate attention. That's how many people get into terrible trouble. They don't want to make a pest of themselves.

This is your life, and you are PAYING your doctor to help you, especially when you have urgent needs. They are not just there for regular appointments, they should be there for you for emergencies as well.

ALL doctors can fit urgent appointments in.

[Georgia]

Tell the snotty person on the phone that you'll call the doc at home. If that doesn't budge her, do it! The doc needs to know that critical calls are being ignored.

I lost 14 pounds in the hospital when I had chf and they gave me iv lasix. That's a lot of water. I'm sure you felt better once you stopped offloading all that fluid.

[rbl1999]

Hi, Carista, first of all I am sorry you are having all these problems. And I agree with Nancy DO NOT take no for an answer from office staff when you are having problems. I had fluid on my left lung for about 5 months post op, the pain was really bad. I finally got smart and would call the doctors answering service just before the office opened and would have him paged. Sure saved me a lot of hassle. He would call me back within 5 minutes. Hope it all works out for you.. Rose

[carista]

Yeah I know. I don't just give up when they're snotty, but I should just be snotty right back and give them a taste of their own medicine. I just believe you should treat other's the way you want to be treated, I have to get really really pissed to freak out on someone. Anyway, my cardiologist was already gone for the day which is why I couldn't set the appt up today, but she said tomorrow she would call me with an appt. They take me seriously eventually, but always at first they're snotty and I want to tell them to go f off. Sorry, I'm crabby.

When I first called to make the appt, the secretary said all snotty.. "Well you made an appt. and didn't show". I told her, no I didn't, I cancelled it due to us leaving out of town for an emergency, and I can't help it if you guys didn't cancel it when I called. I mean, I have other things to worry about, like I wanna be bugged about a stupid appt. that they didn't cancel when they were supposed to. What does that have to do with anything anyway??? I have no doubt my cardio will get me in asap once he hears about it. It's just the process that's annoying.

Anyway, my neck feels much better, my husband asked the pharmacist about it when he picked up my lasix for me and he gave my husband something that he thought would help and it did, thank god. It still hurts, but not much between that and the Bengay.

Man, I've said it before and I'll say it again... I don't know what I would do without you guys to vent to. I'm on such an emotional roller coaster right now, it just seems so hard to have to keep seeing doctors when I feel so good. Even when I was retaining all that water, the only side effect I really had was shortness of breath. But I still felt great. It's just weird and makes it that much harder to keep going to the ER and Doctors. Anyway, I'll keep you all posted after my appt. and let you know what my cardio says.

Thank you all so much once again!

[geebee]

Carista,

I am sorry you are having so much trouble with this but happy you had it checked. Your weight gain and BP were indications you were headed for trouble and the Lasix (as annoying as it can be) got you started on the right path.

If you are having problems connecting with your doctor because of snotty front office people, talk to your doctor when you meet. Ask for a cell phone number or an email address for emergencies only. Make sure it's understood that it will only be when there is no other option and you will probably get the contact info. If you don't, and the problems continue, time to find another doctor.

Good luck.

[Kathy Canistro]

Hi Christa,

My cardiologist's staff just plain stinks. I am made feel that I just am the biggest bother to them. I like the doctor and I have been with him 25 years since I first got endocarditis in 1980. They even had me feeling bad for them since he was such a jerk. I have since found out that he is jerk because they do not cut the mustard. Keep on them it's only you that you have to care about. I have stopped worrying about them at all. Think of you and what you need and if possible change, that is not so much an option for me because there is only his office with 3 doctors in it and same stinky staff.

Take care
Kathy

[KristiinSD]

your situation sounds painfully like my own...ER visits and complications that are kicking my tushie! I would bet the neck pain is referred pain; I was at the ER yesterday because my ribs hurt so bad and today its my shoulder!

I know 6 months from now we will both look back at this and ....well maybe not laugh, but perhaps realize how far we have come.

Hang in there girl!

Kristi
mitral repair 11/30/05

[carista]

Kristi - I sure hope you're right!

Anyway, last night I was sleeping and my husband was out and about. He called me to see how I was doing and woke me up. All of a sudden I just felt like crap. Felt like I had a fever, felt naseous, no appetite even though I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and my heart rate was 90, which since I've been on lopressor hasn't gotten higher than 56. So I called my protective husband and he said lets go to the hospital. Of course I said noooooo. So he called first and asked if I should. Of course they said yes considering my history and that since he wasn't home to bring me the best thing would be to send an ambulance. Next thing I know there's cops knocking on my door and a stretcher comin in. :mad: Yes, I know better safe than sorry, but an ambulance??? I was mad at my husband lol.

Anyway, went to hospital had x-ray, blood tests and finally received some good news. Fluid is practically gone from around my lungs, and everything else looked fine, except I had a small fever of 100.3 or something. Doctor said he's pretty sure I caught something and the fever is what elevated my heart rate. But of course I would get sick right now...:( He just told me to make sure I saw my cardio asap and gave me something for the naseau and let me go. Shortest hospital visit ever, thank god!

Just though I would update...oh yeah, he said I wasn't in heart failure either. Phew :D

[perkicar]

The CHF thing is really scary--being a nurse, it freaked me out the first time my BNP came back elevated. But quite often it becomes elevated due to fluid overload, so it sounds like now that you've pee'd your brains out (not literally of course, but isn't that lasix just miserable!) I'd be willing to bet your BNP has dropped significantly, probably even into a normal range. I got yelled at at one of my cardio appts (well, not yelled at but serious rolled eyes at, which was OK because I LOVE my cardio) because I commented about listening to my lungs and not thinking I sounded "wet" (like there was excess fluid. He told my friend to take away my stethoscope LOL.
So keep taking the lasix. Are they having you do any potassium supplementation to counteract all the fluid (and probably K) that they're pulling off with the lasix?

[carista]

No, but he told me to try to eat banana's or something in the mean time and that he suspected my regular cardio would supplement me with something. My appointment is tomorrow (or today I guess now) at 3:30pm so I'll find out then. I suspect I shouldn't have to be on the lasix anymore cause I don't think I'm retaining any water anymore and I'm actually worried about getting dehydrated. Last I knew my blood pressure had gone down to 140's/ 80 so it had gone down quite a bit. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back to normal!

We'll see! Keepin my fingers crossed! :)

[ALCapshaw2]

My Cardio tells me to always take a Potassium supplement (I have an RX for those) whenever I take Lasix since Lasix depletes Potassium. If you are on a heavy dose of Lasix, banana's just don't deliver enough to make up for the loss of potassium.

'AL Capshaw'

[Nancy]

Potassium management is not "guessing" at the level. It is done with blood tests. Too much is dangerous, and too little is dangerous. It has to be just right.

Those with chronic renal insufficiency and/or liver or spleen problems (advanced CHF issues) have to be careful. Potassium can build up in the system.

Upon Joe's last ER admittance, his Potassium levels were dangerously high. They had to give him several IV push meds to get it corrected.

And his dose has been lowered.

Al's right, bananas, however good tasting, are not the answer. Blood tests will tell the doc where you need to be with Potassium supplements.

[lohoppie]

I hear the frustration in your emails and I just want you to know you are not alone. Im so sick of Drs and appointments and feeling like a 90year old woman when Im only 34. And I also understand feeling like one Dr says one thing and another says the opposite. I try to look at the positive which is that this is almost six weeks behind me and I get stronger every day....hopefully you are also and when Im at the end I try to remember people that are facing much worse illnesses or god forbid someone with a sick child. This helps me put it all in perspective ....I really wish you the best and remember time heals all!

[carista]

It was sooo nice to talk to my own caridiologist! I told him the experience I've been having with all the other doctors, he couldn't believe some of them.

Anyway - Everything is great! He thinks the reason I had so much problem with retaining water was due to a high sodium diet. Man, did he hit it on the head. First question he asked me...So on your way down to Oklahoma (cause we drove by the way) what did you have to eat? I knew it right when he said it. I told him...junk. Mcdonald's, junkfood. You know when you're driving you don't wanna take the time to eat well, you just want to go. So...oops. I'll never do that again! He gave me info on a low sodium diet, told me I was healing exceptionally well and it was pretty common to have these problems so soon after surgery and even told me I could do what I want for cardio exercise!!! I was sooo excited. He told me my only limit was if it caused pain. I can't lift weights for 6 more weeks he said, but I can live with that. I'm off all drugs except Lasix which he told me to start weaning off of. What a relief! He also recommended my husband call the valve nurse from now on if he has any questions so that way I don't end up on an ambulance anymore :D

I have to say....another woohoo is in order! WOOHOO!! Here's to no more amublance trips and weird docotors!!!! ;)

[Barbara Stewart]

Boy, Carista, I'm with you! I'm so sick of doctors and going to see them. I've been at this since May since my first valve replacement failed, So I"m doubly sick of this.
Yes, I get two different sets of information from two different. Makes it hard to trust someone.
I had my second surgery in Houston and I live in San Antonio so if I need to see my surgeon immediately it is problelmatic so I'm going to just find local docs to se me. My cardio here in SA is very sweet, but somethimes I wonder if he is aggressive enough.
Keep us informed on your progress and start staying focussed on your own recovery. You don't say what the emergency was, but was it absolutely NECESSARY for you to to go? It is hard for us women to be self centered but that's what is called for here.
OK, end of lecture, but whining IS PERMITTED.
Barbara