I know that with heart failure it’s important to look out for fluid but just how do you know it’s there or check for it please. I know to press skin on ankles but how do you Chen around the abdomen other than constantly weighing?
Forum is such a help - thanks everyone!
Hello gardener, I too would be interested to hear replies to your question. I have been monitoring my weight daily since diagnosis of heart failure but sometimes (like on holiday) it's not possible to do this so it would be useful to have some other indicators of fluid retention. Perhaps the ankles are where it goes to first and they are the easiest place to spot. When I was first diagnosed, this caused me a lot of worry so I understand your query!
Thanks - like you we tend to worry a bit about it but don’t know how much of a daily concern it needs to be!
Hi Gardener
I too weigh myself every day except when on holiday! I treated myself to these really good scales on Amazon which show how much weight you have gained/lost since your previous weighing!
My cardiac nurse said to look out for your shoes becoming a tighter fit. I should imagine that clothes becoming tighter round the waist would also be a good indicator for the waist.
Let’s hope that the fluid stays off for us all!
Ann
Thanks - we do watch his belt (hard at Christmas and on holiday though !) and shoes is a good idea. Thanks for your help.
Fluid retention is not an easy one but advice given so far is good eg shoes feeling tight. I was also surprised to be diagnosed with fluid in my lower back. I get pain there but only when I stand up IF there is fluid. I am on salt free diet and that has made a huge difference to the fluid build up. The heart failure nurses asked me to weigh each day but warned me that if the weight went up by 2 or more pounds in one day it is more likely to be fluid. My husband, also HF patient drinks more and never puts on weight though we eat the same food. As I said, it's not easy.
Many thanks. Maybe needs to weigh more often than we had thought then
Thanks for your help
Fluid retention for me meant swollen legs and the biggest giveaway was being severely breathless. Now having got it sorted I have been able to reduce my Furosemide from 240mg per day down to 80mg and occasionally can go the odd day with missing it out altogether. Biggest problems I had was planning to go out as could only visit places that had a loo and I'm afraid my Sat Nav is not quite that clever.
Did you reduce fluid intake in order to lessen the problem then?
Fluid intake had nothing to do with it for me I just produce an awful lot.
Thanks.
Hi, I am having an issue with taking water pills to stop this happening so I have to keep a careful eye on my weight and watch the ankles as well. I am still taking a very low
dose of duretics every other day as I worry if my weight changes or my ankles look puffy.
My Cardiologist would like to wean me off them permanently. I try to concentrate on what I was like before. Its always been normal for me to retain a bit water so I don't worry too much if my ankles are a little swollen in the evening. I get concerned if they don't go down quickly or are puffy in the morning as that's not usual. I try not to worry if my weight goes up a little especially over the last few days. I know I have not been good and that's why my weight is up. The normal thing for me is as soon as I get back on the straight and narrow the weight will drop quickly if it doesn't then I may have an issue. My GP told me that my weight would increase rapidly and I would feel bloated if I was retaining water the odd pound over a few days should be ok. I am currently on a phased returned to work and I have found that as have got more active then water retention has been less of an issue. I hope you find a way round this but really watching the weight and ankles is the only way I only weigh once a day and keep a diary. My GP suggested the diary as I could look back over it and reassure myself if I was concerned as there are likely to be good reasons for a gain e.g I have eaten out and so on.
That’s very helpful thanks. Trying to create a path between being sensibly careful and slightly paranoid! You obviously have a very common sense approach which is definitely the way to go without letting the condition dominate life more than necessary
I do try! Sometimes it fails!
Hi. My heart failure nurse told me that fluid often accumulates around the abdomen in younger patients and that can be harder to spot than the ankles - less visible there. As well as all the good advice you've already been given, another symptom to look out for is loss of appetite, I think just because everything in there is getting a bit squashed. Good luck x
Another useful pointer - thanks !
Fluid retention after CABG
water retention problem
Water retention on holiday in Lanzarote 
