Ascites not responding to diuretics

[KT60]

My husband has ascites and dr has increased spiro to 150 mg as opposed to 100mg since upping the dose he doesnt seem to be urinating as much also he has just been told he has very small hcc which is going to be ablated has anybody had problems with ascites and water tabs

[dckimberly]

hi there. Yes, at a certain point, and they did not say why, the tabs stopped working for me. This actually seems to be quite common. It's often accompanied by the kidneys slowing down.

For me, they started draining me. Prior to transplant the need for a drain got closer and closer in time. They were also, at the beginning, high amounts of fluid. some days between 19 and 21 liters.

I was offered a tips shunt at one point, which is a bypass through the liver, but we were still deciding when I got the call for transplant.

Since then I still have the ascites, and just this past week had the shunt put in. (they tried medication briefly, but my kidneys could not handle it, and the fluid was getting worse. But the ascites I have now is due to the fact that my new liver is going to fail, mechanically)

It will take a few weeks to know for sure if the shunt is truly working or not.

I still do not go to the bathroom a lot. This is normal, the kidneys being effected with liver disease. It's because, along with the spleen, it is working overtime to try and help the liver with the jobs it no longer can do.

I hope that my experience can help you in some way.

Please let us know how you get on!

Cheering you on!

Kimberly

[millymo]

Before my transplant I had terrible ascites, the water tablets had stopped working and my kidneys were starting to get affected so I had many drains, not very pleasant but draining was the only way to treat my ascites. I hope your husband gets sorted soon, good luck.

[Bermuda1]

150 mg is not a high dose however , so maybe it needs increasing again. The max is 400 , mine didn't get properly under control until I was on 200 , and then the fluid slowly came off. I never had the need to urinate masses as many people do. I however have now not had to take them for 18 months and no ascites. So he has a long way to go before thinking they are not working. If its his kidneys not clearing properly they will be able to tell by his blood tests.

[angse in reply to Bermuda1]

Hi Bermuda did the Ascites go away on its own just interested as I don't go to first much on spirolactone and frusemide

[Bermuda1 in reply to angse]

Yes it gradually became that my liver seemed able to deal with it more, although each time they took down the dose it took about 3 months for my liver to get used to it. Not that I would get ascites, but just more general fluid whilst it was learning to adapt. At first they put me on 50 and then 100 which did not touch it , it was only when on 200 that it seemed to work. I never even on the 200 seemed to urinate a great deal more, but guess it must have been maybe a little larger amounts or something. Certainly not noticeably so.

[Mushroom-71]

Hi there I had my spirolactone increased to 300 mg and furosemide to 60 and touch wood my ascites has gone.

[KT60]

Thank you so much for your replies it karen x