Help with acities

[Jacksonfield]

Hi my friend has ARLD with bad acities. He has had 2 litres drained but it has made little difference. The water tablets do not seem to be working. He is getting very downhearted as he feels poorly all the time, is very weak and as the acities is in his legs too has limited movement. He is also struggling to sleep at night. He has been alcohol free for 3 months he sees his consultant again at the end of september. I am asking really for some advice for him and maybe experience from others on the acities, will it start to go down in time? He is doing his best to eat healthy but can't exercise much as he struggles to walk far and has COPD as well. Thank you.

[Porphyrogennetos]

Hello jacksonfield,

your friend must warch his sodium intake very closely. More often than not, the cause for ascites to not getting moved when given the adequate dosage of diuretics is salt. Salt is everywhere, in bread, in icecream, in many beverages. Processed food is very high in sodium.

Water follows the salt. If your friend excretes more sodium than he takes in, the body will hopefully expel the ascites.

So reduce salt intake as much as possible is what your friend can do by himself. His consultant might up the dosage of diuretics if your friend's kidney function allows it.

Good luck,

P.

[carllovatt in reply to Porphyrogennetos]

well said porphy the salt is the enemy I have seen it so many times cut ALL salt look at the labels. try for a week eating only salt free things [no cheating]

[Jacksonfield in reply to carllovatt]

Thank you Carl I will definitely pass this on to him and get him to try.

[Jacksonfield in reply to Porphyrogennetos]

Thank you. He is reducing salt but we did not realise this may be a big factor in the fluid not going so that's a help to know and we can now pay even more attention to it in the food he eats. I think the consultant will probably up the dose too, but my friend is a bit disheartened and feels that the water tablets simply don't work for him.

[Porphyrogennetos]

It would be very desirable if the water tablets together with a strictly salt reduced diet worked. Quite. This is the case in about 90% of patients.

Good luck,

P.

P.S.: One thing that is almost impossible to accomplish with a diet poor in salt is a palatable soup. At least that was the case for me.

[Hidden]

had to have ascites drain every 2 week's whilst on diuretics,was not until they changed my diuretics to Amiloride that controlled the fluid build up,it worked for me worth looking into what tabs you are on,good luck.bluemoon1

[Jacksonfield]

Thank you bluemoon1 he is on spironolactone at the moment but has been on furosemide too. Neither have seemed to work very well. Looking at the effects of Amiloride I think it would definitely be worth a try as I'm pretty sure he is still producing as much fluid as he is getting rid of. We can mention it when he sees the consultant. He had 2 litres drained about 3 weeks ago but doesn't see the consultant again until the end of september. I'm concerned also because yesterday fluid started leaking out of his leg.

[Hidden in reply to Jacksonfield]

With luck it will i'm furosemide and spironolactone which i still take with the amiloride,the amiloride was the tablet that made the difference,take care.

[Jacksonfield in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, you too.