How to safely drink fluids with Ascites

[Prhey305]

Hello, I have a dear loved one with Ascites and he asked me to post a question to others about their experiences with drinking fluids such as water, juices, electrolyte solutions, etc. Since he has to follow a low sodium diet and restrict fluid intake, can anyone share what kinds of fluids they drink or have drunk that doesn’t contribute to additional abdominal swelling?

What is a safe amount per day, and what is too much?

Is there anything that helped you or things to avoid? He is no longer drinking alcohol, by the way.

Thanks in advance!

[Hillclimber72]

Safe amount to drink is 2.5l daily max. I drink a lot of fruit based teas Great selection in supermarkets Twinings in my opinion has the best range and they incorporate spices such as turmeric and ginger which are conducive for good health.

[Prhey305 in reply to Hillclimber72]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it 😊

[Hillclimber72 in reply to Prhey305]

No worries in relation to salt substitute dry for herbs such as thyme liquid low sodium soy or tamari. I use dried onion also

[Roz22]

My husband was told to drink 1-1/2 litre he drinks Apple juice & coffee he still finds it very difficult not using salt.but sticks to it.

[Prhey305 in reply to Roz22]

Thank you! My brother likes to drink juice in the mornings so that should be good. And yes, he finds the salt restriction difficult as well. He has almost every flavor of Ms. Dash seasonings and it helps him cut down or eliminate salt on a lot of recipes.

[AMDA26]

I find that some drinks make me bloated and then I tend to overthink on whether I’m just bloated or whether it’s abdominal swelling because it can be hard to tell sometimes so I would just say drink fluids that won’t do this. I tend to drink water or juices and not drink so many fizzy drinks. I drink around 2 litres of water a day and even without my diuretics I find this helps to bring down swelling in my ankles massively. My dietician advised milk as a source of protein so I drink this too but not so much because dairy can be bloating.

[Prhey305 in reply to AMDA26]

Thanks for mentioning the bloating. That point is a great start to initiate further research on how different fluids can affect the body. It seems everyone is somewhere between 1.5 and 2 liters a day, which is reassuring information to pass on. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I truly appreciate it!

[Hidden]

Good morning Prhey305,

I can see our forum members are sharing useful tips about enjoyable drinks they have tried but may I suggest your friend discusses this with their own GP or liver specialist, The amount of fluid and salt that is safe is very individual and advice will vary from person to person.

Trust9

[GarySudzy6767]

I seem to have a faster build-up of fluids drinking Coca-Cola does anyone else have this problem?

[GarySudzy6767]

I'm not sure. I was at my specialist today to talk about TIPS surgery. This is supposed to help the liver function and process the liquids better to prevent such an ascites buildup. Right not they are draining 20 liters every two weeks from my abdominal area. They've bumped me up to being drained weekly to see if it helps prevent such a ascites fill. It amounts from 40 to 50 pounds bi-weekly right now trying to get it down to 8 liters a week.