Diuretics/dehydration

[strawberry]

I take bumes for unexplained edema: I lost 8-10 pounds of water and can wear shoes now that were too tight. I went to get some blood drawn and my blood was so thick from being dehydrated that I had to drink more water for them to fill the vials. I also have dry mouth which is supposedly a warning sign of dehydration. How do you balance the line between edema and dehydration? I don't understand how people with CHF who are on a diuretic AND fluid restrictions manage to keep from getting dehydrated. The weird thing is, despite the diuretics and the improvement, I still have mild ankle edema. Any advice?

 

[Nan]

Hopefully when they did your blood test they are testing your BUN and Creatinine levels to see exactly how dry you are. Ask for your test results so you can also see. You don't want to be too dried out!

It is a constant balance. Are you being very careful with your sodium intake? It is very prevalent in all kinds of foods, sometimes without your really thinking about it...not just whether or not you add it to your food. Read your labels, especially on soups and spaghetti sauces etc....not to mention cold cuts!

Try to keep your sodium intake well below 1 gram....not 2 grams which is what is frequently suggested. You will probably feel a lot better and some of the swelling might decrease on it's own.

Perhaps you should check with your doc about your symptoms? Always good to do that.

Good luck

 

[strawberry]

You're right about the sodium..I'm not careful at all about that. When my doctor saw my ankles the first time she checked my creatinine (before the diuretic) and it was a little high then...1.3. It's since gone down to 1.2 even on the diuretic which is the high end of normal. It's very frustrating. I ran out of meds one weekend without a refill and my stomach and ankles both bloated out.

 

[perrybucsdad]

I know my doc checks my blood work every 6 months to make sure I'm where I should be.

The one thing he told me is to make sure I take enough fluid in each day. I think one misconception that I had early on with the water pills was that it was eliminating all the water in my body and I should limit my water intake. He told me to make sure I am fully hydrated. Check with your doctor on this. Currently, I drink about 4 liters of water or mineral water each day. I take the water pill for my BP and last night my bp was 118/65 even with all the water that I drink.

Peace,

John

 

[Peggy in Alaska]

Watch that Salt

Watch that Salt

Strawberry:

If you are trying to eat "healthy" and get those lean cuisine or healthy choice frozen meals, put them back! They are absolutely loaded with sodium. I can't believe they can even have the word "healthy" on the box!

If is amazing how much salt a person can take in without realizing it. It is a pain to watch it but worth the effort.

There are lots of low sodium websites now, too, with great recipes and places to buy no or low sodium products.

 

[perrybucsdad]

Speaking of sodium, here is something to think about. I was going to but a Stoffers Mac and Cheese one day at the grocery store. My loving wife told me to put it back. I said, but it's health, and she said no, there is less salt in a pack of Ramen noodles. I said No way. Guess what? She was right. There is more salt in Stoffers Mac and Cheese than in a pack of Ramen Noodles. Go figure!

 

[Harpoon]

Read labels.

The human body needs 200mg of sodium per day (24 hour period) to function normally.

The USDA recommendation for sodium intake is 2,000mg per day.

Some of those microwave meals (yeah, even I'm guilty of having one once in a while) can be as much as 1040mg a serving (one package) which is over half of what you should have a day!

WHEN I go for a microwave meal, I generally try to pick out something that's at 25% or less than the USDA recommendation, that's about 500mg per serving. It's still a lot, but if I'm on the run (usually heading to the office to work) and I don't have the time to prepare a good meal for myself it will do. I don't make it a habit.

By the way, ramen noodles are great, if you know how to prepare them properly. =)

Step one: THROW OUT THE INCLUDED SEASONING PACK!!!!

I use a variety of my own seasonings, mostly Mrs. Dash or McCormick brand low/no sodium seasoning blends. I'll also use powdered low sodium beef or chicken broths with the noodles. I put the seasonings in as I'm boiling the water, before adding the noodles. I may also add a dash of seasame oil or a dash of worchestershire sauce (lower sodium counts than soy sauce and it gives a similar taste.)

If I'm REALLY going to play around, I'll add a few shrimps and toss in some cashews after I've strained the water/broth some from the noodles.

Read the package, they say to reduce the sodium levels, uses less seasonings, well almost all of the sodium in ramen noodles is in the little pouch. There's soem sodium in the noodles, but it's negligible for most people. I don't know exactly how much sodium is in the noodles alone.

 

[PJmomrunner]

If you get Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Mac 'n' Cheese then it "only" has 650mg sodium.

If you get Thai Kitchen noodle cart noodles it has 450mg.

Like Harpoon said, they're still high, but not ramen-noodle-high. Both are a lot lower in fat content as well.

 

[McCln]

Speaking of sodium, here is something to think about. I was going to but a Stoffers Mac and Cheese one day at the grocery store. My loving wife told me to put it back. I said, but it's health, and she said no, there is less salt in a pack of Ramen noodles. I said No way. Guess what? She was right. There is more salt in Stoffers Mac and Cheese than in a pack of Ramen Noodles. Go figure!

Noticed your post on the ramen noodles. Did you really read the package. It says on the sodium 830 mg. That is still too much sodium for one package. Go for food with a lot less sodium. I usually go for the Campbells healthy request. On the tuna, check of the sea, 50 % less sodium. It has 125mg. So be careful on reading your packaging of foods. Read them carefully and watch the sodium content. You would be surprised on how much so sodium is in each portion. Good luck.

 

[KLB123]

The tough thing is that they take out the salt all right and then load up on sugar! I have bought low soduim catsup that I had to get rid of because it was so darn sweet!

Now I just try to get stuff with the lowest sodium content I can. It is deffintly not easy!

 

[Nancy]

Joe has to stay on a VERY low sodium diet (500mg or less). It was hard for him to get used to, but it is doable. I do have to cook most everything from scratch, including his breads and other pastries. And I buy lots pf products online which have no sodium.

If he doesn't stay low on sodium, his CHF gets terribly unstable.

So low sodium is something you really have to try to achieve, if you don't want to blow up and be short of breath. You probably won't have to be as low as Joe, but you should try to eliminate as much as you possibly can. Read all labels, and check out the recommended portions, since the sodium content is related to portion size.