x-post---Good news = new questions...

BP was good...not as low as usual (110- over 68-ish) but still low (120-something over high 70s something), lungs were clear...got the blood work back for the test for congestive heart failure.  Negative for those markers.  That would be the good news part.  (Although, when I retired ten years ago and about 100 pounds heavier, it was the first cause listed on the forms...but I digress.)

So that begs the questions, "why the edema?'

It just seems that suddenly, I really have trouble processing the sodium I consume.  There is NO salt shaker on our table.  The blue box of salt in the cupboard has been there for years.  I omit salt when cooking except for the part where you need SOME to alter the boiling point of water such as for cooking pasta...but never any salt to satisfy the "salt and pepper to taste" instructions.

We DO eat out more than the average bears...or get take out.  But anymore, I order off the restaurant's nutritional guide instead of the menu.

We just changed me to 5mg of Demadex tid (plus potassium to go along with it.)  That's within normal guidelines...but I had to NOT get a pedicure yesterday because I was on Demadex and their toilet was on the fritz...so I will need to reschedule.

I feel SOOOO good when the Demadex is doing its thing and SOOOO lousy (sluggish, weighted down, pressure on the pedal extremities...like I'm walking around with bottles of water duct taped to my legs, arms and torso.)

Mostly, I needed to whine, but if anyone has any wisdom on this, input would be welcome.

And I hate Mrs. Dash but will try other products.

Edema really sucks, mine is getting better as the weight continues to drop, but I sure remember the days when my legs hurt and God forbid they bumped into something that really hurt.  One of my Drs along way the reccomended that I spend 20 minutes twice a day with my feet elevated higher then my heart and that did provide at least some temporary relief.  Good luck and hope they figure it out soon.

Nancy

Yes, it HAS been worse.  Mine got to the point where my legs started "weeping."  Essentially, my heart just couldn't support all that I was giving it to do AND pump those fluids back around to my kidneys...so the body just decided to let them exit where they were...at the extremities.  It's really gross, btw.

I don't have that.

And it don't WANT it, either.

I spent 6 weeks with my legs wrapped to reduce them and was fitted for custom made compression stockings those helped a lot, but they cost too much to try and keep up with the rapid weight loss going on here.  Do you have a lymphodema clinic in your area and can you get referred to it?

Nancy

What are the rule-outs for edema once CHG is ruled out? I know sometimes it has something to do with protein? I have no idea what other causes are.

Is dermadex a dieuretic? Does it work? Can you take it long term? Does getting the fluid out lower you blood pressure too low?

I have no idea what we liik for next.  My protein was 7.2 (5.7 - 8.2 ref. range.)  So that probably isn't the problem.

Demadex (torsemide) is a fairly powerful loop diuretic...ya gotta take potassium with it so as not to muck things up with the old ticker.  (I beg for it instead of lasix because it seems to work faster and I feel better so much sooner when I use that formulation.)  Taking any diuretic is less than ideal...because, as I understand it, you tend to build up a tolerance for it and need increasing amounts over time...which is what has been going on with me.

Once I lost the weight, I didn't need it.  Then I started gaining...I needed 5 mg prn.  Then 5 daily...then bid. We changed the SCHEDULE, so it will be smaller amounts throughout the day...the stuff only works for about four hours. 

I need to lose this regain weight...but it's hard as hell when you feel like you're just walking along wrapped in a ton of sopping wet sponges.  I didn't go to the gym today.  Now I have to find some other thing to do later on.

umm I am with you with the Mrs Dash-yuck.  I see you are taking K with your demadex which is very imp.  I will assume your alb. is normal and you are not protein malnutritioned.  I am sure you feel like you have water bottles attahced to your legs, ankles, feet in an essence that is what is happening internally. try taking a 20 minute walk everyday.   I would also suggest relaxation through diuresis.  this is a simple concept.  Diuresis is the excretion of water  from the tissues through the urine....

lie down on a couch or bed in an inclined rather than completely prone position.  Prop the upper part of your body at a 45-degree angle with a few pillows.  relax in this position for about 20 minutes.  you'll find that you arise refreshed and feeling the need to urinate, because the fluid has drained from the tissues of you body and filled your bladder.  this works by increasing the circulation to the kidneys, making them function more efficiently.

Please have your dr rule out further pathologies.......feel better

Mila

Thank you...and I'm still hoping that in another couple of months, you, too, discover a functioning esophagus.  I did...and I hope you are as fortunate.

thank you for your concern, I was diagnosed more than a year ago and my recent upper GI (11-3) still showed severe esophogeal dysmotility, marked tertiary waves, megaesophagus and poor peristalsis.  my high definition monomety was also abnormal, of course pre-op banding I had a normal upper GI and it was completly normal.   Having the band for 8 years significantly increases your esophogeal injuries and irreversibility will appear around the 7 year mark per peer reviewed journals.  Because the longer you have these issues the greater it will not reverse, there area  few clinical studies out there for post lab banded esophogeal injuries.  Time will tell, but most likely what I have is permanent......it is the way it is...hope you are well....

Mila

If you find out what's causing your edema, I sure would like to know what it is because I have it too. I've been through every test you can think of and everything checks out A-OK, but I still get edema in lower part of my legs. I'm taking 1 Bumex every day to keep the swelling down and it works pretty good, but it makes me pee like a race horse for the first few hours after I take it, and that can be a pain.

What makes you think the edema is caused by you being unable to process sodium?

Kerry