Ascites

[Guest guest]

Hey, all,

I know what ascites are. I'm mostly curious about how it's actually

diagnosed and what the physical signs/symptoms are. I know I've read

posts here from caregivers talking about ascites, so if anyone still

here is aware, I'd like to know. Like I said, it's curiosity, but I

guess it never hurts to know something like this to know what to look

for either, does it.

[Guest guest]

:

My husband had ascites. My understanding is that it happens when the

body collects fluid in the abdominal area. In order to remove the

fluids, he was put on a diuretic and also needed to have a procedure

done several times in order to remove the fluid so that he could

become more comfortable. After numbing the area, a needle was

inserted in his abdomen, using an ultrasound to locate the fluid.

Many cc's of fluid were removed each time. This resulted in giving

him much comfort for several weeks. (One time they removed too much

fluid after which his blood pressure dropped. They immediately needed

to replace the fluid by IV. After that we made sure to make it clear

to the doctors not to remove too much.) I have heard that some people

only need this done a couple of times and then the fluid does not come

back. However, my husband, whose colon cancer had metastasized,

needed it done about once each month in the last year of his struggle,

in order to reduce the pressure and make his breathing easier.

Best of luck.

Amie

[Guest guest]

:

My husband had ascites. My understanding is that it happens when the

body collects fluid in the abdominal area. In order to remove the

fluids, he was put on a diuretic and also needed to have a procedure

done several times in order to remove the fluid so that he could

become more comfortable. After numbing the area, a needle was

inserted in his abdomen, using an ultrasound to locate the fluid.

Many cc's of fluid were removed each time. This resulted in giving

him much comfort for several weeks. (One time they removed too much

fluid after which his blood pressure dropped. They immediately needed

to replace the fluid by IV. After that we made sure to make it clear

to the doctors not to remove too much.) I have heard that some people

only need this done a couple of times and then the fluid does not come

back. However, my husband, whose colon cancer had metastasized,

needed it done about once each month in the last year of his struggle,

in order to reduce the pressure and make his breathing easier.

Best of luck.

Amie

[Guest guest]

:

My husband had ascites. My understanding is that it happens when the

body collects fluid in the abdominal area. In order to remove the

fluids, he was put on a diuretic and also needed to have a procedure

done several times in order to remove the fluid so that he could

become more comfortable. After numbing the area, a needle was

inserted in his abdomen, using an ultrasound to locate the fluid.

Many cc's of fluid were removed each time. This resulted in giving

him much comfort for several weeks. (One time they removed too much

fluid after which his blood pressure dropped. They immediately needed

to replace the fluid by IV. After that we made sure to make it clear

to the doctors not to remove too much.) I have heard that some people

only need this done a couple of times and then the fluid does not come

back. However, my husband, whose colon cancer had metastasized,

needed it done about once each month in the last year of his struggle,

in order to reduce the pressure and make his breathing easier.

Best of luck.

Amie