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my husband has congestive heart failure and diabetes. He ...
Sent to Health Experts March 15 07:29 PM

my husband has congestive heart failure and diabetes. He also has decreased kidney functions (28%). his stomach feels bloated and he has some swelling in his ankles. he is taking 80 mil of lasixs and also a zaroxyln and feels that he is not able to urinate much at all. He is not having any breating problems. what do you think this might be heart or kidneys or both. whish DR should he see? Kidney or heart.

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Male , Age: 65

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extra fluid pills

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $5
Answer
March 15 7:40 PM (11 minutes later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
I would go with seeing the heart doc first, since you already have him on a couple of diuretics/water pills. It's possible that if you see the heart doc, he can give him something to improve the heart function. If the heart isn't pumping effectively, the kidneys aren't going to get enough blood supply and neither is the heart itself. sometimes, even without noticeable breathing problems, the oxygen level is low. Either of the two docs can check the level, but the cardiologist is more likely to have the equipment to do it (no needle necessary for a quick check). If it's found that the oxygen supply is low, a small amount can be used at night and that can greatly improve heart function, thereby improving blood supply to the kidneys and improving their function as well. If this turns out to be the case, tell your husband not to worry about being "dependent" on oxygen; I always tell my patients we are all dependent on oxygen, some of us just need a little more that the 21% we all breathe! YOu might even find that as everything else improves, his diabetes will also be better contolled!

Good luck with your husband's condition, it's miserable being sick all the time.
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Judy -- Nurse -- 100% Positive Feedback on 869 Health Accepts
RN in ICU for 35 years
Reply
March 15 7:44 PM (4 minutes and 26 seconds later)
         
Reply to Judy's Post: do you think that there could be fluid on the liver and what about we take more fluid pills until we can go to the Dr in the morning.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 15 7:54 PM (9 minutes and 40 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
It's possible that the liver is "congested" as you said, or it could just be "ascites" which is a build up of fluid in the abdominal cavity. But taking more water pills than are ordered is really not a good idea, since that can upset the delicate electrolyte balance. That's dangerous because muscle tone, especially heart muscle is dependent on good electrolyte balance. Has the doctor ever told him it was ok to take extra pills? If you could call the doctor's service he/she may be able to return a call to you to let you know if it is ok. If the doctor is someone that's been seeing him on a regular basis, they would have knowledge about his baseline numbers and could give you guidance. I wouldn't suggest extra water pills, especially if he's not having any shortness of breath. It sounds like maybe at this point he's just generally uncomfortable, but not dangerously ill?   If you don't already have an appointment for tomorrow, call early in the morning (most offices open at around 9-9:30am) and get whatever appt they can give you. If they say they can't see you, then ask if you can meet one of the other docs at the hospital, that is if there is more than one doc in the "group". Good luck again, Judy
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Judy -- Nurse -- 100% Positive Feedback on 869 Health Accepts
RN in ICU for 35 years
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