Fluid build up

I read several people's questioning of the need to have fluid monitors. Fluid build up is a sign the heart ain't ticking too well..in fact the worse it works the more fluid you have and eventually you become short of breath, are tired, have no energy etc...sound familiar?
I take Aldactone for fluid retention rather than lasix. My monitor went off for the first time since September 2007...scared the s..t out of me...I think it is the fluid monitor because I have been short of breath lately.
My issue is that the bloody ICD beeps everyday at 10.10am until I see the Specialist(EP). What we need is a device to log in, monitor the monitor(a joke for levity) and switch it off. It sends a message to the Specialist who emails aan appointment time knowing already what has happened.
My unit cost more than an expensive car, so the least they could do is provide information, software and monitors to check what is happening......Regards to you all Wadkar1

6 Comments

fluid retention

by thomast - 2009-04-19 03:04:34

Yes once the alarm is set on the PM for any reason it will go off at that time every day. I can transmit mine in over "care link monitor" and they can tell me what set it off but cannot reset it remotly. My PM measures fluid retention and I can see it when I get copy of the readout when they check mine. As for fluid retention I weigh each morning at the same time with a digital scale, I take lasix and spiralactone. If I gain acouple of pouind in one day I add an extra half lasix pill for a couple of days. Don't know if I am supposed to do this but I do.
Thomas

Fluid Retention

by mrag - 2009-04-19 04:04:23

Actually, I think it would be easier and quicker if they just implanted a drain plug ;-)

I am not familiar with fluid monitors-basically, I simply press a finger around my ankle and if the area stays "indented," I have too much fluid (edema). If there is a lot of "extra" fluid, I can't sleep laying flat and need to keep sitting up otherwise I have a real shortness of breath.

Not to be really dumb, but isn't this the classic symptoms for CHF (congestive heart failure)? Basic solution is LIMIT salt intake (2000 mg a day), LIMIT fluids (50 oz per day), take lasix (and a potassium supplement) and keep your fingers crossed.

I am not trying to answer your question, but rather expand the dialog on 'excess fluid' as it is an important subject for most of us.

fluid

by franko1966 - 2009-04-19 04:04:37

I take Aldactone and lasix,25mg of aldactone,plus 40 mg of lasix,.My doc wants me to have no more then a 2 liter bottle a dayfor fluid,i had chf back in 9/10/2006,for about till xmass time,then no more swelling.Had a defib,dual,in jan 2007,thaught i had to have a heart transplan, but now everything under contral,did not have one back to 32 hrs per week working,but dont have a monitor for fluid,my 2liter bottle is my monitor

Fluid and My CHF experiences

by Syrano - 2009-04-19 07:04:23

I don`t know much about the fluid monitors, although I wish I had one in place. I`m on 120mg X2 Lasix, 25mg of Aldactone, and 2.5mg of metolazone. My fluid levels are monitored with a push down on my ankles, several 2 liter bottles, and a weekly blood test. If I have too much fluid on me, I cannot breathe to the point of needing the ER to fix it. The fluid surrounds both my heart and lungs. Nasty stuff. Bad part is, (and yes there is even a worse part), when I`ve been dried out so much, my kidneys go into failure. Oh yes..full of lasix..need to pee, and things go a hurtin`....
I too have one of those expensive ICDs. Mine is "bluetooth" enabled? no more wired readers to interrogate it. I would love to have the ability to run my own scans...then send in the info. For the 50 grand it cost, it should come with all that and a tech to teach ya how to read the info....

Syrano

fluid

by liflores - 2009-04-19 10:04:53

Ive had my pacer since December of 2008, and just started experiencing pressure in my chest, tired, no energy,high blood pressure, fluid retention. The doctor gave me potassuim, diuretic for the fluid, but I dont feel any better...I'm confussed and worried. Not sure what to do but look for another doctor.

Medtronic OptiVol Fluid Status Monitoring

by kmcgrath - 2009-04-23 12:04:38

I've got this feature installed in my ICD and my EP shows me a graph of my fluid buildup when I go for my checkups and he tells me that when the graph goes over a certain line I should have been hospitalized but I never notice anything that allows me to correlate with the graph except that I may have gone off my diet & ate and/or drank a little too much esp. during the holidays.

I got exasperated with him at one point and told him I don't remember asking him for this feature when the ICD was implanted esp. going to wag his finger at me during every checkup. Moderation in all things is my motto so I don't need any technology that makes it easy for a doctor to tell when I cheat on my diet a bit.


OptiVol Fluid Status Monitoring is found only on Medtronic cardiac resynchronisation therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). It uses low electrical pulses that travel across the thoracic cavity (the chest area encompassing the lungs and heart) to measure the level of resistance, indicating fluid in the chest – a common symptom of heart failure. Since normal fluid levels vary from patient to patient, and fluid accumulation can be either slow or rapid, OptiVol’s ability to measure fluid status trends over time can provide important insights that are used in conjunction with ongoing monitoring of other patient symptoms.

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