FLUID IN THE LUNGS

[maryrideau]

My husband had a triple bypass, surgery in  Jan 2010.  We have constantly been going back to the doctor to have fluid drained from his lungs.  From the postings I can see this could be a problem with the heart not functioning 100%. Those of you who had this problem.  Did it in fact go away and could you tell me how, and how long did it take to go away.  This is now for him 6 months after surgery.  Besides the fluid he feels fine.

[rosco888]

I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) and told to limit my fluid intake to something like the equivalent of a 2-litre bottle of soda.  I was also urged to keep track of my weight and not let it go over a 5-lb gain (fluid weight, I believe).

The thing to keep in mind is how many food items become liquid in the body and thus count as fluid intake.  For example, Jell-O, ice cream, yogurt, soup, etc.

I don't try to drink 8 glasses of water a day, plus juice, coffee/tea.  I do need to get a decent amount of Vitamin D through milk, cheese and yogurt.  It has become quite a balancing act.

Most important, I try to empty my bladder frequently to help reduce the amount of fluid on hand, so to speak.  I don't know if this has an effect, but it makes sense to me.  And even though I take a diuretic pill daily, I don't believe I'm eliminating the same amount of fluid that I take in.

I hope there's some helpful information tucked in here somewhere for you!

[m03ariza]

do they often send someone home that was in the hospital for about a week that has chf, pneumonia, and fluid in lungs??? anything would help I don't want my husband to get worse just because they need a free bed in the hospital!!!

[kenkeith]

About 6 years ago, I had congested heart failure.  When the heart fails to pump a sufficient amount of blood received from the lungs, blood backs up into the lungs and fluids leak into the lung tissues.

My conditon was ischemic related (occluded vessels), and that condition caused hypokinesis (heart wall movement impairment).  Effective therapy was to revasculate the vessels with a stent and medication.  Accordingly, blood perfusion was adequate to revitalized heart cells and heart wall movement returned to normal or near normal functionality with a normal ejection fraction of 59%.  I was in ICU for several days to normalize the oxygen level within the pulmonary system.  On discharge from the hospital, I never had any further congestion (heart related) or otherwise.

If your husband's heart is not pumping the amount of blood received the lungs, that could be the problem as you suggest the heart is 100%....but it should be after surgical intervention...but it may be lung infections. When pulmonary edema results from lung infections, such as pneumonia, the edema occurs only in the part of your lung that's inflamed. Or it could be kidney disease. When your kidneys can't remove waste effectively, excess fluid can build up, causing pulmonary edema.

Hope this gives you a perspective.  Thanks for sharing and posting the question.  Take care.

[caregiver222]

Often this is due to what is called venous pre-load, and it is most often (but not always) associated with left heart enlargement. Yes, it is usually due to a structural problem causing the heart to function at "less than one hundred percent".

It is called "pulmonary edema".

He must pay particuliar attention to diet and salt and use diuretics as a physician directs. 1000 mg of crystaline vitamin C a day will help, as it is a mild diuretic.

The condition does not, unfortunately resolve, for the most part, but there are exceptions. Consult his cardiologist for a definitive opinion.

If he has difficulty breathing at night from this problem do not hesitate to call 911.