Ascites Puns

Looking to see if anyone has had experience with doing keto for autoimmune disorders.

My boyfriend was a healthy 25 y/o until he contracted a weird rare virus December 2019 that left him with chronic pericarditis, and general organ inflammation. This causes his abdomen to retain a lot of fluid (he usually looks about 8 months pregnant). He's been on steroids and diuretics to treat these problems for about a year.

His doctor suggested we try keto! The first week he felt really good, his pregnant belly almost entirely went away. But then week 2 it slowly came back, and now week 3 it's back to what it was before we started. So we're trying to decide if we should stick with keto.

Does anyone have experience with doing keto in circumstances like this?

Truly feels like I need a healthy amount of proper therapy, introspection, and communication with family.

50% mortality rate in 2 years, so hopefully she’s healthy to see one more milestone in my life, graduation this coming spring.

When I was younger she’d always tell me to treat girls with respect because she didn’t want any grandchildren. Lately she’s been telling me she likely won’t be around for my children and how to raise them properly.

I won’t lie. While I’ve forgiven both of my parents for so many things, it’s so hard to forgive my mom for not wanting to continue living for something.

I’m selfish, I wanted her to stop drinking so we could have moments. I wanted to restore our relationship for me. I moved out of the apartment we shared because i started drinking to numb the pain.

I’m so much better not under her roof, but she’s significantly deteriorated since then. No one’s making her hide the drinks, no one’s pushing her to church, or outside, or anything.

I feel guilty, but I also feel relieved, and I feel guilty about the relief, and I feel happy I’m still able to feel anything at all for her. All of that is so confusing and I’m sobbing on my work desk right now. Sorry covid (sorry).

So I have +/- 730 days to try and make peace with everything. To try and make her understand i love her and I’m sorry she’s sentenced herself to this (because she truly has), and then to try and live the rest of my life okay with this. I’m only 21, I need to be okay with this.

So onto therapy. Onto talking to family more. Onto peering inside my brain. Onto forgiving the last of it with my mother.

Technically a spoiler for UWorld ID17851.

I don't get how blocking the portal vein doesn't cause ascites but blocking the hepatic vein does. Since the portal vein is proximal to the sinusoids, wouldn't thrombosis there back up into the gastric veins and cause ascites? Conversely, since the hepatic vein is distal to the sinusoids, wouldn't it be LESS likely to cause ascites since the obstruction is further from the gastric veins?

36m, 290lbs, 6'2"

Anyone who suffers from ascites - I'm wondering if you could tell me how it was right at the very beginnings of it.

The last handful of days I've had an on and off bloat, accompanied by a gut that's tender to the touch, especially toward my navel. Not big time painful, just oddly tender.

My gut feels heavy, and my belly bouncing around almost hurts when I walk down stairs etc. My skin isn't super tight or anything, and my weight hasn't wildly increased, but this sensation really has me worried that this is the onset of ascites.

Any input at all would be appreciated. I have an ultrasound tomorrow but it won't be examined and explained to me until next week.

Thank you!

I’m 6 months post open RPLND and all of a sudden having random cramping and sometimes small sharp pains in my sides, back, and abdomen. It started in my left side and moved around from my lower back ribs to my side and was around for about 2 weeks. I assumed it was a kidney stone or muscle pain from sitting in a office chair all day but today it started in my right side as well. My doc is currently fighting with insurance for a CT so I’m just looking for some feedback in the meantime. Has anyone else experienced random pains this far past RPLND? Has anyone gotten chylous ascites this long after? My stomach isn’t particularly distended but I have put on some weight since my surgery and I definitely can’t eat as much as I used to pre-surgery anymore.

So we're kinda freaking out over here, Mom's stomach bloating has only gotten worse, it's been 3 chemo sessions. Either the chemo isn't working to shrink the tumors or these could be ascites (also really scary) Is it reasonable to fear for the worst? We're taking her to ER ASAP

I had a paracentesis for ascites done a few days ago and they managed to drain 8L in about 8 hours; they wrapped up as the flow got fairly slow and they figured there were diminishing returns (versus the risk of infection) on continuing.

I was surprised that after all that, my belly didn't look THAT much smaller, although it was less rigid. As of today it is still not as big as it was, but definitely getting more rigid again.

What have been peoples' experience with multiple paracenteses? how often, how many, how much typically comes out after the first initial drainage?

Thanks in advance for sharing your/your loved ones experience. Examples of middle aged patients (ie 40s-50s) are particularly relevant.

Thanks!

While I wait to see my doctor, please help me. I started drinking heavily when I was 20, I’m 27 now. I had bloodwork fall of last year which showed AST 31, ALT 24, GGT 67 (normal range 0-60). Albumin, bilirubin, alk phosphate, normal. Platelets, 400,000. That freaked me out enough to really slow down. Haven’t drank much since then. More recently I had what I thought was a gallbladder attack, liquid yellow diarrhea for two days. Recovered and feeling ok. Have a dull twinge type of pain that comes randomly under both ribs.

Here’s the catch. My stomach. I am 50 pounds overweight, apple shaped, and I’ve always carried weight in my stomach and never really noticed if it was rolls or more like beer belly bloat. I’ve also been conditionally raised to naturally suck in my stomach as I’ve always been chubby. I don’t even realize I do it anymore. One day i decided to relax, and wow I look pregnant. When I lay down, if I poke my belly, it’s like a wave pool. I have a lot of subcutaneous fat, like I can pick it up between my two hands and form like a donut, but it still feels so wobbly...I’m freaking out this is ascites. Not tight feeling, but feels like fluid underneath. No other symptoms other than having weird stool the last year. My stool has returned to brown since I cut drinking, but I have some random malabsorption. I don’t have any fluid accumulation in my upper abdomen, only lower, and it’s so damn loose blubbery.

Basically is it possible to have cirrhosis with ALL my labs being normal except GGT? I’m so anxious for this doctors visit.

By Zhong Qin

Editor’s Note: “I believe in God so why would I suffer from this kind of illness? Why wouldn’t God protect me?” When we become ill we always tend to have these kinds of complaints about God. The woman in this story is no exception. When her condition deteriorates she starts to blame God because she’s unable to endure the torment of her illness, but when she genuinely prays to God and submits to His orchestrations and arrangements, she’s able to calmly face her own mortality and her condition miraculously improves. Do you want to know what her experience was? Please read on.

Tolerating Her Illness So Her Children Aren’t Inconvenienced

A few women were casually chatting under an old banyan tree at one end of the village. Not far off, Yuan Xiu was inching forward step by step with the help of her son, Li Jun.

One of the women, Mrs. Zhang, said, “Hey, isn’t that Yuan Xiu? Didn’t she test positive for liver ascites at the provincial hospital? How could she have been released so soon?”

“Liver ascites? No matter how much money you spend there’s no telling if you’ll survive! Even as an inpatient there’s not much hope, plus Yuan Xiu’s so old. My daughter had liver ascites a few years ago and we funneled the entire family’s money into the hospital, but we lost her and our money!” Mrs. Fu said this as she shook her head sadly.

With concern at seeing her so unsteady, Li Jun emotionally pleaded with his mother: “Mom, getting out of the hospital in this condition, I’m still worried about you. Can’t we just go back to the hospital to have you treated? No matter what happens, even if I end up with a lifetime of debt, I just can’t watch you sit at home waiting to die!”

“Jun, I don’t want to be a burden on you. I’ll take some medicine and recuperate at home, and I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll get better.” In spite of the swelling all over her body, Yuan Xiu forced herself to say this casually to comfort her son.

In Critical Condition, She Places Her Hope in God

When she got home Yuan Xiu lay in bed feeling limp and feeble all over. The pain she felt all over her body was unbearable. As she stared blankly up at the ceiling tears flowed down her face like little strings of pearls and the doctor’s words echoed in her head: “You have liver ascites caused by cirrhosis. A course of treatment with imported medication will cost more than 10,000 yuan and

Why is a decrease in oncotic pressure capable of contributing to ascites but cannot cause ascites on its own? dr. Ryan says that portal HTN can cause ascites on its own but decrease in oncotic pressure can contribute to ascites but cannot CAUSE ascites How come ?

I now have free fluid sitting in my abdominal cavity that causes severe pain and bloating. Anyone else have this issue?

The vet drained the ascites yesterday and she has been doing quite well - better breathing, peeing and pooping normally (and peeing a decent amount because she’s on diuretics), eating normal, drinking normal, seems to have excitement for people and food, and so on. She even chewed on her bone. Before the removal, she would cough sometimes and retch but not throw up anything. She’s coughed only twice since the removal and no retching. She’s better than she has been for a bit now. So I’m wondering, what could this possibly be from if she’s not really experiencing other symptoms? The vet took X-rays and couldn’t find anything, which I forgot to ask him to print for me so I can try to upload that tomorrow. By the way she’s 10 and didn’t have prior health problems, and the vet showed me about 400ml of the liquid he removed, and it was a burnt orange color. I’m happy she’s doing well right now but I know the ascites will probably come back :(

My roommate has been recovering from a mild disordered eating since one and a half years ago. She's doing well, but just have a lot of food retention and always looks like she's 4 months pregnant. It's been almost a year since she has been weight restored but we are really concerned that her belly is still very large despite there's no way she could be pregnant. It has also been hard for us since she's been unable to get a medical insurance.

Would really appreciate it if you have ever distinguished IBS symptoms, bloating, or ascites.

Thanks in advance!

Hi my mom was originally diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015. She had went through a Double Mastectomy went through chemo and radiation and then She was in remission from 2016 and going super strong and has just recently been re diagnosed in June. (Let me add: Im only 20- im very ignorant on all of this she barely talks to me about this because shes going through it and it was the same way the last time around)- she has yet to really describe the extent of what she is going through. She has malignant ascites from the breast cancer that spread to her abdomen (apparently it is rare so any info is nice). Shes had her stomach drained multiple times and in june when she was first being hospitalized they had thought it was just a hernia- so they began to drain her and pulling like 8-10 liters of liquid from her like im not lying my mom had looked like she was pregnant and then very skinny for a couple months until her medicine kicked in shes been on ibinzo or something like that?? From what i gather is a chemo pill or she also has been taking that - sorry english major over here guys. But she had showed me an article a few months ago saying that the survival rate was low and she didnt have very much time to survive. I wanted to know any information regarding this, any information about if their is a cure and how serious this diagnosis is now in 2021. Shes raised me and my 11 year old brother now for a while and im very concerned on whats going to happen to her and how he will take it. I just feel like i need to be more information on this entire situation. please. Thank you.

Hi! Recently I've discovered I lost weight around 3kgs and I noticed that my belly appeared bigger. I'm not sure if it was weight loss that made it appear bigger or I just seem to have ascites. Google searches don't seem to correlate weight loss to ascites so I was thinking it was just me being a little anxious about things. But years ago I was diagnosed with mild fatty liver so I was thinking that my condition may have worsened (possibly cirrhosis). I was wondering if everything's fine or should I go get it checked?

Thank you so much.

I know, I know "go see a doctor" but its covid time bitches and I cant afford private and the pathetic excuse of my country's public health care has a waiting list of 2 years before i can get a scan.

Ive been eating more and moving less but the extent of my belly bloating is really worrying. Will post pics if needs be but if anyway to tell the difference between run of the mill weight gain from shitty cheap beer and genuine ascites?

Hello. I have a question.

I am a 27 year old female.

I know it's normal to have water retention before your period, but is it normal to have water retention so much so before your menstrual cycle that you have literal ascites. You can hear the water sloshing around in my stomach. I get very nauseated from it and have no appetite. It's almost like I have to force myself to eat.

I was just wondering what the cause of this would be and if I should bring this up to my doctor the next time that I go.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I keep getting these questions relating to ascites and the hepatorenal system and how to treat it wrong.

Any and all help would be great! Thank you all in advance!

I’ve noticed that my stomach frequently seems to feel as if it is filled with water, and I’m concerned I might have ascites. I often feel and hear water gurgling in my stomach, and when I slap my middle abdomen it makes a hollow sound like a drum filled with water. When I breathe in and expand my belly, it sometimes feels like my abdomen is pushing up against water resistance which is trying to hold it down, like the lining of my stomach is rubbing up against something. Also, when I do my push-ups and sit-ups in the morning the movement of my body causes massive swishing in my stomach, which is really uncomfortable. Does anybody else have symptoms like these, and is it something I should be worried about?

My 10 year old pitbull has ascites from cancer the vet said yesterday. she sent us home with presnidone. I was wondering why she wouldn’t have prescribed lasix? I have some lasix here for my cat and was wondering if it would help with the fluid In my dogs abdomen

I'm sitting here with my wife turning to the internet to see if there is someone out there who might know something. Let me start with saying that she has given my permission to post and ask for advice and is sitting next to me as we speak.

Here is the down and dirty. Female, 35 years old, fluid is accumulating in her abdomen and we don't know where it is coming from. She has had a 5 paracenteses performed with the most recent one being today where they removed 2.2 liters of fluid. The others have ranged anywhere from 800 milliliters up to 4 liters. She is currently taking 200 mg progestin with the idea of the cause possibly being endometriosis. She has been taking it for about 3 months and it doesn't seem to be helping. Blood has been tested...no cancer markers, nothing wrong with the liver, hormones seem to be fine. We have been dealing with this for roughly 4-5 years and trying to find an answer with no help from any doctor we have talked to.

A little more background...born premature and had necrotizing enterocolitis a few weeks after birth resulting in a bowl perforation and some portion of the colon removed to fix it. Everything seemed fine until roughly 2011 where she went in for a laparoscopy to see if she had endometriosis and see if they could see anything that might be causing fluid accumulation (this was around the time they first noticed the fluid in smaller amounts). Long story short, they botched the laparoscopy...couldn't get in with the camera and injured her bowls which resulted in peritonitis. 2013 they took a sample of the fluid and claimed it was just normal cell fluid. Fast forward to 2017, we start to see an extended abdomen and large amounts of fluid retention. First paracentesis is in 2018 and they removed roughly 1 liter. Next one is a year and half years later and they removed 4 liters. Four months later they removed 900 mililiters and five months later (the one today) was 2.2 liters. (Forgive me if my timeline is off but its pretty close).

The fluid is a dark brown/reddish color. It's not thick or turbid. (think a browner tinted red wine). Anyway, we have seen OB, GYN, Liver specialists/Hepatologists, General Surgeons, Cardiologists, General Practitioners, Oncologists (even ovarian cancer specialists)...the list goes on in both Germany and the United States.

We have no idea what is causing this fluid to build up and it is starting to wear down all aspects of our lives. She is in pain with no energy. Docto

My fiance was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2019 (age 34). It had already spread into his lungs and lymph nodes.
The first chemo regimen stopped working so now he is on his last set unless he is eligible for trials. His ascites is filling up more and more every week. ( started off every 3 weeks with 2-3 liters, now he is lucky to make a week with less than 7.) We have Decided to have a permanent drain put in, in hopes that he will gain weight since we will be able to drain himself at home. Has anyone done this ? How long is healing period? He goes in next Tuesday and I want to prepare myself as much as I can.