My sister is retaining to much water. Please help!?

Question

My sister is retaing to much water, is getting dengerous. She don't eat salt or things high in sodium they make her sick. She has a perfect blood pressure. But her extremeties are getting really swollen. Any remedies she can do. She has doc appt but is not soon; is in a while. She is really uncomfortable.

Answer 1

When lying down, keep limbs above the heart level, if possible, to facilitate drainage

Give some diuretic...

A diuretic (colloquially called a water pill) is any drug or herb that elevates the rate of bodily urine excretion (diuresis). Diuretics also decrease the extracellular fluid (ECF) volume, and are primarily used to produce a negative extracellular fluid balance. Caffeine, cranberry juice and alcohol are all weak diuretics.

Diuretics are medicines used to help the body remove excess salt and water. They are used to treat hypertension, and edema related congestive heart failure and other conditions in which the body is unable to adequately excrete water or salt.

There are very few over-the-counter (OTC) diuretics. Pamabrom is probably the most commonly used OTC diuretic. It is a mild diuretic related to theophylline. It is present in a few medicines used to treat fluid retention associated with menstruation. Alcohol, caffeine and theophylline are other readily available agents with a diuretic action in addition to their better known actions. Theophylline is a prescription drug that is also present in tea. If you are considering the use of an OTC diuretic, ask your pharmacist for advice first. Your pharmacist can help direct your choices to avoid potential side effects, drug and disease interactions

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Welll, actually the BEST suggestion here from Sue got 2 thumbs down. That's because most people do not know that in order to get rid of bloat you have to drink MORE water not less; look here:

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/water.htm

Here is an Important question: IF you push in on your sister's ankle with your thumb for about 4 seconds does the thumb indentation stay? If it stays that is called "pitting edema" and she needs to see a doctor NOW not whenever the appointment comes around...call her doctor's office andexplain to them this is happening---they WILL fit her in...it IS serious.

Answer 4

Sometimes diet and exercise are not enough. As long as she gets plenty of water, she could try an over-the-counter diuretic, like the ones for pms. The most important thing she can do though, is get to a doctor, because edema is not normal and is usually the sign of circulatory, or diabetic problems. I personally have several cardoivascular problems which result in severe edema and ascites (fluid in the chest and abdomen). This has to be treated with bp meds and diuretics permanently. I hope that this is a minor problem that can be easily taken care of. If not, proper medical treatment should give her a much healthier, happier life. Good luck.

Answer 5

Unless it is a serious medical condition (if it could be- don't wait, she needs to get help) the surest and healthiest way to get rid of water retention is to drink a lot of water. If you do not drink adequate amounts of water your body will hold to liquids in your body. Drinking 2-3 litres of water a day on a regular basis is the best way to solve the problem of water retention. Exercise is also very important to get the circulation going and body working properly.

Since I started drinking this much water a few months ago I no longer even retain my usual 5-6lbs during 'that time of the month". It's great!

Answer 6

You didn't say how old your sister is or what her normal weight is. An older person with this condition might have congestive heart failure with extreme shortness of breath and would need to be placed on unloading agents (diuretics) or possibly hospitalized if she has other cardiac conditions as well. This condition in a pregnant woman (toxemia) would be very dangerous. It is best to see your physician immediately or go the Emergency Room if you cannot get an appointment.

Answer 7

First and foremost, she MUST stop eating salt......as it retains water. Also, if you go to a health food store, they have ''water pills'' that prevent your body from retaining water so much. Usually athletes will use these before a ''weigh-in'' so they lose as much water as possible to make the correct weight. I know you said she does not eat foods high in sodium, but if she retains water as bad as it seems.....she should not eat ANY sodium. Much luck

Answer 8

i have the same problem, water retention. that's why i practice Bikram yoga every day. helps me sweat therefore releases all the water for the day.

Answer 9

tell her to exercise more frequently. sweating will release this trapped water.