Fluid Restriction
Have you ever really thought about how much fluid you drink in a given day. I see people walking around all the time with those giant cups from the gas stations. These Fountain drinks range from 12 oz, 16 oz, 20 oz, 22 oz, 32 oz, 44 oz, 52 oz, and 56 oz. Usually, there is some kind of special that for only 99¢ you can get any size. So, why not get the large size? It’s more economical, right?
Well, when you are a Heart Failure patient the economics don’t work out to good for us (sad face). When having heart failure issues such as bloating because of fluid retention, to name just one symptom, restricting one’s fluid intake is of the first things that cardiologists order a patient to do in order to relieve the symptoms and get them back on track.
What is a typical fluid restriction limit? That varies from patient to patient, but mine is set around 52 oz. per day. What constitutes as a fluid? According to Drugs.com, liquid from both foods and drinks should be counted toward your daily liquid limit:
- Water
- Soda or Pop
- Juice
- Milk
- Coffee/Tea
- Jello
- Popsicles
- Ice cream/sherbet
- Yogurt/cottage cheese
I have been put on a fluid restriction a few other times over the years and usually I can tell when I should be and aren’t. Recently, I went for my annual Physical. Again, I was feeling pretty good going into it, but after finding out I lost another inch off my height (that’s a story for another time), I was told that I had Low Sodium (Hyponatremia). This means that the fluid in my cells is saturating the sodium in those cells. They should be basically 1:1 and there were tons more fluid cells.
Info provided by the Mayo Clinic states that:
In chronic hyponatremia, sodium levels drop gradually over 48 hours or longer — and symptoms and complications are typically more moderate.
In acute hyponatremia, sodium levels drop rapidly — resulting in potentially dangerous effects, such as rapid brain swelling, which can result in a coma and death.
Premenopausal women appear to be at the greatest risk of hyponatremia-related brain damage. This may be related to the effect of women’s sex hormones on the body’s ability to balance sodium levels.
A normal blood level of sodium is within the range of 135 to 145 millequivalents/L. My test results stated I was at 120. This is too low for comfort. It wasn’t much of a surprise to me what was going to be coming out of my physician’s mouth. So, I left the appointment with my orders and in one week, we were going to test again.
It’s hard to really get an accurate measurement unless you drink water or coke out of a marked container. I searched good ol’ Amazon and found these great little beakers. They helped tremendously measure fluid and salad dressing (while watching my sodium intake). Enjoy my demo.
For one full week, I was very diligent about measuring my fluid. I used my Fitbit app that is intended for “normal” people to track their water intake, because most American’s don’t drink enough water.
I used it to track all fluid. The visual display throughout the day was a good motivator to remain on track. After the one week, it was time to get retested. Amazingly, my Sodium level had increased to 134. I almost couldn’t believe it.
If you think about it, when you eat salty foods, like pizza for example, you get more thirsty so naturally you’re going to increase your fluid. My sodium intake level is limited to 1,500 milligrams (mg) a day. Keep in mind that most American’s sodium intake should be around or under 2,300 mg per day. I noticed on the days I really watched my sodium intake, it wasn’t that hard to stay under the 52 oz of fluid.
So, I have recommitted myself to try as hard as possible to remain honest and continue to track my fluid. There will be days that I may go a bit over, but if I can keep them within a reasonable limit, I should be good. Later this week, I will go for my regular 6 month cardiology appointment. Hope she’s happy with me!