water pills

[michele u]

I know alot of you have talked about taking lasix or a water pill for weight gain after tx. I asked my onc if i could get a water pill and he said it would mess my potassium up. How long did you all take the water pills, and was it for swelling or weight gain? I've gained 25 pds and i'm only 5foot 2.So wanting to get some weight off!

[lauren]

I feel your pain. I am only 5 feet and change, and I have no idea how much I gained because I couldn't bear to weigh myself. I do know that I couldn't fit into any of my clothes, and even when the swelling went down, I was still left with a spare tire that made my clothes that did fit look bad.

I took lasix throughout my entire treatment, two 20 mg pills a day. It helps sometimes. Sometimes not. More than two months after I am done with treatments, my fingers are still quite swollen and my rings look like they are suffocating them.

You can definitely lose the weight, even as you go through treatment. You won't be able to do much about the water though other than keeping your carbs to a minimum, which does seem to help. If you want to lose the fat, you are going to need to seriously reduce what you are eating, even if it is upsetting and unfair to have to do so. I fought hard against this notion for a long time, but the reality is that I can't eat more than about 1200 calories a day anymore, when I used to sock away more than 2000. And I exercise MORE than I used to. Sad. But at least I am alive. Damn menopause. Damn chemo. But again, at least I am alive, and I do look good again. It does get better. I promise.

lauren

[Steph N]

I was able to get a presc. for Furisimide. But my med onc gave it to me ONLY for the EDEMA I was experiencing with and after my chemo. It was a small dose and only had a couple of refills to keep me from taking too many of them. After all the chemo I had second time around I did need a 'water pill" for a while.
As an aside - I think the Herceptin also makes me keep a little more fluid in my system than I would ideally like. I don't know what else to attribute that to - other than ongoing Herceptin.

[eleanor]

Hi
the lasix is only a temporary solution to edema. If you are retaining fluid as a response to treatment or disease, it will just keep coming back. I took lasix daily because I was on a high dose of prednisone (60mg a day) and the fluid build up was making it difficult to breath. Now that I am down to 5mg, I only take the lasix as needed for fluid, not as a weight control.
Weight is a factor for just about all of us because of treatment. I went from 120lbs to 165lbs (size 6 to 16). After 2 yrs I just had to accept my new self and move on. I stopped looking at the weight as "vanity pounds" and decided to embrace the new me. Maybe one day I will be thin with long hair, but right now I just want to survive and if these extra pounds are part of the deal, then it's time for a new wardrobe.
el