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Advice On Iv Fluids??


FarmerAmy

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I am feeling discouraged :-( My doctor finally told me I could do IV fluids. I was so excited at the thought of getting some temporary relief! I got the first IV a week ago and I felt a little better for about 24 hrs (less lightheaded). But I've had 2 more IVs since then and they really haven't helped at all. I feel so discouraged and don't know what to do.

Here are the details of what I've been doing: I've been doing 1 liter of Lactated Ringer's every third day. I have small veins and we've been using a 24 gauge cathether, so it takes about 2 hours for the fluids to infuse. We are going to try to go up to a 22 gauge.

I'm hoping to hear from some of you who might have more experience with IVs than I do. Should I ask about doing more volume with each IV (2 liters??) Should I try to do them more frequently? Should I try saline instead of Lactated Ringer's?

I did one IV about a year ago and it made me feel a lot better. But I haven't done any since then until this past week. I don't know if I should keep trying different things with the IV fluids. Or if I should give up because IV fluids aren't going to help my lightheadedness.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Amy

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IV fluids are useful for quick relief when you are flaring - alone, they are only a temporary quick fix. The fluids fill up your blood vessels so they are not so floppy and collapsable. The fluids are quickly filtered by the kidneys and excreted within a few hours. Are you taking any other medications that encourage fluid retention? - I drink at least 80-100 ounces of fluids every day and I use at least 6 grams of salt every day. Some people use Flourinef - it caused me to swell too much.

When I saw Dr Randy Thompson in Pensacola, FL, he indicated that he has patients he sends to an IV clinic 3 times a week for IV fluids just to boost their volume and help them feel better. If you choose to go that route, you may find that a central IV port (infusaport) will help with vascular access. This port cannot take IV fluids at an extremely rapid rate - the fastest mine will infuse a liter of fluid is over 4 hours - however, the trade-off is worth it because your veins in arms/hands become darn nearly inaccessable after a few sticks. I've had my port for almost 3 years and I wouldn't trade it for the moon!

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