I take Lisinopril and Triam HZTC for my blood pressure, and this past year I started developing a fungus on either my hands or my feet which causes these huge blisters to form, and generally make my life hell.
My dermatologist wants me to stop taking the diuretic because she thinks that’s the cause of the fungus, and when I tried that before my ankles swelled to the size of my thighs and it scared the shit out of me so I went back on the T-HZTC.
No blisters until last Thursday coming back from vacation and by the time I got off the plane and gobe through three security checks (taking off my shoes and putting them back on), I had one of those big red muthas on my right heel, and it is now starting to heal again.
Saw my PCP on Monday, and he was pissed because I didn’t come off the diuretic and wants me to try again, so I will.
My question: Have any of y’all ever stopped a diuretic and experienced that sudden swelling even though you also started watching your sodium intake? When I went off them before, I started by breaking the 75-50 mg tabs in half, then into quarters and then every other day etc., and I was still swelling up.
So now I’m thinking “lower your sodium even lower than the 3,000 mg per day, and see if that works”, but hell, that shit is in everything!
So…anyone ever been through this and what is your take?
I have borderline blood pressure, and would love to know where the foods are that don’t contain massive amounts of sodium, but are still able to be swiftly prepared.
It’s HCTZ, not HZTC. Insist that your two doctors (the dermatologist and whoever prescribes your blood pressure medicine) talk to each other and work out between them whether you should use HCTZ. You shouldn’t be in a position of having to choose which doctor’s advice to follow.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I was. The dermatologist did speak to the primary care doc, and they both agreed I should come off the diuretic. It was me who freaked when I saw my ankles and said “no way!”.
I admit I was non-compliant and now want to do the right thing, but that swelling was very scary, which was the reason for this post: I was hoping to get some advice on how to better bring myself to a point where I won’t need the diuretic.
So, ah, which low sodium diet plan do y’all recommend?
And yeah, at 208, I could stand to lose about 20 pounds, so please tell me what has worked for you, but don’t ask me to do any weighing, math, or heavy-duty cooking.
Fresh foods have no added sodium and are easy to prepare (most can be eaten raw, or simply steamed for a few minutes). Likewise fresh meats (no added sodium, easy to prepare). Stop buying food in boxes and you’ll have no problem.
I am an expert chef and never, ever use salt (except for desserts!).
Just stay away from processed foods.
When cooking, go crazy on the spices and don’t add salt. Be very careful with dry spices though. Many have a ton of sodium themselves. Buy whole spices and mill them yourself.
And be very careful with food on the street. Specially chinese takeout!
Fresh meat (fish, chicken, whatever) along with some vegetables and fruit make tasty and healthy meals for me. They’re low in sodium, have no preservatives or added chemicals and are full of enzymes and vitamins. I can toss one together in about fifteeen minutes (less if I microwave one of my premade frozen meals).
Also, fresh vegetables and fruits are a pain. the only fruits I like are apples and bananas - apples don’t appeal to me enough to make the peeling of them worthwhile, and bananas spoil too rapidly for me to be able to keep them around through the entire week.
As for fresh vegetables… Cucumbers keep well, but have no nutrional value. Carrots are nice, but they just freeze solid in my refrigerator. I think, apart from onions, those are the only fresh vegetables I partake in…
You ask for suggestions, then complain about those given, as if it is the suggester’s fault that you don’t like those particular foods.
However, potatoes fall under the definition of “fresh vegetables” and add the starch element you think is missing. I just checked the rice (brown and white) I have in my cupboard, and both of those are zero sodium. So is the oatmeal. There are two grain suggestions. Milk is also relatively low in sodium (125mg per serving.) The yogurts vary according to brand, (the ones I have are 85mg and 110mg). So meat/fish/poultry, vegetables/fruits, grain, and dairy are covered.
You feel the need to peel apples before eating? I have never peeled apples I’m going to eat out of hand. The peel is perfectly edible. The only time I peel apples is if they are going in a recipe that requires it.
Frozen vegetables are almost as good as fresh, and sometimes they’re actually better. If you get actual frozen vegetables, not “with sauce” or anything else, you can prepare them any way you want. No need for salt.
You can get canned corn with no salt added, but since I don’t like canned veggies, I don’t buy other canned veggies and can’t tell you whether salt is added. But if I had to bet, I’d bet canned veggies are high in sodium–at least by contrast to fresh or frozen.
You have to be a very careful label-reader with canned. Lots of canned foods have unnecessary salt or sugar (or corn syrup). For example, a lot of canned tomatoes have salt and sugar in them, but you can get them without (Muir Glen has some that are just tomatoes and water, and they taste better too.) Generally, though, frozen vegetables are much better in general than canned, not just from a sodium/health standpoint.
Well, I was kinda hoping y’all might link me to a site or a book which has a plan that might work for me. I don’t mind steaming my veggies, but I’d like to keep it as simple as I can.
Scroll down to “Choosing foods for a reduced sodium diet” from this Low Sodium Diet
Unfortunately, changing your eating habits will mean eating foods different from the ones you eat now. That’s sorta how changing works. Maybe it will mean spending a little more time in the kitchen too. Not such a bad thing, really, if it keeps you out of the hospital/grave.
Baking a chicken or a roast is really no big deal. You should be able to get at least four meals from a chicken. Cook one on the weekend when you have more time. I do all my cooking on the weekend and freeze the leftovers in meal sized portions for quick and easy weekday meals.
a warning about sodium, just because the label doesn’t say Salt (NaCl), that doesn’t mean there is no sodium. There are several preservatives and stabilizers that are also sodium salts and deliver their sodium.
