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My 91- year-old mother is refusing to take her furosemide. She has CHF, CAD and a multitude of other health conditions. Not taking the “water pill” of course leads to fluid retention and swelling in her legs (and elsewhere that she can’t see). Dangerous. She tells her caregiver not to tell my brother or me. She recently was hospitalized with low sodium (and has been hospitalized for this reason several times) because she does not take the furosemide properly. We are at our wits end. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to handle this? No dementia.

At 91, let her do what she wants. Fighting about it isn't going to prolong her life, which is very limited anyway.
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Reply to LakeErie
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Duderino54: Alert her physician. I did see your update.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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Duderino54 Sep 25, 2025
My brother did. Now they’re thinking of increasing her dose (low sodium). This doesn’t make any sense to me but I’m not the doctor.
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Many thanks for all the responses. She decided to start taking the furosemide as prescribed. Her QOL is severely impacted (peeing all day) but she wants to live as long as possible. I thought hospice was a good idea (comfort care, right?) but I don’t dare bring it up. She’s in the palliative care program. When I call they just send a message to her doctor. Just trying to make sure (as is my brother) that she is as comfortable as possible given her circumstances.
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Reply to Duderino54
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Respect her wishes. You can not keep her alive forever, and it's too late to keep her healthy. Consider calling in a Hospice care team, which will focus on keeping her comfortable.
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Reply to CaringWifeAZ
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Maybe a 1/2 dose might be better? If she refuses that, I wouldn't push it.
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Reply to Nan333
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Your Mom is 91. Say OK. Move to palliative care/hospice. I did it for my dad. His incontinence and frustration with urinating has subsided. Fluid comes and goes the same as when he was on the drug. With stage 4 chf and vascular dementia (among all other associated issues) it’s time to stop chasing symptoms.
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Reply to AliceLS
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I was put on a diuretic for lymphedema. It sucked. It didn't improve my leg swelling, it just made me have to pee every fifteen minutes. I'm told my great-grandna hated her "water pills" too, and refused to take them. So did I, in my 40s. I started wearing support stockings (Mojo brand, available on their website and Amazon has sizes up to 7x if your mom is heavier, like me), and it helped so much that I was able to walk better, which improved the reduction in swelling even more, helping with breathing. A mentally competent adult cannot be forced to take medication she doesn't want to take, and which makes her miserable.
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Reply to AgingKid
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GoPhillies2025 Sep 25, 2025
About water pills for lymphedema.....That is a wrong call by your dr. lymphedema is not the same fluid as the usual 'water retention'. You did the right thing getting the support hose.
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Your mom's quality of life is being seriously compromised by having to pee all day long. What's not to understand? Tell her you can call in hospice to help keep her comfortable now, that it's fine if she's choosing that option. Extending an elders life at 91 is not going to be everyone's choice, thats for sure. I'm sorry for these circumstances and hope you can respect her wishes, whatever they turn out to be.

Best of luck to you.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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My dad had years of CHF, also without any dementia. He took furosemide in ever increasing doses and peed constantly. He was exhausted by it. He had many hospitalizations to full off excess fluid the oral Lasix couldn’t touch. Each time in the hospital caused weakness and lessened his steadiness in walking a bit more. Finally his cardiologist suggested that if it were his dad, he’d let him come home, use hospice, and die in peace. The cardiologist had been good to dad but knew there were no more effective treatments and the merry go round would only continue and worsen. Dad chose hospice for himself and came home. The most interesting part to me, hospice discontinued most of his long list of medications, including the Lasix (furosemide) I expected to see the swelling begin and build up. Nothing happened at all. The long list of meds was gone and he seemed exactly the same. Dad was so very ready to be done with this world and died peacefully in about 7 weeks. Please have an honest conversation with mom and listen to her wishes, ask for her doctor’s input, and consider her tiredness after such a hard diagnosis. I wish you both peace
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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waytomisery Sep 18, 2025
I Agree,
For many elderly they get too tired to live any longer and are “ done with this world “.
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No dementia.
Not much you can do about it . You can’t force her .
If her issue is having to run to the bathroom to pee ( and perhaps not getting there in time ) …maybe a bedside commode close by at all times may have her agree to take her med .
If she’s having accidents , encourage her to switch to incontinence briefs. They have washable ones now like cloth underwear if she’s not very incontinent yet . Maybe she would be willing to start off with those until incontinence becomes worse.
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Reply to waytomisery
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Duderino54 Sep 18, 2025
She has a bedside commode and wears adult diapers. I understand it’s an annoyance for her to get up so often and the occasional leaks, etc. I want her to understand how dangerous for her condition not taking the furosemide is. I just don’t get it.
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