Question:
At the surgeon's office.. I weighed 16 pounds more than I had weighed the day

before .. I didnt take my diuretic meds that morning.. Can a person have 16 pounds of fluid in their body overnight.. I weighed again on the same scales that I had weighed on Tuesday and my weight is the same.. not the 16 pounds heavier at the surgeon's office.. Thanks in advance..    — Gina Landers (posted on August 31, 2000)

August 31, 2000
I believe it is possible. Especially if you had eaten a lot of foods with salt or other salt retention properties. Combine salt with pre-menstrual charactertistics, and all of the sudden not taking diuretics, and yes, I thing it is entirely possible. The large amount of weight loss we experience on a diet or after surgery also has a lot of water naturally. Even the time of day you weight makes a difference. Yes, it is entirely possible.
   — [Anonymous]

September 1, 2000
This is probably just a difference in the two scales. It seems like I always weigh more on my surgeon's scale than my home scale. I just use the same scale each time I record my weight to keep track of my loss.
   — Lynn K.

September 1, 2000
Hi Gina, I have weight fluctuations due to water retention too, and while I've sometimes gained 3-4 pounds overnight, I've never gained 16! You may have had SOME weight gain because of water retention, but I'm pretty sure that the biggest difference in the weight was due primarially to the difference in the scales. The next time you go to your surgeon's office and weigh in, go home and re-set your scale to match his. Remember to not eat or drink anything or change clothes in between time so everything is basically the same as it was in his office. I did this and my home scales now "start" at +5lbs. (I have threatened nearly everyone in my household with bodily harm if they even THINK about re-adjusting them.) Since I re-set my home scale, everytime I've weighed in at my surgeon's office, my weight has matched exactly with what my home scale indicated. It helps alot to keep me on track on a daily basis and I'm reasonably sure that my weight loss is pretty accurate. So far it's been right on the money everytime and I've never been "shocked" with an "unanticipated" weight gain. Good luck and God bless. cj
   — cj T.

February 13, 2005
Hi there- Yes this is very possible. I started having severe edema at about 2 years out. I had went from 145 to 175 in one week. The doctors thought i was exagerating. I experienced this for two weeks then my weight went down , well now It is worse. I have gained about 20 lbs due to my body doing this off and on for the last year. I am so depressed i will go on eating binges. My weight is about 165 but, i can swell up to 197 lbs. I have gained 10 lbs in one night. This has been documented on my medical record. I have other symptoms of illness, but my blood work is fine. I hope you find the answer to your problem. I am still suffering from mine. Good luck
   — Cheryl W.