Dealing with ascites: Any advice or management tips?

Hello,
here is the situation:
A male patient, 66 years old, dealing with alcoholism, liver cirrhosis, polyneuropathy, ascites, and several other secondary diagnoses.
Following an acute flare-up of the cirrhosis and a 12-day stay at a local hospital, he spent four weeks at a rehabilitation center to try and improve his mobility regarding the neuropathy. So, he has been sober for four weeks now and is strictly following his medication regimen (including Furosemide, among others), yet the abdominal swelling isn't just failing to subside—it actually seems to be getting larger, if that’s even possible.

While he was hospitalized, they ran all the standard tests—ultrasounds, gastroscopies, and even a paracentesis to sample the fluid in the abdomen. From what I could gather in the discharge papers, there was some mention of suspicious cells found in that fluid. He has a follow-up appointment with a gastroenterologist in about two weeks, but in the meantime, I suppose I am looking for some insight. Why would the swelling not be going down?

The exact same thing happened about a year ago, but back then, the swelling completely resolved by the end of his stay at the rehab facility.

Thank you.

Because the disease has already done its damage and the liver is starting to fail, you run into a massive risk: if a mechanical drainage procedure causes a leak, it creates a void that just leads to an even bigger spill. That’s why doctors only resort to punctures as a last-ditch effort—they know they can actually end up making things worse.

It seems we’re running through the same old record again, even though he was seemingly fine and relatively stable just a short while ago. He spent two weeks at the hospital, they discharged him, and then—just two days later (today)—he’s back in the ER. His abdomen is incredibly distended, almost like a balloon; he isn't urinating, and I suppose all the fluid is just pooling in his abdomen. They’ve kept him admitted because his sodium levels are low, but honestly, I guess there isn't much else anyone can really do at this point.

Jerry Sullivan2 said:It seems we’re running through the same old record again, even though he was seemingly fine and relatively stable just a short while ago. He spent two weeks at the hospital, they discharged him, and then—just two days later (today)—he’s back in the ER. His abdomen is incredibly distended, almost like a balloon; he isn't urinating, and I suppose all the fluid is just pooling in his abdomen. They’ve kept him admitted because his sodium levels are low, but honestly, I guess there isn't much else anyone can really do at this point.

Is he still drinking alcohol?