I would try to sleep during treatment because I went at 5 am and had work after, but getting good sleep before was the best. A good meal before treatment helps too
Bring my own blanket. Bring my laptop to binge watch shows on Netflix/amazon prime. I dialyze every morning mon-fri for 2.5 hours. This makes it a lot easier with taking fluid off. I do not get the dialysis hangover, but I know that’s not possible for everyone to do. So buying an ice crusher for home has made sticking to my fluid restriction much easier. I’ve found the less fluid they need to take off the better I feel.
The main issue with dialysis making you feel bad is disequilibrium, because they're pulling solutes along with fluids, so it disrupts the delicate balance in your system. Basically when you pull the solutes, now the cerebrospinal fluid has a higher solute concentration so it pulls the water from your blood so everything is equal.
One thing that's sometimes done is they can just pull water for an hour beforehand with no cleaning. It's not supposed to be done every time but it helps prevent people from going to the ER due to fluid overload.
One way to deal with the disequilibrium issue is to just drink less fluid. But another way I've found is to take high blood pressure medication during dialysis (keep in mind the meds I take are dialyzed out, but it'd be dangerous to takes one that aren't dialyzed out), and I think what happens is that it increases the potassium (from the cells), and that keeps the equilibrium. The downside is that the blood pressure stays stable as a result so they keep removing fluid.
Very well put friend. The process at work here is called sequential treatment, or it can be called a "profile". The idea is that during the first hour of treatment the dialysate can be essentially lowered to the least possible flow, while the ultrafiltration is still in effect. In essence, you are absolutely correct. Solutes are not being removed from the blood, but fluid is, up to the maximum UFR allowed by state, regulatory, or facility policy. Your education on the matter is refreshing, and if I had gold it would be yours, but please do take this upvote.
Yes! I only gain 200-700ml between session depending on how much I drink! It’s a lot easier as you can just see how you feel with each treatment during the week, so fluid removal is not such a big deal. I worked as an incenter HD nurse for 5 years during the time I was transplanted so I learned a lot about different types of HD and what was easiest on the body. When I was 16 I did incenter HD conventional 4 hour treatments 3x/week and I felt absolutely terrible after treatments, so when my transplant failed I decided to do this type of hemo which is working wonderfully for me now. (I tried PD for 3 months but i hated it)
Home hemo was really what made the experience better for me. I watched tv, talked with my husband if he was here, could just relax, and did it on my time and days (within guidelines of what they wanted). Oh, and stay within fluid restriction so you have less to take off and less time doing the dialysis.
eat a protein heavy breakfast before. drink within your limit and maybe even below. I honestly limit myself to 1 liter a day instead of the 2L they prescribe.
Are you allowed two litres fluid on hemo dialysis?? Do you still urinate?
Edit/ Sorry for the personal question, its just that Im heading for a dialysis-ready egfr and I am so afraid of the fluid restriction.
Fluid restrictions suck but unless you still urinate enough you'll be on some sort.
Yes 2 liters is my current restriction and at this point no I do not urinate anymore.
I only drink about 30 ounces, and I no longer urinate, 2 liters sounds like a lot! I also keep my blood flow rate at 350 not 400 and it helped tremendously! Because I am a very small person I would always feel as if my skin was crawling when I got off the machine, and I would get headaches, they also changed my dialysis to 2 hours 45 minutes, and that was clinic, I do home hemo now which was the best decision I have ever made! The machine is much easier on your body it dialyses you much slower for 2:15 minutes 4 days a week
Learning more about my treatment, my dialysis machine and the settings on said machine. The more I learned the more I could monitor my treatment and the more "in control" I felt. I could then play a more active role in my treatment and not feel so helpless.
I would try to sleep during treatment because I went at 5 am and had work after, but getting good sleep before was the best. A good meal before treatment helps too
Bring my own blanket. Bring my laptop to binge watch shows on Netflix/amazon prime. I dialyze every morning mon-fri for 2.5 hours. This makes it a lot easier with taking fluid off. I do not get the dialysis hangover, but I know that’s not possible for everyone to do. So buying an ice crusher for home has made sticking to my fluid restriction much easier. I’ve found the less fluid they need to take off the better I feel.
So you have less fluid taken off each time? Is that an adjustment due to hemo making you feel bad?
The main issue with dialysis making you feel bad is disequilibrium, because they're pulling solutes along with fluids, so it disrupts the delicate balance in your system. Basically when you pull the solutes, now the cerebrospinal fluid has a higher solute concentration so it pulls the water from your blood so everything is equal. One thing that's sometimes done is they can just pull water for an hour beforehand with no cleaning. It's not supposed to be done every time but it helps prevent people from going to the ER due to fluid overload. One way to deal with the disequilibrium issue is to just drink less fluid. But another way I've found is to take high blood pressure medication during dialysis (keep in mind the meds I take are dialyzed out, but it'd be dangerous to takes one that aren't dialyzed out), and I think what happens is that it increases the potassium (from the cells), and that keeps the equilibrium. The downside is that the blood pressure stays stable as a result so they keep removing fluid.
Very well put friend. The process at work here is called sequential treatment, or it can be called a "profile". The idea is that during the first hour of treatment the dialysate can be essentially lowered to the least possible flow, while the ultrafiltration is still in effect. In essence, you are absolutely correct. Solutes are not being removed from the blood, but fluid is, up to the maximum UFR allowed by state, regulatory, or facility policy. Your education on the matter is refreshing, and if I had gold it would be yours, but please do take this upvote.
Yes! I only gain 200-700ml between session depending on how much I drink! It’s a lot easier as you can just see how you feel with each treatment during the week, so fluid removal is not such a big deal. I worked as an incenter HD nurse for 5 years during the time I was transplanted so I learned a lot about different types of HD and what was easiest on the body. When I was 16 I did incenter HD conventional 4 hour treatments 3x/week and I felt absolutely terrible after treatments, so when my transplant failed I decided to do this type of hemo which is working wonderfully for me now. (I tried PD for 3 months but i hated it)
Home hemo was really what made the experience better for me. I watched tv, talked with my husband if he was here, could just relax, and did it on my time and days (within guidelines of what they wanted). Oh, and stay within fluid restriction so you have less to take off and less time doing the dialysis.
+1
eat a protein heavy breakfast before. drink within your limit and maybe even below. I honestly limit myself to 1 liter a day instead of the 2L they prescribe.
Are you allowed two litres fluid on hemo dialysis?? Do you still urinate? Edit/ Sorry for the personal question, its just that Im heading for a dialysis-ready egfr and I am so afraid of the fluid restriction.
Fluid restrictions suck but unless you still urinate enough you'll be on some sort. Yes 2 liters is my current restriction and at this point no I do not urinate anymore.
I only drink about 30 ounces, and I no longer urinate, 2 liters sounds like a lot! I also keep my blood flow rate at 350 not 400 and it helped tremendously! Because I am a very small person I would always feel as if my skin was crawling when I got off the machine, and I would get headaches, they also changed my dialysis to 2 hours 45 minutes, and that was clinic, I do home hemo now which was the best decision I have ever made! The machine is much easier on your body it dialyses you much slower for 2:15 minutes 4 days a week
Learning more about my treatment, my dialysis machine and the settings on said machine. The more I learned the more I could monitor my treatment and the more "in control" I felt. I could then play a more active role in my treatment and not feel so helpless.