Do accumulated toxins make you crazy?

[glitter]

Not to lecture all, but that is why you should stay on the machine your full time.  They say cutting your treatment even 15 minutes a month can cut your life expectancy by years!!  I know I know....you don't want to hear it! 

No IUNurse that is one of the reasons IHD founder Epoman created this site - so that all impacted by Dialysis could speak their minds on this issue without censure - so feel free to speak your mind
That said - I HATE DIALYSIS ! 

yep Epoman liked strong opinions!!

But not ALL people get off early- my husband only does if there is a problem with his fistula or his machine, I have asked him to ask if he can increase his time a bit- if his Neph says so-they will do it. I hope it helps. Last month he watched the 5 hour Pride and Prejudice A&E  movie-  this month we watched it again, he could not remember watching it, and even after watching it twice- he doesn't remember the first time. ( I wondered if it was a man thing- that was such a girlie movie maybe his brain suppressed the horror of it LOL)

[Meinuk]

They say cutting your treatment even 15 minutes a month can cut your life expectancy by years!! 

IU Nurse, please cite the data that you are quoting this from, as there has been much discussion about the QALY study I am curious how you substantiate "years".

And as far as your Kt/v guidelines, how do you arrive at your calculations?  As Kt/v is also a very controversial measurement especially when dealing with home hemo.  What formula does your clinic use when calculating Home Hemodialysis via Nxstage on a varied schedule?  You will find that this has also been discussed at length here on IHD.

[IUNurse]

Sorry it took so long to reply.  I will pull the info at work and get back to you on the reference I made to shortening dialysis time.  As far as kt/v goes, I am sad to say that I'm not sure how they calculate it as I just draw it.  I guess you are as good as you feel.

[frankenarm]

Just to join in and throw my  in, I know that when my kidney finally decided it was done and I got REALLY sick, three weeks no eating stuck in the hospital for one and a half weeks sick, I was going crazy. Emotional and mental mess. Since then I have settled out, but I still had wicked back anxiety. I was hoping it would get better on its own, kinda like it has always done before. But for months I wasnt sleeping, I was getting really back anxiety attacks, my social anxiety disorder would "flare" at the weirdest times, and I was really really moody with people at the oddest moments. I dont like to say I gave up, but I was tired, so I talked to my doctor and she/they put me on the low dose of paxil to help.
ANYWAY! Ive found that the toxins do have a profound affect, but that there also may be an underlying reason you feel nuts. (Im not calling you nuts btw. lol. Ive been there, I feel ya.)

[fluffy]

im actually quite nuts, but i've found music to be a great outlet for that   did you find the paxil helped with the anxiety? did it have any nasty side effects?

[dkerr]

The only thing I'm finding is that I'm having trouble finding words and am making really stupid mistakes at work that I've never made before and on a fairly consistent basis.  I hate that.

Funny you mentioned "Pride and Prejudice".  One of the girl's I work with has a son in Austin. He was on a business trip and the airplane was loaded and sat on the runway for hours. A plane full of men and they showed "Pride and Prejudice" to pass time.  He wanted them to just take a gun and shoot him.   

[flip]

kt/v is:

K= dialyzer clearance of urea
T= time on the machine
V=volume of fluid in the body

Many experts don't consider it a good measurement of the efficiently although there is a relationship to URR. I don't think most nephrologists really understand it.

BTW, lorazepam (Ativan) is really great for anxiety. It can be habit forming but, hell, so is dialysis.

[twirl]

flip    you are smart

[TynyWonder]

kt/v is:

K= dialyzer clearance of urea
T= time on the machine
V=volume of fluid in the body

Many experts don't consider it a good measurement of the efficiently although there is a relationship to URR. I don't think most nephrologists really understand it.

Wow!  I did not know that that is a way to look at KTV, is that true or did you make that up, flip?   Sorry if that is a stupid question............

[flip]

That is true but, remember, urea clearance is not necessarliy a good indicator of toxin removal.

[Run8]

i'm on home hemo and they (Davita)want my kt/v at 2.0. If it drops below 2.0 they raise my dialysate by.5 liters.
 

[flip]

Many consider a kt/v of 1.2 adequate and roughly the equalivent of a URR of 63.

[fluffy]

i tried ativan and it didnt do much, but that was probably the doseage.  Clonazepam is pretty good and xanax is awesome, but it has the unfortunate side effect of being really damn addictive , messing with my moods and making me black out so i stopped that one

[Wallyz]

One of the other issues is that many dialysis patients show symptoms of PTSD, separate from other forms of dementia. You have had surgery, a sudden change in health and financial status, you relationships have changed, and your identity has been shifted radically.  Ithink we should be working both on CBT and EMDR for dialysis patients, in stead of or in support of the SSRI therapy that many of us are using.

[monrein]

Yes, and renal social workers ought to be providing or linking patients to those therapies but it's not going to happen because of money.  It's cheaper (and more enriching to the drug companies) to go with anti-depressants.

[kitkatz]

There's another T-shirt idea there: Dialysis is habit forming!

[ODAT]

I'm wondering if my mom could be experiencing a reaction to the toxic buildup. Having gone as far as insulin shock she may still have levemir in her system as it is long acting besides. Her numbers have not changed though.

Sounds like a great tshirt kitkatz!

[draven]

We have a Gentleman in our unit who has been on dialysis for 13 years. and he is a real character talks loudly and abruptly. he cant remember any of the nurses names and calls them darling. and having a conversation with him is so painful. his speech is slurred and he kinda nods of mid sentence.

I was wondering if it is from the toxins, or is the poor man suffering from Alzheimer's?

[TynyWonder]

aaawwww how old is the poor man?

[draven]

well he said he is 63. but apparently he said that last year and the year before.

and when he weighs him self before dialysis they need to keep an eye on him. he cant remember what he weighed and will just give a random number for his weight. he is really a nice guy and completely harmless. all the patients and staff call him the "mayor" of unit.

[TynyWonder]

aaaawwww (as they say here in the good ole' south)     bless his heart    

[Restorer]

I don't know if uremic toxins or dialysis can change your basic personality or logical reasoning, but it does tend to do all kinds of things that you wouldn't suspect. In the days before I was hospitalized for really bad uremia when I caught a bug, one of the things that happened to me was my left eye (my good one) stopped responding properly to bright light. Going from sunny outdoors to indoors, it would take 3 or 4 minutes to dilate to where it should've been - in the meantime, I had a staticky donut-shaped spot in front of my eye that kept me from seeing anything in detail that wasn't directly in front of my gaze, or in my peripheral vision. When I finally adjusted to the darker light, going outside, my eye wouldn't constrict again for a good 4 or 5 minutes, and looking at anything in direct sunlight was like an overexposed photo, with a bright corona effect.

Not to mention the terrible joint pain (phosphorus 13+) and later the shortness of breath and dizziness.

[cosmickelly]

There's another T-shirt idea there: Dialysis is habit forming!

I loved that, too!!

Have an AWESOME Sunday!!

Kelly

[frankenarm]

Sorry for the long reply on the paxil, I have been off my feet, literally. My hip got infected and all that. I havent really noticed and side effects from the Paxil, and I am on a low dose so that may make a difference but I dunno. I know that it has helped me sleep, Im not getting anxious all the time, Im not down about sitting in that chair for 12+ hours a week. Its rather nice. Granted, reading anything on paxil will scare the crap outta ya, but if its done correctly and safely its all good. I havent had any problems.

I would also like to mention that meds was my last option. Ive been dealing with my medical stuff my entire 22 years of living and it tends to wear on the mind, emotions, and control. I tried therapy and my social anxiety improved alot, which I am very happy for. But my random general anxiety... I needed more help, you cant fix something no one can find the cause of. (just my  and personal experience.)

I almost hate to admit it but I love Ativan. the only problem is I cant take it! My stomach doesnt really agree with it, and when I need it the most, at dialysis, I drive myself home (usually) afterwards... generally not safe to be sedated and driving.