I read that appetite changes.. What all ways?

[Kitsune]

jbeany,

That's because we are taught as children that the doctors and nurses know what's best for us and that if we dare "step a toe out of line", we are "noncompliant patients" and it's our fault if anything happens to us.  On the other hand, we can't win being "good little patients" either, because if we do let these yayhoos take extra fluid off us and we don't need it and then if our blood pressure goes up or we crash, puke, or faint, it's "Oh, she didn't watch her fluid, it's not OUR fault!!"

At first, the techs at my center told me what my UF goals were and as a new patient, I went along with it because I didn't know any better, and lo and behold my blood pressure went up as I crashed, puked, and fainted at least once per treatment.

Those idiots told me it was due to fluid gain and took even more fluid off me, when I make adequate urine and told them as such!! Finally, when it kept happening, it dawned on me to go do research and found out that they shouldn't be taking anything off me! If I had kept letting them take fluid off me, I would probably have no urinary function left, and be on fluid restriction like most of those people there.

Now, I tell THEM what my goals are and make sure they do what they are told. It's my body, not theirs and they don't know what's going on inside me, they have no right to tell me that I have fluid on me when I don't.

[flip]

I control my dry weight and don't follow the diet very religiously unless something gets out of whack. I do limit some foods but I don't avoid anything entirely.

[Trikkechickk]

My Davita Center listens very carefully to me re my dry weight.  If I tell them I am having cramps (usually at night - at home) or having a headache after dialysis, we increase my dry weight.  I have been on dialysis for 3 weeks, so there is some adjusting being made as I continue w/dialysis.  Other than that, I am problem free.

[peleroja]

I think I could cheerfully kill someone if my appetite would only change.  I will happily eat anything and everything.  Even when I was on hemo for 3 months, I never had a loss of appetite.  The only thing I've noticed is that after I eat the smell of the food is annoying to me, but never before I eat.

[kitkatz]

That happens to me,too.  After I eat the smell of the food bothers me.  I usually shove the plate away.  When I cook, I often will not eat what I made.  The smell gets to me then, too.

But then I usually am eating whatever I want to eat.

[G-Ma]

Food was "poison" to me pre-dialysis and now I enjoy eating again, of course need to watch so no more gain in case I decide on transplant, I have to force eating any red meat and dislike most protein and I do eat anything I want even if it's just a bite like spagetti sauce which I love.  As long as my numbers keep being good I'm going to follow what I'm doing.  Davita and I work together on my dry weight as they are not inside my body.  ND on the other hand had sucked me dry all the time and I passed out and crashed.  My only problem is since starting sensipar I have a stomach ache in the evening...I take it with the evening meal and then feel as if I ""overate"" all day.  Anyone else with this?
Ann

[kitkatz]

I crave protein all the time.  Weird, huh?  Especially right after a dialysis session.

[thegrammalady]

i had no appetite at all the first part of this year. but i attribute it to what was going on at the time. major surgery, blood clots, broken foot. who would want to eat let alone cook. the up side was i've lost 25 pounds (yea) now while i don't want to eat much, i crave things i shouldn't eat and i don't want to put the weight back on. in fact i'd like to loose 25 to 35 more. i'm sure dialysis has something to do with it, but i don't think it's everything. but then i'm just plain weird.

[monrein]

My appetite is back with a vengeance since I started dialysis and everything smells, tastes good.  Now I have to regain my usual diligence about not gaining weight.  My blood pressure has also dropped dramatically.  I'm down to only one BP med (used to take 5).