some numbers i wrote down hoping someone can explain

[boswife]

Ok, hubby had a new tech yesterday, and they had a note on his machine with these #'s on it.  I understand some but wondering if they can be explained better to me.   Thanks if you can help

Rena 4 (and a little o above it) T 3->
3K 2.5 na 140  (Potassium wash?)
35 bicanb
400/800
a O with a line through it and hep (no heperin for him im guessing)
LFA AVF #15

[RightSide]

Rena 4 (and a little o above it) T 3->
3K 2.5 na 140  (Potassium wash?)
35 bicanb
400/800
a O with a line through it and hep (no heperin for him im guessing)
LFA AVF #15

I'll guess at some of this:

400 is a typical value for the microfiltration (uF) rate.
800 is a typical value for the dialysate flow rate.

I think you're right that the 2.5 is the potassium ion level.  (The chemical symbol for potassium is K.)
140 is the sodium ion level.  (the chemical symbol for sodium ion is "Na+")
35 is a typical value for the bicarbonate (bicarb) level.

These values are all set so as to balance your hubby's blood electrolyte and acidity (pH) levels. 

The last line refers to 15 gauge needles.  Your hubby has a fistula, yes?

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

OK, I'll take a shot at it.

Rena 4 (and a little o above it) T 3->        //Not sure what this is.
3K 2.5 na 140  (Potassium wash?)         // 3kg max UF?  or maybe 2.5 potassium/ sodium 140?
35 bicanb                    // bicarbonate
400/800                     // 400 blood flow with 800 dialysate flow
a O with a line through it and hep (no heperin for him im guessing)      // dunno.
LFA AVF #15              // Dunno this one either.      ETA - Yeah, RightSide is right on this...AVF = Arterio-Venous Fistula with 15guage needle.
                                // LFA = Left Forearm Access?

[boswife]

hehe......ok now, what does all this stuff mean to "us"?  as in, does he have a mild case of renial failure,(is that even something that happens?).  is he on mega wash (i think i understand his is very minimal actually)  etc,,,,,   Is he at the beginning side of treatments that will progress?  I tell ya, i think i've dug into so much info on his disease, but not on what *they're* doing to/for him. Yes, i stilllllllllllllllllllll am in denial that he hasnt bounced back to his 'pre' dialysis stage so am wondering just how agressive are his treatments, or are they just minimal... Am i making ANY SENCE?  Im not sure if i am even to myself..lol

[RichardMEL]

The "3K" line refers to the dialysate bath being used - I think anyway. A 3K (or K3 as they would call it here) takes the least amount of potassium out, and would be used for someone with lower potassium levels. A person with normal potassium levels(normal for ESRD anyway so in the 2.2-2.5 range) would have a 2K(or K2) bath, and higher potassium folks get a 1K bath, which takes the most potassium out. There are different "baths" for different requirements, ie higher or lower calcium, potassium & sodium. The particular bath being used can be changed to better manage each particular patient.

Just my 2 cents.

[RightSide]

hehe......ok now, what does all this stuff mean to "us"?

Nothing.   

The severity of renal disease is measured by Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), for which the blood creatinine clearance acts as a marker.  Your husband can ask his neph for those values.

Electrolyte levels in the blood are, of course, affected by diet.  (Eat something salty and your blood sodium level rises quickly.)  So they wouldn't make as good markers of renal function as GFR.

[Des]

hehe......ok now, what does all this stuff mean to "us"?  as in, does he have a mild case of renial failure,(is that even something that happens?).  is he on mega wash (i think i understand his is very minimal actually)  etc,,,,,   Is he at the beginning side of treatments that will progress?  I tell ya, i think i've dug into so much info on his disease, but not on what *they're* doing to/for him. Yes, i stilllllllllllllllllllll am in denial that he hasnt bounced back to his 'pre' dialysis stage so am wondering just how agressive are his treatments, or are they just minimal... Am i making ANY SENCE?  Im not sure if i am even to myself..lol

I am going to try to help.
Dialysis only replaces about 6% of the "real" kidney's function. This means that they keep you from death's door only just.(read this somewhere)  Real kidneys are obviously best that is why so many people opt for a transplant, it is closer to the real thing. Every person's machine is set to his own requirements depending on his bloodtest. It is not that you are sicker or better than the person next to you, it caters for your (his) needs. Some people have problems with potassium, other don't. Some have problems with sodium and so on and so on. By using diffirent fluid (dialysite) and filters they ensure that they meet his specific needs.
The things they wrote on his "screen" is just a summary of his machine settings.

[Riki]

the head nurse at my unit just happened to have me on Wednesday, and I asked her about some of it, and I think she had fun explaining it to me.. *L*  she showed me a dialyzer that had been cut in half so you could see what was inside.  It was actually really neat to see.  it's full of these fibers, I think she said there were 500,000 of them, and your blood runs through these, and the fluid flows around these fibers, and depending on the strength, the fluid will pull molecules of the toxins out and wash it away. It was quite fascinating.  She turned the machine so I could watch it, too, which was cool.  I could see when the pressures were going up and down, although, they didn't vary that much.

I like learning how things work.  I think it's part of being a gadget nut.. *G*

[casper2636]

I'm getting an extra protein pack along with each treatment. Now I am low in phosphorus, and sodium,

[mogee]

hehe......ok now, what does all this stuff mean to "us"?  as in, does he have a mild case of renial failure,(is that even something that happens?).  is he on mega wash (i think i understand his is very minimal actually)  etc,,,,,   Is he at the beginning side of treatments that will progress?  I tell ya, i think i've dug into so much info on his disease, but not on what *they're* doing to/for him. Yes, i stilllllllllllllllllllll am in denial that he hasnt bounced back to his 'pre' dialysis stage so am wondering just how agressive are his treatments, or are they just minimal... Am i making ANY SENCE?  Im not sure if i am even to myself..lol

You should have a good talk with his nephrologist if you can.  The machine numbers are unrelated to the health of your husband, but you are obviously anxious to know more than you've already learned.  Try to get information about both your husband and the dialysis process from the nursing staff.

[boswife]

Thanks so much to ALL!  Amazing group we have here...  Im always asking the dr's/tecs/patients questions about everything and just always think that some sneekie way i'll learn something theire not telling me.  (ie,,,wondering if the settings on the machine were gonna give me some secret info..lol) 

RightSide.... i thought (someone said) that once your ON dialysis, the GFR doesnt count as important as it did "pre" dialysis.. Is that so??

[RightSide]

RightSide.... i thought (someone said) that once your ON dialysis, the GFR doesnt count as important as it did "pre" dialysis.. Is that so??

I don't know what they meant by that.

Once your GFR falls below 15, and you've got chronic kidney disease, you have to begin renal replacement therapy--dialysis or kidney transplant.  That's the major decision you have to make when your GFR falls that low.

But a GFR of 14 is still not zero.  My GFR is 13, meaning that I still have a bit of residual kidney function left.  And sure enough, my kidneys still make urine, which makes dealing with fluid balance a whole lot easier.

Finally, on rare occasions the kidneys can recover even from chronic ESRD.  We've had one or two such cases right here on IHD.  So it's important to monitor kidney function while on dialysis, to see if that GFR number is rising or falling.

[boswife]

thanks so much RightSide, .....so, for starters, i do want to have done a 24hr urine collection, and im going to look up those tests and request them as well.  We do have a monthly report card at his unit, and,,,,i also ask for the WHOLE report on all his blood work done there not just the "report card" stuff.  I didnt even realize i hadnt got these for at least 4 months now, so going to get with that request once again.  Does anyone think that getting them from your unit, AND also having them done at labs outside of unit is a good idea, or am i being repetitive and having him poked unnecessarly??  thanks a bunch...

[mogee]

After a while you will recognize which numbers are important.  I just glance at most numbers from time to time because they don't change much.  I scrutinize my hemoglobin and iron numbers closely because I tend to make an excess of red cells.  To appreciate the test results, first become familiar with the normal range for each type of test, and what happens when you are out-of-range.

I don't know what you mean about having blood tests performed by a second lab.  The only tests that count are the ones used by the treatment team.  Dialysis cannot be used a treatment without regular blood checks.