Cramping~

[Rerun]

At the end of my dialysis session if I have reached my dry weight or a little "more" my feet get touchy and if I move them they cramp.  Well, twice now, I feel it in my feet but then my abdomen (somewhere in there) starts cramping.  Then I try and get rid of that and move my feet and then they cramp.  The ones in my abdomen really hurt.  Weird that it has only just started happening.

I know I must look like I'm having convulsions of some type!     

[Sluff]

  I hope you're doing better.

[Fox_nc]

This has started to happen to me this week as well.  Mine comes on about half way through my session.  I tell the staff and they give me "something" for it.  I'm not sure what it, but it works.  I asked what was going on and they said that the were just taking too much too quick, so they slowed it down some.  Hope yours gets better.

[nkviking75]

At the end of my dialysis session if I have reached my dry weight or a little "more" my feet get touchy and if I move them they cramp.  Well, twice now, I feel it in my feet but then my abdomen (somewhere in there) starts cramping.  Then I try and get rid of that and move my feet and then they cramp.  The ones in my abdomen really hurt.  Weird that it has only just started happening.

I know I must look like I'm having convulsions of some type!     

Sounds nasty.  Just spitballing here, but might you have gained a little weight and need to have your dry weight increased?

[Rerun]

Yes, I have been gaining weight and have also upped my dry weight.  But what throws me is the cramping in my abdomen.  That place is new.  I usually cramp in my feet and legs.

[Zach]

Maybe your doctor needs to raise your sodium a bit.  Does your machine have a sodium variation ability?

[Bajanne]

I have been having similar experiences.  I cramp a bit in my legs and feet.  But I also have this strange cramp just under my right breast (or where it used to be).  However, this was something that happened before I started dialysis.  For instance, if I turned around in the car to fix something for my grandson in the backseat, this cramp would grip me.  I hadn't had it for a while, and now it has turned up sometimes on dialysis.
When you cramp on the machine, they up your saline.

[nkviking75]

Yes, I have been gaining weight and have also upped my dry weight.  But what throws me is the cramping in my abdomen.  That place is new.  I usually cramp in my feet and legs.

I haven't experienced abdominal cramping, and hope I never do.  I hope they find an answer for you quickly.  BTW, they prescribe quinine sulfa for cramping in my unit.  You have to take it about a half hour before treatment.  It seems to help, although it can't block all cramping.

[SpeedFleX]

Yes, I have been gaining weight and have also upped my dry weight.  But what throws me is the cramping in my abdomen.  That place is new.  I usually cramp in my feet and legs.

You know I sometimes have the same exact problem, And it is usually when my weight needs to be upped, but the thing is that is diffrent is that I don't get it on dialysis but afterwards it comes real fast and is very painfull.

I usually just put my arms in the air to stretch and that helps if not I just lay somewhere and stretch there.

I sometimes have Cramps in my Feet, Legs, Butt, Fingers, Upper Arm, Back and Abdomen area on the right side most of the time

[Rerun]

Maybe your doctor needs to raise your sodium a bit.  Does your machine have a sodium variation ability?

Zach, please explain the sodium.  Maybe I could just eat a few chips to add salt??

[AlasdairUK]

Rerun,

I have just a similar thing last week where at the bottom of my rib cage a had a small muscle spasm/ cramp. I have had my dry weight increased as my blood pressure was low pre and post. This has sorted out both the cramp and my bp is back to normal.

Maybe your doctor needs to raise your sodium a bit.  Does your machine have a sodium variation ability?

Zach, please explain the sodium. Maybe I could just eat a few chips to add salt??

I think Zach Is referring to that dialysis Will take sodium out your body, but to make sure they do not take to much there is sodium in the dialysis fluid. You should have an option on the machine to increase the amount of sodium in the dialysis fluid. ie at 138 so your sodium blood level does not go to low, if that is what you are at then you you could bring it up to 140.

[ralph]

I used to have a lot of problems with cramping but I now take Quinnine 325mg. caps 2 hours prior to dialysis, it helps considerably. The machine we use at my center has different profiles to choose from, I use profile 3 takes more fluid off the first of the session and tapers to very little toward the end. I know how much fluid my body can handle in 3 hours and it is no more that 3.8 kilos, no matter how much fluid I have even if only 4.0 I don't allow that to be taken off. I just wait until next time to take it and be more careful of my intake until then. Works for me.   Carole

[Rerun]

I think Zach Is referring to that dialysis Will take sodium out your body, but to make sure they do not take to much there is sodium in the dialysis fluid. You should have an option on the machine to increase the amount of sodium in the dialysis fluid. ie at 138 so your sodium blood level does not go to low, if that is what you are at then you you could bring it up to 140.

My doctor explained "adding" sodium to the dialysate today.  She said when they add sodium to the dialysate it takes more fluid out of you.  This does not make sense to me.  It seems if they add sodium then there would be more in the dialysate than in your blood stream and less would come off of you. 

If I'm on a higher potassium bath then it pulls "less" potassium off me.

Can anyone explain to me why they add sodium to your dialysate bath?

[Hawkeye]

My doctor explained "adding" sodium to the dialysate today.  She said when they add sodium to the dialysate it takes more fluid out of you.  This does not make sense to me.  It seems if they add sodium then there would be more in the dialysate than in your blood stream and less would come off of you. 

This may sound a bit strange but think of sodium as salt used in a cooking environment.  If you want to cure a piece of meat like they did in the old days for travel on ships you would put it in salt to draw the moisture out of the meat thus preserving it.  Though not exactly the same but the principals are still the same.  That is also why you shouldn't drink sea water if you are lost at sea.  The salt in the sea water actually dehydrates you.