Passing out

[vchen]

Hello!  I go to have hemo done at the center.  This week my blood pressure got very low and I passed out briefly.  This happened to me after a treatment during the summer and now it happened again.  It was very scary.  Does anybody have any suggestions? 

The doctor changed me dry weight earlier in the month. 

My blood pressure drops towards the end of treatment.  I go for three and a half hours three days a week.  My labs have been good.  No issues present.

Thanks a lot!!!

[flip]

You need to raise your dry weight or change the machine profile  to take less off at the end. How much weight are you pulling off?

[boxman55]

Dry weight needs to be looked at again. Nepths are real reluctant to change it so you have to fight with how you feel...Boxman

[Ang]

dry  weight  is  a  bit  hit  and  miss  till  you  get  to  where  your  comfortable.

just  add  on  half  akilo/pound  and  see  how  you  feel.

i  float  between  82.5/83.00  kilos  and  i  adjust  it  according  to  how  i  feel  each  session.

[Jess21]

Well I have to watch how much gets taken off.  More than 5 for me= drop of bp
Also your dry weight may have gone up.  I got down to my "dry weight" after the longest time, my bp dropped and I had to drink drink drink to bring it back up. 1/2 kilo later it evened out.
Also I have to watch when I take my bp meds.  I find if they fully kick in during dialysis I have a good fun time at the end of my session.
Unfortunately the last 2 happened to me at once...on my birthday..not fun.
Hope this helps!

[thegrammalady]

you are the one in charge of telling them how much to take off. i've lost 25 pounds (on purpose) since january, dry weight is nothing more than a wild ass guess. i log what i weigh when i leave and what i weigh when i come in and base how much is taken off by the exact amount i've gained since last treatment, and tell the tech what to take off each time.  that way i usually avoid too low a pressure or crashing.

[peleroja]

Regardless of your dry weight, tell the techs exactly how much fluid you want to take off.  They will argue with you, but you are actually the one in charge.  Worked for me when I was on hemo.

[RichardMEL]

Yep agree with all everyone else has said. A crash is a sure sign that your dry weight is set too low and they're pulling off too much so it should be raised. Also best to double check their calculations (some times they honestly can't count!) in terms of your pre-dialysis weight - your dry weight plus washback and go from there. I always do a second check myself both of the figures and then what the machine is set to. It never hurts. Also, if you feel faint or like they are taking too much off (you will get to know what your body can tollerate and what it can't) then you have the right to ask for the UF to be stopped (ie: no more fluid taken off) or the target lowered.

It might also be useful to know why the neph recently changed your dry weight - if it was changed down perhaps that was an error.

Luckily I pretty much set my dry weight but do it in consultation with the nursing staff and we work it out together what to try if anything needs to happen. I like doing it that way - I have control and feel like the staff trust that I understand things enough to make informed decisions about my own treatment.

I know crashing and fainting can be pretty scary - hopefully if you can stabalise your dry weight and keep it relatively stable then it shouldn't occur so much.

good luck!

[Bajanne]

I have never fully passed out, but i know the extremely scary feeling that you are fading away!!!  Combined with some cramps, I wouldn't wish it on a enemy (and I have none!).  I think you have been given excellent advice from the others.
How are you doing now?