My Dad just started dialysis and experienced leg pains...

[ccasnet]

Hi All 

My dad started dialysis this week and has already went twice...the first day (Tuesday) was great, but today (Thursday) he had a lil trouble with leg pains.  The first day, he did two hours and felt fine and even better than he has been feeling...but today was supposed to be three hours and they had to cut it short due to the leg pains.  He said it was excrutiating, soo bad...the nurse massaged his legs and after stopping and a bit, the pain subsided.  He will return on Saturday...does anyone have suggestions about the leg pains and maybe how to avoid them?

He spoke with the nurse, but they really didn't give him any pointers, so I figured that I would try on here....

Thanks, Cyndi

[BigSky]

Is it pain from muscles cramping or is it a burning sensation?

[Des]

If it is cramping it is caused by TOO much fluid being taken off.(they have the wrong dry weight)
Some people use heating pads, some centres put back some fluid to assist, some people drink tonic water as soon as the cramp starts.

Hope it helps

[KICKSTART]

Yeah its probably just cramping and sitting there for so long .

[RichardMEL]

sure sounds like cramp to me. What baffles me is that the nurses offered "no pointers"!?!! I mean.. huh??? it's about the most common bad experience you can have on dialysis.... I mean what's with the nurses??

Specially as he's just starting a stable dry weight won't have been established(assuming they're taking fluid off - which should be checked - if he's still producing a lot of urine then they might not be doing that).

Sorry for the pain. ALl of us here have experienced it (I'm sure) and it's horrid.

[ccasnet]

Thanks all !!

He experienced the pain again last nite while sleeping...woke him up right out of his sleep.  I told him that a lot of you have experienced it and to try the tonic soda.  He said that it is leg cramping. 

The nurses did try and massage it out and adminster something in his IV...that's about it.  My father really doesn't ask too many questions, which I sooo hate!! I'm always the one with the million and one questions..lol

Thank you for your responses....He goes again tomorrow and we'll see what will happen then.

[Stoday]

I like it when I get a massage.

It's almost worth the cramping. 

[RichardMEL]

What the nurses would have done is given him some saline (fluid) back into his system which is a quick way to stop the cramping. Not as much fun as the massage though, and of course then you come off holding extra fluid......

[ccasnet]

Well, today was a new day with new problems.... My dad went for his 3rd treatment this week and was supposed to stay on for 4 hours, but only did 3 because the machine stopped due to the blood was cloudy.  I'm not sure what that means, but the nurse didn't want to reset his arm and machine because when he arrived and they were inserting the needle, they had a very hard time putting it in and really bruised up his arm, so she didn't want to put him through that again.

She told him to put ice on his arm for the bruising and not to clot.  Although, he did nto have the leg pains today, but occurred new issues.  I'm just thinking that his body and all has to get used to it and maybe things will run smoothly after a while..I hope!! All and all, he is feeling okay..a little tired and drained from the day, but okay.

Have a great and safe holiday weekend

[sullidog]

I never heard of blood being cloudy while being on the machine. As far as the hard stick goes if that continues then he may wanna request a fistula gram which is where they go in with contrast dye and see how well the blood is flowing.
I don't have pains but I do get wrestless legs (creapy crawly) which I take meds for that. You guys also may wanna talk to his neph as well to see what he has to say.
Troy

[Restorer]

Maybe you misheard, and they said his blood was clotting?

[Riki]

I've clotted the dialyzer a couple of times.  What they usually do is give the blood back, disconnect me and reset the machine up and reconnect me, depending on how long is left to the treatment.  If I have less than an hour left, they usually just take the needles out and let me go home

[ccasnet]

Yeah, maybe that is what he meant that the blood was clotting...He only had a half hour to go and I guess that's why they pulled him off.

He says that his arm is very bruised up around the area and he has been icing it for the pass few days and he has to go tomorrow and can't imagine how they are going to connect him cause it's like black. 

Thanks for all your replies and inputs..I really appreciate them!!

[Riki]

I have never been massaged when I cramp, but I think it would look weird to anyone who didn't know what the nurses were doing, because of WHERE I cramp.  I actually prefer them to not massage me.  I do tell them, though.  They usually just give me some extra saline and I"m fine.

[RichardMEL]

OK I'll be the one to bite... WHERE do you cramp??!! 

[Stoday]

That's a naughty thought — next time I cramp I could lie about its location.