not sure if you're retaining fluid?

[texasstyle]

This is an unofficial sorta post, and some of it my opinon, but it's from something a nurse taught me a while ago and I thought I'd share. If  you are unsure if you are actually holding fluid or not there is one of the  ways to tell. Press down on your ankle or calf as that is a common place to hold fluid or where you think you may be holding fluid. If  you press down with your finger and the area of skin does not quickly rise, you are "most likely" holding fluid. There are different degress of edema. When you press down and it stays like that, it is called pitting edema. Now, how far can you press into your skin? One finger width? Two? Three finger width deep down? The deeper down the more the pitting stage. 1,2 3 etc... Now here is the "my opinon" part. If you can press down only a small depth, you should tell your dr. soon as you can. If you are "pitting" two or more depths, you need to tell him right away. When you are holding water in your extremeties there is a good chance you may have some fluid around the heart as well. Does this make any sense?  I learned this when my husband was holding fluids. For a while there we had to keep a careful check on it all the time. Anyone can correct my errors if I have made any, but I think I'm pretty acurate. I aslo hope it may have helped someone somehow along the line.







EDITED:  Fixed spelling in title so subject of post was clearer - jbeany, Moderator

(You did say correct your errors, right?     Wish spell-check showed up in the subject line, too!)

[jbeany]

On the flip side of that, if you can pinch the skin on the back of your hand and it stays "tented" in the pinch position - you are dehydrated.  Good to know if you are having low bp or dizzy spells, and your aren't sure if it's fluid or meds at issue.

[texasstyle]

That i sgreat info jbeany!  I never knew that and here we deal with a lot of low BP issues even on off dialysis days. Hmmmm... apparently we can tell a lot through our skin aside from the coloring.

[Dannyboy]

They've been doing that "indentation" thing you speak of to me as a quick way to see that I've got more fluid to get rid of, only been Dialyzed now less than a month, so fluid is still coming off......to a degree that just blows me away (as in the amount LOL)
--Dan

[texasstyle]

it amazes me too how much they take off too Danny Boy. I use to think that fluid was only retained in your blood. Hmm.... then I found out fluid also retains in your tiisues as well. I think that's what they consider the "intracelular spaces". Our body is made up of so much water that is makes such sense. So for example, if someone has been ill for a while with kidney disease, chances are you've retained a lot of fluid in your tissues and "intracelluar  spaces" and my best guess is that it may take a little bit to get all that out. safely. I know they can pull a lot of quickly in a session, if needed. In the wierdest way and from most unfortunate circumstances of course,I have found the medicall/physcial part of this quite interesting. I wish I had learned them in better circumstances though.

[Riki]

My nurses do that to me all the time, but I don't think it tells them much.  Generally, I hold fluid more in my upper legs than the lower areas.  It's where I see and feel it most

[jbeany]

I think everyone has a different retention pattern.  I didn't hold it in my ankles, which is always the first place they look.  My fingers would swell like crazy, though.  Post-transplant, I judge how well I've hydrated for the day by rubbing my fingers between each other.  If all I feel is bone - it's time to drink up!

[Riki]

I think everyone has a different retention pattern.  I didn't hold it in my ankles, which is always the first place they look.  My fingers would swell like crazy, though.  Post-transplant, I judge how well I've hydrated for the day by rubbing my fingers between each other.  If all I feel is bone - it's time to drink up!

I do that too, but feeling the bone tells me I haven't got a whole lot of extra fluid on. *G*
I also wear a ring on a chain around my neck. Every once in a while, I'll slip the ring on my finger, and if it goes on and off without issue, I don't worry about fluid.  On Sunday, I couldn't get it to fit, so I purposely didn't drink anything that day

[gothiclovemonkey]

This is how i was dubbed "Temper-pedic Mattress Woman"

Although, now most of my fluid retains in my abdomen, when i was pregnant, and for a while after, and when i first started D, i had it all over, now its typically only in my tummy. and that test doesnt work quite as well, but if its alot, it does!

[Dannyboy]

>>'Temper-pedic Mattress Woman'
*That* is a PERFECT analogy.....pre-D I could really get an 'indentation' going.
---Dan

[texasstyle]

Gothic.. lol      Those mattresses are expensive too. I checked them out once.  And on the flip side of of the ring being tight before dialysis, I'm used to be so surprised when my husband would come home from D and his rings would not stay on.  I just found a great article on this. I'll link here but should I relink only under the article section?  http://www.medicinenet.com/edema/article.htm 

[Poppylicious]

On the flip side of that, if you can pinch the skin on the back of your hand and it stays "tented" in the pinch position - you are dehydrated.  Good to know if you are having low bp or dizzy spells, and your aren't sure if it's fluid or meds at issue.

Am I the only person who tried this as soon as I read it?

I had no idea about this one but I'll definitely remember it for next time Blokey is a bit 'off'.  Thank you!

[mcclane]

i do the ankle/calf thing often.  I try to stay at a point where there is abit of puffiness, but not to the point where i press my thumb and it practically sinks in.

I find if i draw off too much fluid, i feel like crap and feel like passing out too.

[jbeany]

Am I the only person who tried this as soon as I read it?

Some things are just hard to resist doing for yourself!

[sullidog]

funny you posted this, my doctor actually did this to me today.

[talker]

Nudder oldie goodie folks.

Great info to be aware of.. 

talker

[komomai]

Aloha, the hemodialysis at the hospital where I go checks my ankles every time for edema. 

I started HD in July of 2013 at the time I tipped the scales at 240 pounds I'm now down to 180 pounds and trying to get to 165.  Yes, they took off that much water.  When I was short of breath my doctor just said to keep taking off water, they also drained fluid from lungs twice.  Ever since then been able to walk with out shortness of breath.

[Charlie B53]

A little clarification.

When pressing on the lower leg you must be pressing in front over the shin bone.  This area is generally thinly fleshed so if there is water gathering it is quite evident when pressed on, it will very easily 'dent'.

My team has me check every morning, but I get a good idea every night how well my PD has taken off water as when I remove my ankle high socks if I still have water there will be an obvious dented ring showing from the small pressure of the sock.