Dont drink much but swollen

[AaishaDar]

So the title pretty much explains everything. I wake up swollen and i hate it. My eyes are swollen literally my whole face is. My hand and feet too. I drink one waterbottle a day and its embarassing beingswollen all the time. Does anyone have suggestions?

[kickingandscreaming]

Have you considered peritoneal dialysis instead of hemo?  I think it does a better job of fluid control without drinking limitations.  It's also much gentler on the system.

[AaishaDar]

I actually did pd starting at the age of 14 until this year Januasry. I had ti switch to hemo because my infection was so bad i had to get my tube removed. Youre right it removed fluid slower through the night and i was never swollen. Both dialysis' have its pros and cons. I get to be free every night and not set up also traveling is easier. Also no more epogen they just put it through the machine. I just really hate being swollen:(

[Michael Murphy]

If your dry weight is set too high then you are full of fluid,  talk to your doctor.  Plus swollen extremities is also caused by other medical conditions.  I for the first time in 4 years am having fluid problems and it's being caused by Congestive Heart Failure.  One of the things being done to me now is a aggressive fluid removal to confirm my dry weight,  basically they start removing fluid till I start to cramp. Then they stop and if needed put back a little fluid with saline.

[Charlie B53]

Swelling from fluid overload can often also have hidden symptoms.  Symptoms that we do not readily recognize.

Generally, fluid overload is not contained to selected areas of the body such as you describe.  I think further investigation is needed.  Are you aware of your resting state heart rate?  Is this changed when you wake up and this swelling is present?  Is this swelling accompanied with any difficulty in breathing?  Exercise, stairs, any different than without?

Does this swelling reduce during your day then return during the night again?

Have you still a scale at home and regularly checking your weight?  Has that changed?

Finally, what part of the world are you living, and what season is it?  Are there plants and trees in bloom?

You may be having some type of allergic reaction, either to a natural substance or even possibly to a food source or medication.

Much more study will be needed to make a determination.  If your weight or heartrate has increased be sure to inform your Dr of these changes.

[AaishaDar]

I feel my swollen eyes and face are worse in the morning when i wake up. Going up the stairs is hard because my legs are a bit heavier than wbat im used to.
I live in virginia and its spring time. I will have a talk with my doctor i hope he can find a solution without pulling off too much fluid and making me miserable.

[AaishaDar]

So another question of mine. Does anyone else feel hungry literally ALL the time?? I know its a good thing because I need to gain weight but sometimes i would like to feel full if you get what i mean. I will eat fried egg and toast for breakfSt yet its like i didnt eat anything. This is new fir me because i used to never eat i used to never feel hungry. Especially breakfast i never ate it until this year. My tummy is so hungry at 8 am for breakfast. Is this normal??

[Charlie B53]

Some medications can cause strange side effects.  The steroid prednisone will cause many to eat more than usual and often will cause weight gain.

The same med can have totally different side effects in different people.

Have a talk with your Dr and review all your meds.

I have a need for increased protein in my diet.  I bought a big jug of protein powder and add a couple heaping teaspoons to my morning big cup of coffee.  It seems to help slightly.  Weight gain may be possible with some small change or addition to your diet.  Adding just a little more carbs or fat such an extra slice of bacon, regular butter instead of a margarine, many small changes/additions can add up to a lot by the end of the year.

[iolaire]

So another question of mine. Does anyone else feel hungry literally ALL the time?? I know its a good thing because I need to gain weight but sometimes i would like to feel full if you get what i mean. I will eat fried egg and toast for breakfSt yet its like i didnt eat anything. This is new fir me because i used to never eat i used to never feel hungry. Especially breakfast i never ate it until this year. My tummy is so hungry at 8 am for breakfast. Is this normal??

I eat constantly for the first half of the day.  I work and my employer provides self server snacks in the forms of nuts, cheese, fruit, snack bars, salads, etc...  I firmly believe that access to so much food has helped me maintain my weight.  Luckily I have some sort of residual function and can still eat nuts and cheese.  So I'll have about 400 calories of almonds per day, 3 80 calorie cheddar cheese packets, 2 130 calorie raisons boxes, a salad or hummus and pita chips (310 calories) and maybe something more.  Most of that in the first half of the day (I don't eat breakfast so this is also breakfast).  After my lunch which is a normal size bought meal of a sandwich, udon soup or something like that I don't snack as much.

So my recommendation is keep lots of "healthy" snacks around so you don't need to feel bad about snacking throughout the day.







sp mod Cas

[Simon Dog]

The steroid prednisone will cause many to eat more than usual and often will cause weight gain.

It can also destroy your hip(s) - Avascular Necrosis.   BTDT.

[Prakrit]

I agree with Michael Murphy... You might have to lower your dry weight to ensure your fluid removal is sufficient...

So another question of mine. Does anyone else feel hungry literally ALL the time?? I know its a good thing because I need to gain weight but sometimes i would like to feel full if you get what i mean. I will eat fried egg and toast for breakfSt yet its like i didnt eat anything. This is new fir me because i used to never eat i used to never feel hungry. Especially breakfast i never ate it until this year. My tummy is so hungry at 8 am for breakfast. Is this normal??

This could be hypoglycemia. I used to check my blood glucose whenever I felt a strong urge to eat and it always came up low like in the 60s (mg/dl)...  Eat good carbs and proteins... That will keep you full longer and will make you feel less miserable...
Its good you feel hungry... My first three months of dialysis, I ate almost next to nothing- my appetite was totally gone... Hypoglycemia, extremely low blood pressure and feeling miserable was always there after every dialysis session... Then suddenly out of nowhere my appetite rebounded and I started feeling much better... Then my dry weight increased as I started having muscle cramps below my knee whenever excess fluid was removed... So bit by bit my dry weight was increased and the muscle cramping stopped...

[Charlie B53]

Wife has been Diabetic over 30 years already.  Her sugar is either wacked out, or she crashes.  Not much smooth sailing with her.  She loves white bread.  I hate it.  I may have finally gotten her to switch to a whole wheat which supposedly takes longer to digest, so her sugars don't rise so fast, and helps keep her sugars better balanced between meals.  HOWEVER, she likes hamburgers and hotdogs, on White buns.  I can't win for losing.

I became diabetic 6 months after beginning dialysis.  In my first 3 months I paid serious attention to my insulin and what I was eating.  My A1C dropped like a rock.  I was doing well.  Most of the time.  Well enough I very rarely need to take any fast insulin.

I do have an issue with wheat breads.  I rarely eat any bread, but when I do I prefer wheat which if I remember correctly is not recommened for renal patients as it has more of one of those things we shouldn't have.  Since I don't make it a daily thing I think I'll be OK.

Many of us eat totally wrong.  We have been raised to eat three meals a day.  This isn't always good for our bodies.  We eat too much at each meal.  We may be far better off to eat 6 or 8 small meals, healthy snacks, instead of a full plate.

Many times I don't feel like I want to eat, but once I start I surprise myself by how much I did consume.  I'm thinking we need to toss those big plates and go buy some little bitty plates.  Then at least it will LOOK like a plate full, but not really be so much.







sp mod Cas

[AaishaDar]

So I discovered that maybe some of the stuff I was eating out wasn't too good for me so that's where the swelling came from. I told my doctor that I was swollen and he told me cut down on fluid. I also reduced my salt intake and im not that thirsty which is great. I really cut down my drinking even more and I woke up way less swollen. I just have a tiny bit of swelling which will go away by next treatment hopefully. I feel like I have an idea how much to drink from now on. As for eating I do agree and think smaller frequent meals are best. Three big meals is too much. For me I eat a little at a time but I do it frequently. I've never been a big eater and would get full fast. I like eating snacks like fruit that really makes a good snack.








sp mod Cas

[Charlie B53]

Salt is a big No-No for us.  It drives thirst so the body can balance the salt/water content.  Our kidneys aren't working very well to remove that salt, or the water, so it stays with us for DAYS at a time.

You will eventually learn to find the salt that is hidden is so many foods.  Virtually EVERYTHING that comes in a can or a box has salt added.  And all the take-out foods are salted.  Especially Chinese/Oriental foods.  MSG is a biggie.  Sodium in many different forms.  I have to take my glasses to the store to read the labels and find the sodium buried in the fine print.

[smartcookie]

The hunger can also come from dialysis.  One of the reasons dialysis patients have to push protein so much is that it is dialyzed out during hemo.  It could be that your body is making you hungry to keep up with the demands of dialysis and what it is depleting your body of.  You are doing it right, though.  Frequent small meals are best!

[Riki]

I'm thinking we need to toss those big plates and go buy some little bitty plates.  Then at least it will LOOK like a plate full, but not really be so much.

We did that.  We use smaller, square plates, and it has helped a bit.  I don't eat near as much as I once did.  I tend to eat whatever Mom makes.  I don't like to cook, so I may not eat all day, or eat little things I find around the house, like homemade banana bread *G*  then I eat whatever Mom makes for supper.  She still sometimes makes too much food for the 2 of us, but that just means there's leftovers for lunch the next day.

[AaishaDar]

Hi everyone,
How are you all? So i feel like my sugar levels are low but everytime they check it is 88. Its werid i have the symptoms like shakiness and extreme hunger and sweats. Does anyone else experience this? Also dialysis is going well but the ither day it was getting bad and i complained to my nursr abd she said ill stop pulling off fluid. People say they get cramps when too much is getting pulled out but i never experienced that but i would feel nauseus and have a headache sometimes towards the end or middle od dialysis. Im thankful dialysis is so much more bearable thanks to you guys but i wish it went more smoother.

[Prakrit]

Hi everyone,
How are you all? So i feel like my sugar levels are low but everytime they check it is 88. Its werid i have the symptoms like shakiness and extreme hunger and sweats. Does anyone else experience this? Also dialysis is going well but the ither day it was getting bad and i complained to my nursr abd she said ill stop pulling off fluid. People say they get cramps when too much is getting pulled out but i never experienced that but i would feel nauseus and have a headache sometimes towards the end or middle od dialysis. Im thankful dialysis is so much more bearable thanks to you guys but i wish it went more smoother.

I used to experience extreme hunger and sweats at glucose levels of 94 during dialysis...they used to give me an IV of glucose and I used to feel better instantly... I too used to experience headaches at the end of dialysis sessions and most of these times my pressure used to be pretty high (in the range of 160s)... the nurse used to tell enough fluids havent been taken out but I used to feel otherwise like too much has been taken out... Well I also could not explain some of the side-effects I had during dialysis... However, it got better with time as my body got used to it... Hope this helps... all the best...

[Charlie B53]

A blood sugar of 88 is too low.  Sweating and shakiness are the bodies method of telling you that something is seriously going wrong and needs immediate attention.  EAT something responsible.

Many times during the Summers I will get those feelings while working out in the Barn or yard.  I have learned already to get my butt in the house and test to confirm the low blood sugar, then I make myself a sandwhich using the whole wheat bread we buy as it seems to last longer, taking longer to digest and thus helps keep my blood sugar better balanced much much longer than any of the white breads.

There are a number of diabetics at my clinic that seem to lose sugar during dialysis treatments.  Those people the Nurses pass out cans of Nepro, the protein drink, which must help keep their sugars better during treatments.

I haven't noticed any problem but since I am on first shift I always bring a couple or three of the better 'snack' bars and have them for my breakfast during treatments.

[PrimeTimer]

Carrying glucose tablets with you are a good idea. You can get them cheap at Walmart. They come in travel size. The glucose in each tablet is precisely measured so there is no guessing.

[PrimeTimer]

So another question of mine. Does anyone else feel hungry literally ALL the time?? I know its a good thing because I need to gain weight but sometimes i would like to feel full if you get what i mean. I will eat fried egg and toast for breakfast yet its like i didn't eat anything. This is new fir me because i used to never eat i used to never feel hungry. Especially breakfast i never ate it until this year. My tummy is so hungry at 8 am for breakfast. Is this normal??

My husband only recently started eating breakfast again. Before that he lost his appetite. He's been on dialysis 3 years and his appetite has slowly come back. He's especially hungry after treatment but that's a good thing, he needs to eat for the nutrition. I cook him a 3-egg omelet with bell peppers (red, yellow, orange) lots of onions, a sprinkle of parsley, black pepper, onion powder and red pepper flakes with 2 pieces of toast and butter every morning. Then we eat a nutritious dinner. He doesn't like to eat little meals/snacks all day so we only eat twice but at least it is very healthy food (we use renal recipes from the Fresenius and Davita websites). He says all the bell peppers in the omelet help to quench his thirst. His blood sugars are pretty good. He tests them several times a day and always before he eats so that he knows how much insulin to take. As for your headaches during treatment, might be blood pressure related or the blood flow being circulated during treatment. Also have them check the temp of your dialysate. Hubby use to have these headaches but they eventually went away. 

[AaishaDar]

It's weird like you said I can't explain the feelings I have, but I knew I felt awful. Im sure they took all my water out because I see my eyes are a bit sunken in. I will talk to my doctor about my sugar levels and see what he thinks








sp mod Cas

[Charlie B53]

I switched from PD to Hemo in December because a persistant infection cause the removal of my PD Cath.  My first couple of months on Hemo were Hell. I had long talks with the clinic Nurse and we determined my dry weight was far too low, causing not only the muscle cramps, but the extreme fatigue and contributed to loss of appetite.  We have ended up[ raising my dry weight FOUR KILO's.

I feel sooooo much better, even immediately after treatments.  I can stay up, be half active, and NOT have to immediately go home to bed for the next almost 23 hours.

My BP's remain steady.  By the end of the day on NON-treatment days, I can see a small amount of swelling immediately above the area covered by my short socks.  The socks are not compression hose, just the short ankle high men's socks for tennis shoes.

Figuring out your 'best' dry weight can be tough.  It takes time and attention to everything, but can make a huge difference in how your feel after treatments.

Skipping a lot of 'carbs' (flour) and eatring healthier veggies, making for a very regular bowels also has a huge effect on treatments.  Skipping a BM an having your system full of 'IT" adds weight.  The clinic mistakes all weight as water and wants to take that off, leaving you too dry and suffering the effects of the dehydration.  Been there, done that.  Ain't doing it again.

[AaishaDar]

Yes i went through a tough time in april. I feel it was a combination of dehydration and low sugar. The worse days were when i would throw up during treatment that was just swful. I kept asking to end treatment but my dad wasnt allowing it because it would just make matters worse. So suffering the whole treatment was awful. The nurses saw my bp so high so they thought i had too much fluid. Finally wr complained to the doctor and he said when you pull too much fluid your bp shoots up and its not fluid overload. After they adjusted my dry weight abd stopped takingout so much fluid i started feeling better. I was going through such a tough time i started to feel helpless abd it felt like i was trapped because nobody could really do anything. Im so much bettet while on dialysis i even take a nap. I can finally enjoy the freedom being on hemo. Im just not too happy about my swolleb eyes in the morning it literally looks like im always tired.

[Charlie B53]

Many women will swear by the healing properties of laying cucumber slices over the eyes.  Personally I expect it may be simply the cold, an effect that could be accomplished with a small ice pack.

There are any number of OTC facial creams the ladies use to help control sagging around their eyes.  Most may only be 'snake oil', but the ladies will swear that they work!

I vote for the ice packs.  A few minutes could reduce blood flow to the area, calming swollen tissue.  If nothing else it may feel good.