I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) => Topic started by: Defaut on March 01, 2006, 04:23:16 PM

Title: High heart rate
Post by: Defaut on March 01, 2006, 04:23:16 PM
Hi,

 We are new to this board and it looks like a really good place.  We wanted to know if anyone else experiences a high heart rate while on dialysis?  It's okay when I get there but really goes up about half way through treatment, and takes a good 6-8 hours after I get home before it starts to come down again.  I don't seem to get much in the way of answers from the staff there.....just wondering if anyone else experiences that also and what may be causing it.  Thanks in advance for the advice!!!

  Sarah and Jim
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: susie q on March 01, 2006, 04:27:09 PM
My heart rate goes waaaay up when I am finished the run... I tell the nurses I'm just excited to be getting out of there!!
Seriously... I have no clue why... I feel ok.. bp is a little low sometimes.. no one seems too concerned..  :-\ ;)
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Defaut on March 01, 2006, 04:34:01 PM
Thanks for the reply! Really appreciate it!  They sometimes ask me to sit for a bit after treatment when my heart rate hits 120 plus.....I tell them no way, I have just been sitting for 3 hours, and I feel better once I get out of there!!   My BP drops once in a while too, luckily not as bad as it used to, once I passed out and I don't care to go there again!!   I just was curious if it happens to others and if so what they have been told the reason might be.   Thanks again for the reply!!
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: susie q on March 01, 2006, 04:35:37 PM
3 hours!!???  I'm jealous... I gotta do 4... :-\
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Defaut on March 01, 2006, 04:44:13 PM
I used to go for 3.5 hours and then they lowered it to 3 hours and 15 minutes and after a while I asked if we could try 3 hours cause my labs were pretty good.  Luckily he went for it and since then it's been 3 hours!  Even that drives me nuts at times!  I keep trying to come up with new things I can do while I am there so I don't get totally bored!  I am sure everyone knows that feeling all too well!!!!!!! 
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Sara on March 01, 2006, 05:37:35 PM
Sarah and Jim - so who's the lucky one on dialysis?
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Defaut on March 01, 2006, 05:41:36 PM
That would be me...Sarah, and lucky to have Jim by my side, I swear somedays I would not make it without him! 
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Epoman on March 01, 2006, 09:53:03 PM
Hi,

 We are new to this board and it looks like a really good place.  We wanted to know if anyone else experiences a high heart rate while on dialysis?  It's okay when I get there but really goes up about half way through treatment, and takes a good 6-8 hours after I get home before it starts to come down again.  I don't seem to get much in the way of answers from the staff there.....just wondering if anyone else experiences that also and what may be causing it.  Thanks in advance for the advice!!!

  Sarah and Jim

Hello Sarah and Jim glad you found the site, how about you go over to the "Introduce Yourself" section and tell us your story. So we can get to know you a little better. Just start a new thread. As to your question, provide us with a little more info.

Are you on BP meds?
How much fluid are they trying to remove on average?
Any other symptoms for example chest pain, tightness, sweating?
What is your average BP?

- Epoman
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Rerun on March 02, 2006, 12:12:26 AM
Okay, this is dumb, but "heart rate" is the same as "Pulse" ?  Right? 

WAIT..... YES, it is the same as pulse!   :P
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: kevno on March 03, 2006, 06:09:34 AM
First of all Rerun ::) ::) ::)

About 12 years ago I had a very fast heart rate, but mine was fast all of the time. It was 110 to 130 resting. I was put on a Beta Blocker called atenolo. Which slowed my hare rate down straight away to 50 to 70 resting.

I do nearly always come of the machine with a fast heart rate around 120.  The nurses just make me stay in the chair until the heart rate slowed down.

Taking off to much  fluid can also cause a fast heart rate.  Is your BP OK? Plus is your target weight right?
Are you profiled on the machine. If not, you might be taking to much fluid off to quick. Profiling you can take more off at the beginning of Dialysis.  Are set the machine to take of the fluid more gently.


Kevno
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: fireguy on March 20, 2006, 04:37:36 PM
Not new to Dialysis but new to site. How high is high. Mind good until I stand up Generally goes to 100-110bpm. Main reason for going high other wise is too dry. Taking off too much fluid. I am doing home hemo dialysis
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Rerun on March 20, 2006, 06:32:00 PM
Hi Fireguy  :D

Thanks for the input.  Did you introduce yourself in the "introduce yourself" section?  We like to place you and your history..... ya know get the "lo-down"~   8)
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: calypso on March 27, 2006, 08:27:55 PM
The reason your heartrate goes high on dialysis is that you're getting dehydrated a bit and your body senses less blood volume to transport the oxygen around to all the cells. So you raise your heartrate to drive more blood around to get adequate oxygen and nutrients to your cells.

I suppose what you need to do then is to drink less fluids so they have to pull off less and therefore have less of a "swing" in hydration levels? Also your neph might put you on a beta blocker which will bring your heartrate lower. Possible problems with that is if you then get overhydrated and your heartrate drops too low you could have problems. This is something you need to discuss with your doctor to evaluate you and determine what is best for you.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: ginger cookie on May 12, 2006, 08:29:20 AM
Increased heart rate is a classic sign of getting "too dry". This corrects when you re hydrate yourself.
You may still be over your true dry weight, but the fluid is trapped in tissues and not jumping into the blood to be ultrafiltered out. If your albumin level is low, fluid tends to stay in the tissue not in the circulatory system where it can easily be removed. Or, perhaps you've had a weight gain and your goal is being set too high.
Good luck !
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Panda_9 on May 20, 2006, 12:51:36 AM
Dont whinge about doing 3-4 hours, I do 10!!!  ;D
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Rusty on August 17, 2006, 07:47:31 PM
Dont whinge about doing 3-4 hours, I do 10!!!  ;D


3:10.  Damn, I'll never whinge again!
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: kitkatz on August 17, 2006, 08:44:20 PM
Ah, but according to the dialysis bible (whatever that is and whoever wrote it) you cannot compare apples to oranges.  Nocturnal is by choice isn't it and Amber 79 likes it better than other choices.  I am stuck with in center MWF for four hours each time. I feel okay afterwards. Some night achy all over and headachey. but able to cope after a full night's sleep.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: angieskidney on August 18, 2006, 03:05:33 AM
My pulse was 140 and no one seemed too concerned when I asked about it until after dialysis (M/W/F) when the nurse would make me stay 1/2 hr til it came down to 115 ...

I was trying to figure out why it was doing this but felt all alone. I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone and it seemed like they were not taking ANY of my questions seriously!! My pulse was never high until I got my fistula (the first one) and then when that one failed after 10 days my pulse was fine again. Then when I got the fistula I have now it went up again to 140! The surgeon said it was not related but even one of the nurses (my favourite one who listens to me most and was the one who demanded the ER take me when I couldn't breathe due to Pneumonia and stayed with me long after her shift was over) said that she felt it was too coincidental to NOT be related.

Anyway, just lately it finally has been staying mainly below 100. It seems that it could be one of two things: They raised my dry weight, and my fistula has gotten stronger.

Which do you think it could be?
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Panda_9 on August 18, 2006, 06:16:32 AM
Yes it is my choice to do nocturnal but now Im actually told they want me to do 10 hours every second night or 4 nights a week, otherwise I just go downhill and may as well not be on nocturnal. Most others are doing ok on 8-9 hours.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: BigSky on August 18, 2006, 07:34:10 AM
My pulse was 140 and no one seemed too concerned when I asked about it until after dialysis (M/W/F) when the nurse would make me stay 1/2 hr til it came down to 115 ...

I was trying to figure out why it was doing this but felt all alone. I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone and it seemed like they were not taking ANY of my questions seriously!! My pulse was never high until I got my fistula (the first one) and then when that one failed after 10 days my pulse was fine again. Then when I got the fistula I have now it went up again to 140! The surgeon said it was not related but even one of the nurses (my favourite one who listens to me most and was the one who demanded the ER take me when I couldn't breathe due to Pneumonia and stayed with me long after her shift was over) said that she felt it was too coincidental to NOT be related.

Anyway, just lately it finally has been staying mainly below 100. It seems that it could be one of two things: They raised my dry weight, and my fistula has gotten stronger.

Which do you think it could be?

Pulse rate can go up for some patients after dialysis because BP is low which most of the time is linked to having too much fluid removed too fast or taking a person below what their actual dry weight is or the dry weight being too low.   Also to keep in mind is that dialysis is shock to the body by the fast removal of toxins in the 3-4 hour window people are on the machines.  I would think that can play into it a little bit also.

Normally my pulse is 60 bpm but even when little fluid is removed my pulse jumps up to 80.  If too much fluid is removed it usually hits the 100-110 range and I usually lose my voice which is another sign of too much fluid was removed.

I was told one thing that does affect the fistula and causes clots and failures is low BP.

Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: angieskidney on August 18, 2006, 10:13:53 AM
Ya I had to stop my BP meds. It took the Neph 3 weeks to take me off of them completely after I stopped them myself.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Panda_9 on August 18, 2006, 06:12:33 PM
My resting HR is often above 90 and hardly ever below 80  :-\ No one knows whats wrong, its been like it ever since the kidney started failing. It has improved though. Initially it was 130-150 resting.

Low BP isnt good if you have a fistula as it can clot it off. Ideal post Dx BP is above 130 systolic. When I went for my fistula operation the surgeon was very happy that my BP was a little bit high  :)
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: angieskidney on August 18, 2006, 07:43:09 PM
Low BP isnt good if you have a fistula as it can clot it off. Ideal post Dx BP is above 130 systolic. When I went for my fistula operation the surgeon was very happy that my BP was a little bit high  :)
Ya they think that may be why my first one failed.. that and it was so small :(
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: livecam on August 18, 2006, 08:06:55 PM
Thanks for reminding me, I had almost forgotten.  Sometimes my heart would just pound as if I had run hard a couple of miles without stopping.  That seemed to happen later in the run.  I was a renin responder so the further I went the higher my BP and heart rate would go.  Just looking back I remember those feelings pretty well...as much as I would like to forget them.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: angieskidney on August 19, 2006, 03:52:05 AM
They checked my Renin because they thought that was the cause for me but it wasn't.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: kitkatz on August 19, 2006, 09:50:43 AM
Angie,
I think they are treating you unfairly when they do not take care of you properly.  I would talk to your director and get some answers as to why on a self care unit you are not being taught anything. And then I would begin quietly to raise hell with them.  You have to find a way to be adult about it and not stomp your feet in a temper, but quietly by pushy.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Black on August 19, 2006, 08:05:40 PM
Low BP isn't good if you have a fistula as it can clot it off. Ideal post Dx BP is above 130 systolic. When I went for my fistula operation the surgeon was very happy that my BP was a little bit high  :)
Ya they think that may be why my first one failed.. that and it was so small :(

Uh-oh ??? The Neph has goal BP for my husband of 110/70 or lower.  It's usually a little higher than that, but with two BP meds and lasix twice daily it will occasionally be as low as 110/65; maybe that's why his fistula is still so small. :o  On our last visit to a dialysis clinic, the "Best Sticker" looked at his fistula and said it is big enough to use and that it shouldn't be a problem.  She said that a 6" fistula is plenty big enough to start dialysis, especially with a buttonhole, and that it would "grow" with use.  Whew, that was good news.  I just hope she was right!

The reason for the low target BP is that the rate of growth and multiplication of PKD cysts seems to slow at lower BP.  As usual w/ ESRD everything seems to be a trade off -- like the twice daily bicarbonate of soda and lasix.  :(
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: angieskidney on August 19, 2006, 08:58:26 PM
Uh-oh ??? The Neph has goal BP for my husband of 110/70 or lower.  It's usually a little higher than that, but with two BP meds and lasix twice daily it will occasionally be as low as 110/65; maybe that's why his fistula is still so small. :o  On our last visit to a dialysis clinic, the "Best Sticker" looked at his fistula and said it is big enough to use and that it shouldn't be a problem.  She said that a 6" fistula is plenty big enough to start dialysis, especially with a buttonhole, and that it would "grow" with use.  Whew, that was good news.  I just hope she was right!

When the surgeon looked at my first fistula (before he made it) I had good big veins. The thing was he looked at it before hemo. Then he did te surgery (making the fistula) after I had dialysis .. so it was small.

THe next time I had a fistula made, I made sure to come of the chair heavy so it would not be too small.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Panda_9 on August 20, 2006, 04:17:01 AM
Low BP isn't good if you have a fistula as it can clot it off. Ideal post Dx BP is above 130 systolic. When I went for my fistula operation the surgeon was very happy that my BP was a little bit high  :)
Ya they think that may be why my first one failed.. that and it was so small :(

Uh-oh ??? The Neph has goal BP for my husband of 110/70 or lower.  It's usually a little higher than that, but with two BP meds and lasix twice daily it will occasionally be as low as 110/65; maybe that's why his fistula is still so small. :o  On our last visit to a dialysis clinic, the "Best Sticker" looked at his fistula and said it is big enough to use and that it shouldn't be a problem.  She said that a 6" fistula is plenty big enough to start dialysis, especially with a buttonhole, and that it would "grow" with use.  Whew, that was good news.  I just hope she was right!

The reason for the low target BP is that the rate of growth and multiplication of PKD cysts seems to slow at lower BP.  As usual w/ ESRD everything seems to be a trade off -- like the twice daily bicarbonate of soda and lasix.  :(

I dont really know anything about PKD so it might be different in your case. When you are running your blood back at the end of dialysis your BP naturally rises because of the amount of fluid running into your system so quickly. Im just told that its ideal to keep it above 130 post. As long as its not too high or low later on after youve had a chance to settle down after Dx. Everyone is different though, and in normal healthy people, ideal BP is around 115/75, which for someone on dialysis may be a little too low. You certainly dont want it that low pre Dx.
Title: Re: High heart rate
Post by: Black on August 20, 2006, 12:44:13 PM
Low BP isn't good if you have a fistula as it can clot it off. Ideal post Dx BP is above 130 systolic. When I went for my fistula operation the surgeon was very happy that my BP was a little bit high  :)
Ya they think that may be why my first one failed.. that and it was so small :(

Uh-oh ??? The Neph has goal BP for my husband of 110/70 or lower.  It's usually a little higher than that, but with two BP meds and lasix twice daily it will occasionally be as low as 110/65; maybe that's why his fistula is still so small. :o  On our last visit to a dialysis clinic, the "Best Sticker" looked at his fistula and said it is big enough to use and that it shouldn't be a problem.  She said that a 6" fistula is plenty big enough to start dialysis, especially with a buttonhole, and that it would "grow" with use.  Whew, that was good news.  I just hope she was right!

The reason for the low target BP is that the rate of growth and multiplication of PKD cysts seems to slow at lower BP.  As usual w/ ESRD everything seems to be a trade off -- like the twice daily bicarbonate of soda and lasix.  :(

I don't really know anything about PKD so it might be different in your case. When you are running your blood back at the end of dialysis your BP naturally rises because of the amount of fluid running into your system so quickly. I'm just told that its ideal to keep it above 130 post. As long as its not too high or low later on after you've had a chance to settle down after Dx. Everyone is different though, and in normal healthy people, ideal BP is around 115/75, which for someone on dialysis may be a little too low. You certainly dint want it that low pre Dx.

I really appreciate the info as that is something we'll have to discuss w/ the Neph.  Even though the cyst multiplication and growth acceleration will no longer make a difference as far as function -- he'll allready be on dialysis -- but as the kidneys get bigger the pain and complications can increase. >:(  They're already more than 20 pounds, and possibly as much as 40 pounds total, so removal may eventually be necessary anyway.  It's just that the residual function can remain for a long time and removal is put off as long as possible -- until the pain becomes unbearable and uncontrollable.  I dread that for him. :( :( :(