I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: talon999 on August 04, 2008, 07:05:58 AM
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Well, # 2 under my belt. I went in Friday and my weight going in was 61.0. I got 16ga needles and a 350 run rate (which has no bearing on this). The tech set me up and let 'er rip. 2:45 mins into the run (3.5 hrs) my hand started to twitch, rapidly followed by full blown cramps. Then it was my calves. Damn that hurts !!!
It feels like someone is beating on my calves with a baseball bat. So there I am flapping my arms and trying to hobble around and walk off the cramps (unsuccessfully). They slap an oxygen tube onto me and I start to get dizzy and nauseas. Heat for my calves. I am still going down like a rock. Someone yelled to give me some saline (200cc). A couple of years pass and I start to come out of it. I stop crying and I let the nurse go. Wipe my eyes and finish the run. Now, I came in at 61.0 kilos, my dry weight is 60 (never been that low), I checked my weight on the way out, 59.1 kilos. I gotta tell ya, that sucked !!! We will discuss the plan tonight.
Mark
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Leg cramps are awful!! When I mention them to non-dialysis patients, they hear 'cramp' and think no big deal. They have no idea that that 'cramp' feels like a 2000-lb hydraulic press is crushing down on your legs. That suddenly, your veins are suddenly filled with boulders instead of blood. For me, it's the worst part of dialysis. I am so sorry you had to experience that crash. I wonder why so much fluid was pulled off. I certainly hope your next session goes better and they keep that hydraulic press away from you. Good Luck!!
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When you cramp like that, they should immediately turn off the UF and give you some saline. If they don't, then end your session early and go home. You have to be in control.
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Sounds to me like they are still pushing your dry weight. What was the UF set for? Do you watch when they set the machine? Make sure they are setting it right. Sometimes they just subtract wrong, and put that number in; sometimes they just punch in the wrong number by mistake. Also, you need to see how much fluid your machine actually pulls compared to how much it's set for. Some of them pull quite a bit more than the UF total they are set for.
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You guys are talking waaaaay above my head at this time. I am working on learning this. I do watch and ask questions. Sometimes I do not know what to ask. Most of the techs are good and will answer my questions. Some are just bit*hy and I'll wait for someone else to ask. What is UF?
Mark
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UF is Ultrafiltration which is how fluid is removed from the blood. Most dialysis machines now have UF profiles where you can set how you want the fluid removed. For instance, most people don't cramp in the first hour so you set the profile to remove a larger portion of the fluid during this time. This makes the rest of the time more gentle on the body with less chance of cramping and/or hypotension. Most machines have several different UF profiles built in and often it's just a matter of finding which on works best for you.
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flip ,
Thanks for the explaination. My center has these profile monitors on the machines. My understanding is that they look for a flat profile. I will ask about altering that. Last nights run was no problem. I ended up at 59.5 kilos. I seem to be4 slowly losing weight.
Mark
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flip - thank you very much!! I have a lot of problems with cramping. I talked about it in another thread. Since I do home dialysis, I have entire control over the rate the fluid is pulled out. My doctor & I have been trying to relieve the cramps with various methods, but nothing is really working yet. I'm gonna try using a higher UF during my first hour and then turning it down. This makes sense. Now that I think about it, when I started dialysis at the clinic, I had a lot of problems with cramping & crashing. Reading your message brought it all back - the technician said she was gonna try that method you mentioned. That's probably what she was doing during the remainder of my care there, but I forgot all about it. I'm excited. I actually want to go home and dialyzie right now, LOL!
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mark, the last time i cramped my legs were sore for a week. and that was the last time i let it happen. i control each and every session. i tell them how much to take off. if i leave monday at 73.0 and arrive wednesday at 74.5 we take off somewhere between 1.5 and 2.1 depending on how i'm feeling. the extra .6 is for rinseback. i have been ignoring my dry weight for months, but then i've lost 25 lbs since january and really have no idea what it should be. the techs have finally stopped pannicking when i come in below my dry weight. i also have the maching turned so i can see it during treatment. that way i can check to make sure it's set right and watch my blood pressure.