Fluid weight gain and clothing

[MomoMcSleepy]

Hey all,

I have read multiple posts wherein someone says that a ridiculous amount of weight got "taken off" at their last dialysis session.  I am still pre-d, but once I'm on the D, do I need "fat" clothes? 

And, I wear a uniform, so does anyone else wear a uniform, and do you have to get a larger size, or wear maternity pants, or what?

Just thinking about this as I am writing up my order for when get new uniform pieces.

[deniferfer]

Yeah I do have some "fat" clothes.. On days I'm feel fat and puffy, from a bad night on D. but I also kinda like my pants a little tighter so if your uniform is not too tight you mite be ok.   

[MomoMcSleepy]

thanks, deniferer.....

What is the difference in pants sizes generally?   My uniform is a little tight.

[cattlekid]

I've never had any issue with a need for "fat" clothes.  I watch my fluid intake so I rarely have more than 2 kilos of fluid on me at any time.  With those swings, I can still manage to fit into the same pants at my highest and lowest weights. 

What did happen for me is that I had put on 15 kilos of fluid in the weeks leading up to starting dialysis.  Once I started, I had those 15 kilos gone in two weeks.  Once that happened, I had to get new pants and even new shoes as nothing fit any more from being stretched out.

[bleija]

i stilll wear clothes i wore in high school... i do have plenty of stretchy comfortable (fat) clothes or when i had a bad drain.... this just reaminded me of a post card that made me laugh <thank you hoodies and sweats for always being there,sincerely sexy and i know it, but too lazy to show it>

[deniferfer]

You're welcome, I have a range of sizes like I have my size 8 pant when I'm feeling good and want to rock it,(love those lol) my size 10 for my kinda off days but I do have one size 12 on the days that i feel really bad, and puffy and declare I'm prego like. I don't fill them out but on days like that you just want  baggy comfy pants. ya know?

[Cordelia]

Well, before I started dialysis, I looked nine months pregnant. No joke.

I even had an aunt who asked when I "was expecting?" AND she knew my husband and I BOTH had the surgery to no longer have kids. What an idiot, I felt like telling her.

And, its quite normal for someone who has PKD, to look nine months pregnant anyways.       

As well, I was big everywhere with fluid having built up. I was 230 pounds. I'm now down to 143 pounds.     

Once dialysis started, I was finally able to LOSE all the fluid weight I had put on!     

Pre D I wore a size 2X pant and shirt. I'm now down to a size medium       

[jbeany]

If you are doing hemo, unless you are really bad with fluid gains, you won't likely see a huge difference in your waistline.  The fluid starts accumulating in your feet and lower legs first for most people, sometimes hands, too.  So unless you have a collection of skinny jeans, it shouldn't be a huge problem - not much of a gain past an inch or two on your worst days.  I never had to get different sizes for fluid gains - only for losing weight.

PD is a whole other story, though.  You are intentionally putting large amounts of fluid into your abdomen.  This is not a good thing if your waistlines are already snug.

[dialysisadvocate]

weighing incenter -- My suggestion if you receive incenter diaysis is to wear the same clothes, or weight, each treatment. If you wear shoes, when weighing, the same shoes.. belive it or not, but cell phones, keys, etc all add weight.. My father used to take his keys out of his pocket, his cell phone, etc and there was a different.. sometimes, that .3 can make a difference in how someone feels..
opinions of Roberta Mikles www.qualitysafepatientcare.com

[Cordelia]

Yeah, even a sweater can weigh .2

That's what happened to me. lol

[MomoMcSleepy]

 Thanks, jbeany, I will be on hemo and wasn't thinking about pd, so that is helpful.

And also, thanks for the tips on weighing, Cordelia and dialysisadvocate, I would not ha e thought of that o. My own (at least not at first).

I had an appointment with my urologist at a satellite clinic outside of the hospital, and for the first time really noticed that the dialysis center that I will hopefully be going to (it is closer to my house than the hospital one) is in the same clinic including.  I wandered in to take a look, but of course the place is on Lock Down.  It looks nice, but the Pepsi, Coke, coffee, and candy machines filled with chocolate bars and high sodium/phosphorus are right outside the door and across the hall from Dialysis!  There are other clinics in the building, and I  think the large entrance hallway where dialysis is probably has the best power supply, but it still seemed kind of mean!  I will try to take a picture sometime.

[dialysisadvocate]

Is this a hospital-based clinic? would be nice to have foods available that are dialysis diets, eh? I remember my Dad went to a hospital based clinic (but not located in the hospital) that had the same with food. It surprised me and I wondered if anyone had ever thought, "Hey, let's meet the dietary needs of our dialysis patients".. wonder why the dietician has never addressed such. Anyway.... remember, an educated patient will know if staff are implementing the correct procedures. If  you go to www.kidneyschool.org (or .com) they have great resources for patients.. and training manual for technicians which is always good to learn also.
opinions of Roberta Mikles BA RN Dialysis Patient Safety Advocate - www.qualitysafepatientcare.com