A little fluid left on deliberately by me

[kidneysblowingchunks]

After being a Die-alysis patient for over 3 years, I discovered that if they took off the full goal amount exhaustion set in.
I asked the Charge Nurse about leaving a little fluid on and she said that it wouldn't hurt me.

I tried leaving a .40 liter margin of excess fluid after treatment and the difference was like day and night. I have energy to walk my dog on his nightly marathon.

My bladder still works. For those that don't have use of their bladder, I would NOT recommend doing this. 

Has anyone else had similar results?

[cattlekid]

I agree with you wholeheartedly.  But again, I would not recommend this for anyone without checking with their nephrologist and getting his/her blessing.  I do home hemo and I have a personal limit of removing no more than 2 kilos per treatment.  Anything over that and I am in bad shape.  I would rather keep a half kilo on for the next day than risk a BP drop and inevitable cramping by trying for more than 2 kilos a session.  That is the blessing of home hemo, there is always tomorrow.

[Riki]

I have a limit of 3kgs, myself, and I do my best to keep my fluid intake below that 3kgs.  But there are those days when I'm over that, and I go home above my dry weight

[amanda100wilson]

If you have residual renal function, I wonder if they were setting your UF goal too high in the first place?

[Bill Peckham]

Short of some pretty elaborate diagnostics there is literally no way to determine at what weight you are properly hydrated (the weight you would be if you had working kidneys). People with healthy kidneys will see their weight fluctuate by a couple pounds day to day. The fluid composition of the body, in healthy people, varies. I think these blanket practices at units to target "dry weights" and to "challenge dry weights" are bad ideas and are clinically risky.

If I felt better at a higher weight and didn't have symptoms of edema, especially if I still had output, then I would raise my ending weight target.

[Riki]

I won't allow the doctor to change my dry weight if I'm not comfortable with it.  Sometimes they forget that I know my body better than  they do, and I know when it's time to try for a lower weight