feel like I'm six months pregnant

[Katie07]

My doctor tells me, that I have about ten pounds of fluid on me, most of which is in my stomach. None of my clothes fit, and I feel like I've had PMS for a year. Is it normal to have the fluid accumulate in your stomach? How long does it take to remove it?

[lulu836]

What type of dialysis are you on?  How long are your sessions?  How much fluid are you able to have taken before you pass out?  Are you compliant with your fluid intake limits?

[Charlie B53]

While everyone is a little different, the most common places to accumulate water are the lungs and legs.

Where ever it is, dialysis will start removing that water IF you are not drinking too much.

I am VERY strict with myself and do not allow myself but a single mouthful of ANY liquid. Period.

I like my salad, a piece of fruit now and then.  And I eat maybe too much, and the water adds up far more than we think.  Keeping your thirst controlled can be a challenge.  I use Lifesavers.  They make two different 'Mint' flavors.  Bubble gum.  a single ice cube. There are a number of ways to help reduce gulping down fluids.

Controling your fluid intake so Dialysis can remove all the excess water is critical to getting your body back to a fluid balanced state.  Only then will you be able to fit those clothes and feel much better.

It's going to take at least a week or so depending on how much needs to come off.

Stay Careful!

Charlie B53

[cassandra]

Hi Katie I've been reading through your posts and I think it sounds like you want to start with putting the temperature of the dialysate/machine up to 37' (or whatever temp you are comfy with). So you don't get so cold and miserable.


Then you want to find out what your phosphate, bicarb and alkaline phosphate, hemoglobine is (they are in your blood results) if they are too high, or too low they can make you cold, itchy, crampy and depressed.


Then you want to learn how much fluid you take in, as Charlie said.
You need to know how much you drink. How much is in a cup etc. And write it down on a pad so you can collect and compare them. And you very most likely will want to reduce the amount you drink at the moment.
I aim for less than a 3/4 litre a day, but then I've been doing it for quite a while.
The less you drink/eat 'wet' food, the sooner the liquid will be off, the less crap you feel on the machine.


Nb my fluid collects in my belly too


Wishing you lots of love, luck and strength, Cas

[Paul]

The answer to your original question is: How long it takes depends on how much you drink. Normally dialysis just takes off what you drink between sessions, at the moment they are taking off what you drink plus a bit of what is over. The "over" is horrible, I know, but when it is gone, provided you drink sensibly, it is gone. Your dialysis won't be as bad once you are down to your dry weight and the "swollen, bloated" feeling will be gone too. As to the itching, try turmeric and black pepper. You can either add these spices to your food, drink them as tea, or buy pills containing these two things. The pills are the easiest, but make sure you get the ones that contain both pepper and turmeric. They have to be taken together to work properly (the turmeric stops the itching, but it needs the pepper to start it working). There is also a thread on this board somewhere about the itching.

I have just posted advice on another thread of yours ("how do you keep doing this?"). I did not realise you were still overloaded (above your dry weight) when I replied, and I doubt the other posters did either. If so, then please, please, please do not make a decision until well after you get down to your dry weight. Assuming you do not drink too much (which is very important) then a few weeks after you have reached your dry weight you will find dialysis a lot easier. Cramps will be rare, you will not be so tired (maybe briefly after dialysis, but not like now), the breathing difficulty will go, and if you stick to the diet the itching will either lessen or go away altogether (and at that point, if you are still itching, the turmeric solution will sort that out). It may take a while after you reach your dry weight to even out, but once it does you will find things a lot easier.

[GA_DAWG]

Remember too that fluid comes from many sources, including what you eat. Fruits contain a lot of fluids, and many high levels of potassium and phosphorus. Too much salt will make you retain water. The more fluid you gain between sessions, the more they will try to take off, and the more likely you are to develop cramps. We have some in our clinic who, no matter how many times the nurses try to tell them, cannot get it through their heads that if they are trying to take off 5 kgs or more every time, they are far more likely to cramp.