Incredible Bout of Weakness

[Bub]

Normal dialysis session Saturday, although they did take off a kilo more this time.  Went home with tired feeling but that is normal.  Woke up Sunday incredibly weak and my muscles all over my body felt as if I had done an intense work out with weights.  Lasted all day, I even had to have help getting up out of chairs.  Now, Monday, I still feel weak but not as bad.  A retired RN in my housing complex suggested it may be a problem with electrolytes.  Any ideas? Can just a kilo of fluid make that kind of a difference?  When I go back Tuesday should I insist they not take off that extra Kilo?

[monrein]

How's your potassium been running?

[Rerun]

Taking off an extra kilo should be good.  What was your BP during this time of weakness?  Do you have a BP monitor at home?  If your BP was really low than maybe that extra kilo was too much.

[okarol]

Do you still urinate? Sometimes patients just gain a little actual weight, but the tech will try to pull it off as fluid and that can screw up the electrolites in your body. I agree, check your BP and ask for you labs to see what your potassium level has been. Hope you're feeling better.

[KICKSTART]

I had high potassium when i came to the end of PD but it didnt make me weak. It usually makes your heart race , in fact that is the danger ..heart attack , not weakness. Sounds to me like you just had a rough day , did you need to get that extra kilo off? I know you've had issues in the past with fluid limits and gone in way over.  It could be just your body was adjusting to a 'rough' session .

[monrein]

I had high potassium when i came to the end of PD but it didnt make me weak. It usually makes your heart race , in fact that is the danger ..heart attack , not weakness. Sounds to me like you just had a rough day , did you need to get that extra kilo off? I know you've had issues in the past with fluid limits and gone in way over.  It could be just your body was adjusting to a 'rough' session .

Everyone is different as we all know so well, and I was thinking more about low rather than high potassium since the muscle symptoms were post dialysis.  However, muscle weakness and even soreness can most definitely be associated with potassium imbalances although many people have very vague or even non-existant symptoms until something bad, like a heart attack, happens.  That's why it's so important to get the potassium levels checked before they get into dangerous territory.  If they're fine...terrific, if not then corrective steps can be taken. 
Of course fluid loss and dehydration can also cause muscle cramping which can result in soreness also. 

[Bub]

My potassium has been running in the middle of the scale of what is normal.  Neither high or low.  I didnt take my blood pressure at home but it was good after I finished dialysis.  They took off the extra kilo because I had come in only a kilo over several times in a row.  I thought I was doing a really good job with fluid control.  They seemed to think I had just lost a little weight.

[monrein]

Great news on the potassium front Bub.  How is the soreness today?  Hopefully gone, so maybe you were just a bit "dry" after your session.  One last question, are you on any statin meds for high cholesterol?

[Bub]

Tuesday morning and I am back to normal.  Was tired Monday but OK today.  No statin's. My cholersterol is around 150.

[MooseMom]

Glad to hear you are back to normal.  Now that some time has passed, do you have any thoughts on what cause your extreme weakness the other day?  It does seem to be a bit of a mystery.

[billybags]

Glad to hear you are ok to-day Bub.

[Stacy Without An E]

The experience you're describing usually occurs to me when they try to steal off extra fluid.  I feel extremely weak, tired and grumpy for the next 24 hours.  The only way to combat these feelings is through rest and relaxation.

Unfortunately, if you're like me and work six to seven days a week, that's not possible.  It drives me crazy because if affects everything the quality of everything I do.

[KICKSTART]

I think you will just have to chalk it up to a bad day ..sadly we all get them !

[sullidog]

Yep sounds like a rough treatment to me. Now if this were me and the weakness did not go away I would of went to the er and asked them to draw some labs.
Troy