lifting work on PD versus Hemodialysis

[IrishGirl]

I have read a lot about both the Peritoneal and the Hemodialysis. I have not found an answer to this
question yet, can anyone contribute for me? IF you are planning to do some "light" part time type work while you are on dialysis...are the Bending/ lifting restrictions worse on PD or Hemo ?  I personally would think an AV Fistula would make it easier then a port in your stomach....but wondered what has been your experience? Thanks!

[flip]

I'm on hemo and don't really have any restrictions as far as lifting and bending. I don't do any real heavy lifting. I still play golf and I wonder if that would be possible on PD.

[migaguiar]

On PD i could not lift more than 20lbs for an entire year.
I hated not being able to go back to the gym to lift weights.
I bugged my Dr. so much that he said only if i restricted motions that affected your core.
There were some i could do like curls, leg press, calves, forearms, shoulders but not so much on back, chest and obviously stomach.

Honestly if your lifting more than 20lbs and you have bad form your back stomach will come into play. Thats just Physiology.
Like everything i do i like to push my limits and once i find them i dont cross them.

I found that if tried to bench press more than 80lbs i was sore in the "groin area" the following day.
I worked my way up to 80lbs slowly though.

I decided for my health just to skip chest and back exercises entirely.
If you really need to work on PD only do it if you feel you can do it without sacrificing your health and getting a hernia.
The pressure in your pertenieum is alot different now that you have liquid in it.

Even still most people would just say its not worth trying.

As far as my fistula my surgeon says i can lift all i want.........I even asked," even really really heavy weights Dr.?"
and he said not a problem.

I havent tested my fistula as much as id like because ive been creating buttonholes but i did do a bit of lifting
and handled about 30lbs with only my fistula arm. Of course that was after working myself up to very slowly and
that was just a few reps.

If anything just do it all SLOWLY. Youll know your limit.
and thanks for breaking the mold.
The Doctors looked at me crazy  anytime i asked them to do anything athletic.

[stauffenberg]

From the fluid weight in the abdomen PD patients can experience herniation even when carrying nothing but their treatment fluid, so being on PD would make doing a job involving lifting fairly difficult.  Hemodialysis would be a better choice, though the patient in that case has to calculate in the possible effect of loss of circulation to the hand from the fistula.  The main limit on lifting work would be the severe anemia endemic in the dialysis population, which is likely to get worse in the future as the guidelines for safe dosing of EPO to correct anemia keep being lowered.

[tamara]

Life After Vascular Access Surgery

Patients should avoid heavy lifting. Any injury to your arm can cause bleeding. When you go to the doctor, do not let anyone take your blood pressure, start an IV, or take blood from the arm with the A-V fistula or graft.


This was taken from http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics/Proced/vascular_access_surgery.cfm and if you just google "lifting with fistula arm"  a lot of sites say that you should not do heavy lifting with your fistula arm.

I was told when I had my fistula done to avoid heavy lifting and to also not wear anything tight on the arm. Well I didn't wear anything tight, but I know when I went shopping I was able to carry as many bags of shopping that I could buy ! 

[KICKSTART]

I do CAPD and was told in general not to lift more than 5 kilos , but to be honest as i live on my own i have moved/lifted a lot more than that !! Also be just as carefull stretching upwards as this too can cause problems ! I would say as far as lifting is concerned , just take sense about what you lift and dont strain yourself. The less weight you can get away with lifting , the less chance of damage !!!

[migaguiar]

I havent had problems with lack of circulation to the hand that Stauff has mentioned but I was told it could happen.
And yes, I was told by my nurses not to lift with the fistula arm as well.
My surgeon said otherwise and i went ahead and tested it slowly.
For me its worth trying because that was my lifestyle before and I'll try my best to keep it at a certain degree.
This time around I will try and do more cardio at the gym then lifting.
I think its the best thing i can do for my health since i am getting older (35) and not in my twenty's any longer.

Irish Girl, Like i said, most wouldnt do it but if you do be very rational, think the movements through and see if you can
do it without using your core for PD.

For Fistula, if you really want to go back to work, start exercising with 2lbs weight, then 5, 7 and 10lbs if you wish to go that heavy.

Again most people would say dont do it because there really hasnt been to many people who have the energy after dialysis to do
athletic stuff and that completely understandable.

My next goal is to finish my black belt but with a less strenuous martial art then the one i started.
slow slow slow is the way to go now but surely.

[flip]

I had the same experience, Magaguiar. The nurses said no but the vascular surgeon said it was perfectly okay.

[migaguiar]

Well you probably wouldnt be surprised at how many "NO's" i got for almost everything i wanted to do. 
  but im the one who is sick not them and im the one who decides how much risk i take.
I would call it calculated risk if their is such a thing.

[devon]

Good point migaguiar!

Life is taking risks.  If you don't take SOME risk, you don't have life.