Side effects of dialysis

[draven]

Hi Guys

I have been on hemodialysis for about 5 months. i go 3 times a week for 4 hours at a time.

i was wondering if anybody out there has been getting what looks and feels like grains of sand on the scalp. i also find these grains on sometime on my skin. its not dandruff, according to my barber. the grains also appear on the root of the hair.  i have also been losing some hair, but that seems to happen to a few people on dialysis. I'm worried it may be calcium deposits.

and in another instance, last Wednesday i had about 40 minutes left to go on dialysis and i started getting chest pains. i had a ECG done in January and my heart was fine. anybody got any feedback regarding chest pains?

Thanks guys

[Bill Peckham]

How are your labs? Calcium and phosphorus?

Chest pains are hard to assign a cause to over the internet - what do you think it might be? Did it happen just that one time?

[draven]

Hi Bill

According to the nurses my levels are fine. but i will ask them for a copy tommorow.
as for the chest pains, i have never had chest pains before, never on or off dialysis.

thanks

[KICKSTART]

Chest pains are a tricky one .. i have just finished having loads of tests to find the cause of mine ! ..turns out i was having panic attacks , now before you go dismissing them , let me tell you i had no history of panic attacks beforehand and one of my symptoms was severe chest pains , so bad that i called the emergency services , i seriously thought it was a heart attack ! I have had lots of tests done , all came back clear , this is how it was decided it was panic attacks. I have now been on treatment for 3 weeks for panic attacks and although i got off to a rocky start , its working great now and no more unexplained 'chest pains'. So it might be worth thinking about , you dont have to 'panic' to have 'panic attacks' !!!!

[draven]

hi. thanks for the feedback.
it could have been a panic attack. i tend to get a little bit anxious in the last hour. i also just remembered that my BP was a bit low. 115/90.

once again thanks for the help.

[Roadrunner]

Ask to have your potasium level checked.  That can cause problems with the heart.  Low and High both cause problems.

My husband get this on his eyelashes.  I always thought it showed inadequate dialysis or him not sticking with his diet.   

[migaguiar]

last time i had a chest pain was when i felt like was going to pass out. From anxiety as well...
It had to do with getting cannulated with the 15ga on my new fistula...it was without lidocaine.
It felt like i had a huge weight on my chest my bp dropped and i felt disoriented.
my first anxiety attack.

[cris]

Draven,
the "grain of sands" on your scalp and skin are but one of the effects of dialysis. My Mom had that on the first 4-5 months, she lost lots of hairs too, and her hair became hard, plus her skin color changed a bit to dark. But all of it are gone now. Caution tho, you need to check and see the labs yourself, don't be too trusting with the nurses and technicians. Watch your intake and output. With this disease, you are best armed with sufficient knowledge, this will empower you to battle on. Keep on.

[kitkatz]

Chest pain is to checked out by a doctor.  Do it!  Dialysis patients are in a race to keep their heart stable.

[MIbarra]

When I complained about losing hair to my nephrologist after the first couple of months, she prescribed a renal vitamin for me and the hair loss pretty much stopped. I was only on dialysis for 2 years though.

[007]

Also, I have seen pt's get cramps in their chest.  Have you seen people cramp at the end of their treatment?  Its caused by dehydration, and being a fairly new pt- it is likely that your dialysis staff are still getting to know your body and establish your "dry weight".  Did you tell your nurse?  I would have given you some saline while you were on the machine.  If that helped with the pain, it is probably muscle cramps.  I agree with the others though, you should definately look into and tell someone. 

[flip]

I always hook "straight up" so that I get saline as soon as I start dialyzing. I never cramp or dehydrate and my BP stays constant.