Very Loose Stool on Dialysis Day After Two Days Off

[greeneyesinva]

My dad (85 years old and on HD for about 2+ years) has started experiencing very loose stool on Monday mornings with frequent trips to the bathroom. We have reviewed his diet; nothing has changed and he is very strict with what he eats--he does exactly what his doctor and support team tell him to do. We are wondering if this issue could be related to fluid buildup after the 2-day break from dialysis treatments (he is a Mon-Wed-Fri patient).

Has anyone heard of/experienced this issue?

Thanks!!

[rsudock]

my brother who has been on D for awhile tells me that when his Potassium and Phopherous (either/or) are reaching the high range he notices a change in his bowl habits like you describe....his labs are in the normal range but he can tell when they start to get "high normal"

good luck
R

[sullidog]

I think it has to do with lab values, because now that I run longer on d my stools are normal.

[willowtreewren]

As counter-intuitive as this may seem, it may also be from dehydration. Perhaps they are pulling too much off at one time on Mondays.

 

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

J. has a bowel movement everyday.  It is a soft stool.  I didn't know that that was a problem!  I wish I could have a bowel movement everyday and get rid of this grude inside me, lol! Maybe lose some weight in the mean time!

Seriously, I think it is just a normal process the body goes through.  Seems like it would be more for ESRD, cause it builds up and has to come out in some way.  Right?  I certainly don't want him to be constipated nor want him to have the runs either!  Goodness, it is getting gross now!!!!!

lmunchkin
 

[greeneyesinva]

Thank you so much for your replies!!

To clarify, my dad's problem is not just a soft stool; this is very loose, bordering on diarrhea, and he has several of these eliminations within about 4 hours on Mondays (after not having dialysis for 2 days). My concern is dehydration as a result of it--and, of course, the inconvenience and discomfort that it causes him. He has a blood draw once a month at the dialysis center and gets a hard copy of the results; for years, he has continued to write down his values on a chart he created as well. It will be interesting to see what his values are this month--perhaps there is a correlation.

[Hemodoc]

My dad (85 years old and on HD for about 2+ years) has started experiencing very loose stool on Monday mornings with frequent trips to the bathroom. We have reviewed his diet; nothing has changed and he is very strict with what he eats--he does exactly what his doctor and support team tell him to do. We are wondering if this issue could be related to fluid buildup after the 2-day break from dialysis treatments (he is a Mon-Wed-Fri patient).

Has anyone heard of/experienced this issue?

Thanks!!

I would think it may be related to fluid build up since the function of the bowels is to absorb water from the stool. The fact it is cyclic on Mondays after a two day hiatus goes along with that. You can simply monitor your fluid gains and see if excess fluid correlates with the loose stools. Be very careful with salt intake since that will increase fluid intake as well. The first thing to do is to mention this to your medical team.