am I the only one who feels like I'm starving on the machine?

[mslady]

 I'm on hemo....Is it just me that feels like after a couple hours on the machine I'm STAAAAARVING?!?!

[cdwbrooklyn]

No, you are not the only one.  When I use to be in-center, I always feel like I was straving after treatment and I would get off at 11:30 - 12:00 mid-night. There were a fried chicken place up the block from it and occassionally, okay more frequently, I use to purchase their chicken.  Man, that chicken smell and taste so good and my stomach would be calling for it.  So yes, it is common to feel like you're straving.

[cattlekid]

I was always starving when I was on the machine when I did in center.  I had a Tues-Thurs-Sat schedule and on the weekdays, I was at work until 2:30 PM.  I would have lunch at 11:30-12:00, then cruise into the dialysis center at 3:00.  My shift was over at 7:00 and I would zoom the five minutes home and devour whatever I had the energy to prepare.  Sometimes I would stop at Wendy's on the way home for a little snack to tide me over for that five minute drive home LOL

I finally asked the dr. if I could bring a protein bar to eat while I was on the machine and you would have though I was asking for the moon, but at least he agreed so I could stave off the hunger a little bit.

When I went to home hemo, I could have whatever snack I wanted while I was on the machine because my blood pressure was so stable.  I usually snacked on jellybeans or peppermints but sometimes I would have something a little more substantial.

[mslady]

I EVEN TRIED TO HAVE A BIG MEAL B4 IT DIDN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THE CENTER I'M AT NOW LET US HAVE SNACKS WHILE ON AS LONG AS WE DON'T OVER DO IT

[cattlekid]

I hear you.  When I was doing home hemo, I would eat a full dinner before hand and I still needed a snack afterwards even though I lightly snacked while I was doing my treatments.

I EVEN TRIED TO HAVE A BIG MEAL B4 IT DIDN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THE CENTER I'M AT NOW LET US HAVE SNACKS WHILE ON AS LONG AS WE DON'T OVER DO IT

[Desert Dancer]

I never get like that at home but the two weeks I was in-center I thought I would die of starvation before my treatment was over. As soon as I got done all I could think was "Food!" It was strange.

[jeannea]

This did not happen for me. Maybe it was because I was still recovering from my hospitalization. I did hemo for 6 months and I always felt nauseated after my treatments. Sounds to me like a sign of tolerating your treatment well.

[cariad]

This did not happen for me. Maybe it was because I was still recovering from my hospitalization. I did hemo for 6 months and I always felt nauseated after my treatments. Sounds to me like a sign of tolerating your treatment well.

I agree! All I remember from my two separate bouts of dialysis was nausea and splitting headaches. I think I would have viewed hunger as turning a corner toward better health. I was never in-centre and when the subject of eating on the machine comes up I always feel horrible for people having to put up with being treated like children. I couldn't even tolerate that sort of treatment when I *was* a child.

[Rerun]

The machine sucks protein out as well as toxins.  Bring cottage cheese or something high in protein.

I bring a NePro drink it is only 8oz but filling.

[kitkatz]

I can have dinner before dialysis and be full, but after seven hours on the machine a stop at the local Del Taco at 3 a.m. for a chicken burrito and french fries is an excellent idea. Last night we rolled up to the drive thru and said "Should we say the usual?" The guy gave us our order back our order over the speaker.  Think we are there often? They must think we have the munchies from doing something illegal.  LOL

[Riki]

I usually start getting hungry about half way through, about the same time the volunteer starts passing out the snacks. *G*  I usually have a cup of tea and a couple of cookies, and then I'm home at lunch time, so I'll find something quick and easy to make, usually some kind of prepared food that we're not supposed to eat. *G*

When I was on the afternoon shift, instead of the morning, Mom always liked making supper on dialysis days, because she could make whatever she wanted, and I'd eat it.  We'd be in the car on the way home, and she'd ask me what I wanted for supper, and I'd say, "food."  *L*

[CalamityEC]

This did not happen for me. Maybe it was because I was still recovering from my hospitalization. I did hemo for 6 months and I always felt nauseated after my treatments. Sounds to me like a sign of tolerating your treatment well.

I agree. I can't even think about food afterwards.

[Sugarlump]

When I first started dialysis I used to eat a huge amount on dialysis. After the first hour (if I lasted that long) I would feast on a salad in a box bought from home, packet of crisps, a kitkat bar
and sometimes I would pick up a huge baguettee stuffed with tuna mayonaise and salad (over a foot long)on the way in. packet of crisps and biscuits. As well as two cups of tea I would have about 250ml
of bottled water too... in the good old days when I was still peeing a lot.
We don't have any restrictions on what we eat during dialysis and some patients  have piles of sandwiche,s criisps, fruit, candy you name it...
Not always hungry afterwards though, depended on how I felt!

 

[cassandra]

I'm always hungry too. Have half a litre of coffee in thermos flask (to make me feel human), 1 pudding, 2 salami sandwiches, and Quite some cookies (for protein, and the feel good factor) in- centre.
Now at home half a bag of cashew nuts (protein and calcitriol) small bag of crisps (salt, and potassium cos often low) half a litre of coffee (feel good and potassium)



The first few weeks of D I couldn't eat anything. Just throwing up.

[YouDontKnowCecil]

Completely famished after treatment even if I had a huge meal before. Easily consume 1000+ calories after treatment (and I weigh only around 130 lbs.).

[Sugarlump]

I'm always hungry too. Have half a litre of coffee in thermos flask (to make me feel human), 1 pudding, 2 salami sandwiches, and Quite some cookies (for protein, and the feel good factor) in- centre.
Now at home half a bag of cashew nuts (protein and calcitriol) small bag of crisps (salt, and potassium cos often low) half a litre of coffee (feel good and potassium)



The first few weeks of D I couldn't eat anything. Just throwing up.

That's a lot of coffee! 

[pdpatty]

I too get hungry but if I were to eat while on the machine my bp would bottom out. This has happened before. I never eat or drink until I get off.

 Sometimes we drive thru Burger King for a small coffee and a sausage biscuit. My 3 hours are 5:30 - 8:30 am.

[Sugarlump]

Do you find you have phases of eating a certain thing on dialysis? Mine used to be mini-cheddars (little cheese biscuits) but now its Quavers, a curly potato snack.
I also like jelly babies when I crave something sweet.

Because my dialysis sessions are 7.30am-11.30am my partner makes me a bacon or sausage toasted sandwich (cut into 4 small squares so I can eat one handed for my breakfast!!!)

[cattlekid]

When I was doing home hemo, I always had to have something sweet while I was on the machine.  It started out as jelly beans (a specific brand found only at one grocery store in our area - they had as many flavors as Jelly Bellies but without the astronomical price), then it moved to a specific type of peppermint candy only found at Walgreens.  When Walgreens phased them out (damn them!), I found the original source which was a small family candy company in Texas and bought online directly from the source for much cheaper price.

Do you find you have phases of eating a certain thing on dialysis? Mine used to be mini-cheddars (little cheese biscuits) but now its Quavers, a curly potato snack.
I also like jelly babies when I crave something sweet.

Because my dialysis sessions are 7.30am-11.30am my partner makes me a bacon or sausage toasted sandwich (cut into 4 small squares so I can eat one handed for my breakfast!!!)

[Sugarlump]

Wonder if dialysis lowers the blood sugar levels a bit???

[obsidianom]

On NxStage the dialysate has 100mg/dl glucose in the mix. That is about where the average NON DIABETIC person runs , so it shoudnt lower glucose in them . However in a diabetic who runs higher, it could lower it to 100 to match the dialysate in theory. I never tested it to see.
If anyone out there is diabetic and has a glucose meter, you could check your glucose at a couple times before and during and after dialysis and see what you get. If anyone does that, I would be interested in what you get.

[kporter85db]

On NxStage the dialysate has 100mg/dl glucose in the mix. That is about where the average NON DIABETIC person runs , so it shoudnt lower glucose in them . However in a diabetic who runs higher, it could lower it to 100 to match the dialysate in theory. I never tested it to see.
If anyone out there is diabetic and has a glucose meter, you could check your glucose at a couple times before and during and after dialysis and see what you get. If anyone does that, I would be interested in what you get.

I am. And I will. This is very interesting.