Questions on fluid Restriction

[Jannie]

Before I started dialysis,I pretty much drank as much water as I wanted. I kept a pitcher on my desk at work. I probably drank a half gallon of water daily, including coffee juices and milk.  Now that I'm on dialysis, I was told I am on "fluid restriction" of 50 ounces of liquid. But I'm constantly thirsty. I don't want to get "fluid overload".  But six cups of liquid just isn't enough. What do you drink?

[bolta72]

I pretty much drink when I want, I guess its different from person to person. How are your fluid gains and also would depend on how much of an out-put you have. I still have a fair out-put and gain only about 1.0 between sessions but I don't over do it either. As I said each person is different.

[glitter]

my husband only gets 32 oz as he has no output- (and that includes the fluid in foods) he has unbearable thirst and used to eat alot of hard candy.

Now - he bought a wrestling suit (walmart 6 dollars) and he either works outside in the garage when its hot (we live in FL) or he works out so he can sweat profusely...his neph has him drinking gatoraide, but he drinks what he wants -as long as he sweats four or five hours a day. I am looking at installing a suana in our next house.

could you use a sauna at a gym?

maybe instead of drinking more you could eat ice more.....also there are some products out now to help with drymouth, a spray a gum, a mouthwash and toothpaste- i will look for the link- I know I p,osted it somewhere

http://www.dentist.net/drymouth.asp

looks like they added new products

my husband tells me- he has 'trained' himself to just not drink....most of the time he can skip it if he knows he does not have room....then he just take a mouthful at a time  and eats rootbeer barrels

[Jannie]

Thanks. I hate dialysis BUT I LOVE ALL THE FRIENDLY HELPFUL people here.

[Zach]

Before I started dialysis,I pretty much drank as much water as I wanted. I kept a pitcher on my desk at work. I probably drank a half gallon of water daily, including coffee juices and milk.  Now that I'm on dialysis, I was told I am on "fluid restriction" of 50 ounces of liquid. But I'm constantly thirsty. I don't want to get "fluid overload".  But six cups of liquid just isn't enough. What do you drink?

For me, about a liter a day.  Usually home made iced tea or seltzer (no sodium club soda) in small, four oz. glasses.

Cutting back on sodium is a big part in reducing thirst.  Home cooking is one way to keep your sodium intake in check.  And stay away from processed foods--lots of sodium.

 

You'll find more discussion here:
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=1208.msg14903#msg14903

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=173.msg17439#msg17439

[RichardMEL]

For me this has to be the hardest part of dealing with dialysis (apart from actuall treatments). Indeed if I didn't have a fluid restriction I could handle the treatment that much better I think... and I get a little jealous when I talk to SOME fellow dialysis patients only to find out they have NO restrictions!!!! d'oh!!! So it IS different for everyone.

I second the sauna suggestion. Luckily I have one in my building that hardly anyone uses so it is mostly free for me whenever I want I try to not overdo it though (I had a dietician tell me off the other week?!?)... but I *can* take 600-800ml of gain off in an hour or so session which is REALLY helpful.. specially when weekends come around and have that extra day to handle... if I have a sauna session and keep to my usual routine of about 1 lt a day I can usually come in under 2.0 over per session.. and the dialysis staff are very happy with that .. and I am very happy because I don't cramp!

Apart from the sauna I usually use a lot of will power.. count up how much I am drinking through the day and also weigh myself at home to see how I am doing. It's not perfect but helps keep me on the straight and narrow.

Given that it can cause issues for your heart and lungs I am of the opinion that "pain now = gain later" so that WHEN I get THE CALL and hopefully a good transplant, I can go back to drinking heaps and heaps but my body will be in a state where it will be able to handle all that that much better.

[Coping]

I second the sauna suggestion. Luckily I have one in my building that hardly anyone uses so it is mostly free for me whenever I want I try to not overdo it though (I had a dietician tell me off the other week?!?)... but I *can* take 600-800ml of gain off in an hour or so session which is REALLY helpful.. specially when weekends come around and have that extra day to handle... if I have a sauna session and keep to my usual routine of about 1 lt a day I can usually come in under 2.0 over per session.. and the dialysis staff are very happy with that .. and I am very happy because I don't cramp!

I would think the sauna was an EXCELLENT idea! Why would any dietitian get mad about that? I would think it would keep any dialysis patient healthier!

[RichardMEL]

Yeah I can't quite recall what the dietician said but some other nurses suggested it was a great idea because of natural sweating out of toxins and stuff. I know I feel pretty good when I get out and not just because I've taken off fluid without needles in my arm. Plus it's relaxing too

Anyway I haven't had any kind of trouble since doing it so... well I'm going to keep doing it

[glitter]

my husbands neph and primary care Dr were mostly concerned about him sweating so much he'll upset the delicate electolyte balance in his body- he solved that by drinkinking gatorade,(its what they told him to do) we live in florida and it is not unusual for him to go in with 1k gain, and having drank 120 oz of gatorade- he sweats that much. He also weighs himself to watch the fluid.

[twirl]

if you sweat; you have have more fluids?
anyone know how long you would have to sweat/per one ounce fluid you could add

I live in Texas the opportunity is here

[twirl]

if you sweat; you can have more fluids?
anyone know how long you would have to sweat/per one ounce fluid you could add

I live in Texas the opportunity is here

[kidney4traci]

I do home dialysis with Nxstage so I do dialysis 5 times a week which allows for more freedom in my fluids. 

[jbeany]

Ah, yes, that's the best part of working out during the hot summer months - the big glass of ice water at the end!  How much more fluid depends on how much you sweat, twirl.  Get a good scale, and weigh yourself before a workout.  Weigh again after, and you should have some idea of how much extra fluid you can allow yourself.

[twirl]

a big class of ice water at the end?
I'd do anything for a big glass of ice water at the end...
my doc said sweating would not make a difference, I want 64 ounces a day instead of 50
but I am going with people who have "done there, done that"
and thanks, thanks, thanks

[RichardMEL]

a big class of ice water at the end?
I'd do anything for a big glass of ice water at the end...
my doc said sweating would not make a difference, I want 64 ounces a day instead of 50
but I am going with people who have "done there, done that"
and thanks, thanks, thanks

What the.. how can sweating NOT make a difference? I think that doc is on something. You sweat out that's FLUID out!! Sure, if you just sweat a little bit (like "ioh, that's a little sheen of sweat on my forehead") then sure.. yeah it's next to nothing.. but when i go in the sauna for an hour and the sweat drips off so it's WET and forms puddles then yeah that's real fluid off. Plus I weigh before and after and you can see the ~500ml difference..

The Florida/Texas situation would be great for that - specially in Florida with the high humidity outdoors a few hours out there would definitely make you sweat a lot out.

Last year I went to Singapore (where it is a very fluid tropical climate) - I walked around the city outside for 3-4 hours and had one small slurpee at the end of it because I was dying of thurst. I reckon I sweated out a good 2kg just in those few hours! (I added it back drinking champagne on the plane home, but that's a whole otrher issue ).

It does work and sweating is a natural way to do it. This sounds gross but sometimes I can smell the toxins sweating out of me....

[bolta72]

I agree.

[kidney4traci]

I agree - In hot and humid Houston I know it is a fact!