Fluid overload

[tilly38]

I have been on capd for 6 weeks and am not feeling any better than before I started dialysis

I know it's early days but was hoping to see some improvement. My big problem is that Ican't get rid of the fluid in my legs, which makes them really uncomfortable and makes walking quite difficult and very tiring.

My first assessment is in a couple of weeks so perhaps it will all be sorted then (fingers crossed)

[Hardworkthisbeingpoorly]

Are you on a fluid restriction ?

What colour PD bags are you using ?

Are you diabetic?

Ideally you should probably be on a fluid restriction about 1 litre to 1.5 litres per day if your kidneys are still working a bit then that will help them to remove the fluid but not make them work too hard ! CAPD is an aid to help preserve what kidney function you have left among other things .

What colour bags are you using (I'm assuming you are using the baxter system) yellow ones 1.36 % are ok but if you have fluid overload you should use the Green bags 2.27% they are a lot better for removing fluid

If you are diabetic just double check your blood sugars if you use the green bags as they contain more glucose and probably will raise your blood sugar levels.

If it's tiring when you walk and you feel breathless you sound like you are carrying too much fluid ! I think if you spend a week doing green bags you'll shift it and feel better !

Keep well and stick to it its a slow process but you will feel better eventually

[PKDying]

What is the question? Will fluid in your legs go away by using PD? Not as fast as if you use HD. PD is more maintenance-based, and why anyone would want to be reminded of their condition several times daily rather than 3 times a week baffles me.

[supernan56]

Hi my husband was on CAPD for about 4 months and was never well, for us it was to hit and miss, he is now on home HD and has never looked back, much easier to see that you are taking the right amount off, 4 hours 3 times a week is so much easier than bags 4 times a day. You of course must do what is best for you, so I wish you well with your diaylsis.

[Syreeta]

Hello tilly38 ... I lost my kidneys nearly a year ago at the age of 32. It was a real dilemma for me deciding which treatment to go for, Pd or HD ... I had a line in my neck so started on HD but after a couple of months at the unit I decided to go for Pd as it seemed less restrictive. I got off to a bad start with Pd, feeling sick and nauseous most of the time. My nurse kept saying to me it will take time for your peritenium to adjust to the fluid around it. I didn't feel like she understood but upon reflection I think she was right. I now feel the best I have ever felt, a change of diet also helped too. Pd was the best decision I could have made. Give your body time to adjust to its new way of working, it took me 3-4 months for my body to accept the PD dialysis. I have not had a problem with fluid. Quite the opposite, the PD just zapped the fluid from me initially. Monitor your input and output, if you are consuming more than taking off perhaps a stronger bag is needed. Your nurse is the best person to advise. I hope it works out for you. I love it!

[tilly38]

Thank you all for you comments it's really helpful to know that one way or another I can make this work for me. Am now increasing my use of blue bags to one every other day, in the hope that it has the desired effect.

[tilly38]

I meant to write that I was increasing the GREEN bags

[Hardworkthisbeingpoorly]

Hi there you hang in there and I would write all the things down that are bothering you now so that you can talk about them when you visit your consultant

Fluid was and still is my bug bare ! I did PD for 6 years and only recently had to go on to HD which I really really didn't want but surprisingly it's not as bad as I anticipated . Anyway fluid ! Are you on any kind of fluid limit as this is important that you try so hard to stick to it ! Secondly are you on any diuretics (water tablets) as a combination of both will help ! And lastly what colour bags are you using for CAPD yellow ones are ok to do the toxin clearances but not too good at removing the fluid ! So you may do good to ask if you can use a green bag to help shift the fluid ! What fill volume are you on ? Are you on 2L because when I did 2L of Green 2.27% it took off 250+ ml of fluid ! Are you still passing urine or not . There are still lots of options for you only six weeks into therapy if you want to know anything just message me I will always reply ! Stay positive and you are never alone

[Hidden]

Please speak to your own Consultant before making changes to your dialysis.

[Hidden]

You will eventually see improvements and feel the benefits. I was put on a fluid restriction which helps but until they can fix your dry weight then the fluid could be a problem because of not knowing what to take off. If they monitor you then they could suggest taking a couple of hundred mils extra of each time if your body can stand it to help get rid of the extra fluid and eventually sort out your dry weight(target weight when no extra fluid on board). Sometimes I carry extra fluid and they simply feel my leg to see if it is there. This normally happens when my dry weight changes but I can feel the extra fluid. As you are new to this do not be afraid to ask for help or voice your concerns -the nurses are there to help you and should listen to you.

[tilly38]

Well so much for pd, after two bouts of pd peritonitis they have removed the catheter and I now am on HD with a neck line.I have so far had 5 sessions a couple of which resulted in me close to passing out when they attempted to remove more fluid than my battered body would tolerate but apart from that it's not too bad. So now I would appreciate all positive helpful info onHD