This week I received one of the new medical newsletters on what is not recommended for renal patients. It said for stage 5 renal patients to avoid drinking excess water, as it is damaging to the cardiovascular system. I mention this because so many of you say drink water, water water!
If you are stage 5, time to be careful with it!
Thanks for sharing,
This is surprising as I have always been told that drinking more water helps failing kidneys. The only medical advice I have been given to reduce water intake has been when dialysis was part of my life.
It would be very interesting to read more about this. Could you share the source of this info. Thanks...
Best wishes, Mgt
I think that there is more to this than you are saying. First of all, in the world of heart issues, dealing with edema or bloating is a real issue. So monitoring fluid intake is part of the process to make sure that you are hydrated but still watching the edema and fluid load. For the kidneys, it is important to get enough fluid to help flush out what the kidneys are not able to do. There is a balancing act for how much and your medical team should be able to advise as to how much. If you have the article, it would be good to site it here.
Drinking water is vital for good kidney health. You need to drink enough water every day to flush the toxins out of your kidneys. When you start dialysis sometimes your fluid intake is limited. Not drinking of water can cause dehydration which over time can damage your kidneys and cause heart issues.
I think there is a lot more to that article you read than you are saying. A medical newsletter - from where?
As Bassetmommer stated, edema is a big issue for the heart - and the entire body. Most people at or near end stage kidney failure will experience swelling since the kidneys may no longer remove toxins and excess water very well and can impact urine output too. This, in turn, can impact blood pressure and more. (Prescription blood pressure meds are often diuretics-water pills.) In my opinion, the water build-up not only affects the heart but can also impact the digestive system, mental function, breathing ability, etc. Often, doctors prescribe new or additional meds to remove the swelling when it's at the problem point. When my hubby went on dialysis to take care of skyrocketing blood pressure, the staff also constantly checked for edema in his hands and feet. And slowly ramped up the solution strength to eliminate it. It worked - it brought down his blood pressure as well as his shoe size. Lol. It's great to drink all the water you can. But when you notice edema, it's a good time to talk to your team. Edema truly isn't your friend.
Chicablue. The key word in your post is "excessive". Did they explain what that meant? It could mean different amounts to different people. I'm sure there are many things shouldn't be taken in excess. Can you send a link to the article?
Chicablue's article is for those in "Stage 5" kidney disease, and the article is undoubtedly referring to "Nephrotic Syndrome" that can occur in that stage as it did for my hubby. I submitted a great link below on the condition. If you go to the treatment tab, reducing water intake can be a lifestyle and diet option. In my hubby's case, they slammed him with water reducing medications and eventually turned to dialysis to save his life - they were expecting him to die of a heart attack at any time due to his extremely high blood pressure (240s/120s). Thankfully, it worked. I hope Chicablue hops on this forum again and submits her article too. This situation is more common than one thinks.
Most dialysis patients need to limit their fluid intake to 32 ounces per day.
I understand that it was about stage 5. I just wanted to know how much is considered excessive.
In my personal opinion, one can drink any amount of water as long as one doesn't have edema. When you notice it happening, though, that's when one should pay attention and consult one's team - nephrologist and cardiologist. (I mention a cardiologist here because our nephrologist prescribed one med - blood pressure med - that immediately increased his edema and caused havoc.) My hubby's team didn't limit his liquids, they just juggled his meds at the time. But he wasn't very hungry or thirsty close towards the end. Although it would be nice, I don't think there's a guide that applies to all prior to dialysis. Once on dialysis, however, weight and water intake intake restrictions take immediate effect.
for those in stage 5 ESRD you're given a target weight as a goal. This will include anamount of fluid allowed per day. The fluid amount will include how much you currently urinate plus say 20 ounces. Most PKD people continue producing urine. Some do not so its very individualized and not an exact science. It is often a moving target. Generally advised against gaining more than 2 kilos between treatments. And yes kilos are preferred measurements. One kilo is 2.2 pounds. So if one is used to drinking boatloads of water...at this stage exercising serious restraint is crucial. You will weigh prior to treatments and after. The post treatment weight from previous treatment will be deducted from pre treatment weight for current treatment. This will be your "goal" of fluid removal for current treatment. Adding a rinse back of fluid of between 200 to 500 MLS of fluid will complete the goal. A fluid calculator is available on HDC.org when removing too much fluid too quickly per treatment and low BP, cramping, nausea, diarrhea, migraines (often called dialysis hangover) passing out and more occur. Hence the imperatives of reigning in fluid intake. This includes soup, jello, ice cream or anything liquid at room temperature. Hands down one of the most difficult hurdles for dialysis people. Your team will help with this.
Blessings
I have an Ileo-Anal Pouch.
This is the built-in version of an ileostomy, so no large bowel. Ilium was used to make the pouch.
Both of these parts of the bowel absorb vitamins, electrolytes and salts. Plain water will drag out the remaining water and electrolytes and we will not retain any of it.
You need to drink something but not just vast amounts of water. Dilute fruit squash can help. This advice is from the Internal Pouch Assoc. so check with your Neph.
no one has mentioned output. As my kidney’s have worsened so has my urine output, barely none. I therefore have to be extremely careful about my fluid intake.
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