How to reduce and calm muscle cramps of CKD Hemodialysis patient

[vidaljoanna12]

My brother experience severe muscle cramps in his leg, arms and even in his stomach it is the 2nd time around he experience this kind of severe pain in his muscle he could not handle the pain and he was like shaking so my mother took him to the hospital he is undergoing hemodialysis for almost a month now. I've searched the reason why he experiences muscle cramps and found out that it's like an effect of Hemodialysis. He is just 28 years still young and he has kidney disease since we are children I am so close to my brother that if I can only take all the pain I will so he will not feel it. Please, I need advice.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

Hi Joanna,

What your brother is experiencing is common to new hemodialysis patients - it could be from the staff trying to find his dry weight (the weight he needs to get to after they remove fluid from his blood during dialysis). It is a bit of a guessing game at first because they want to remove enough fluid, but not too much. They will work it out. I encourage your brother to find out as much as he can about the dialysis process, so that he can become more able to keep track of his dry weight and the amount of fluid they remove each time. I also caution him to try not to gain too much fluid between treatments and to follow the dialysis diet the clinical dietitian should tell him about. i f you gain too much fluid you could be subjected to cramping, headaches, low blood pressure during your treatment because they'll have to take more fluid off. Please feel free to ask as many questions here and from the dialysis staff as you need. That's what we're here for, to share our experiences and help each other. Take care!

[vidaljoanna12 in reply to cs65]

Thank you so much for your response. It happens at home before going to the treatment, not during the dialysis session. Base on what I read on my research, patient experience cramps during the dialysis session while my brother experiences it at home while he is taking rest we are afraid that it could affect his heart as he hardly breathes so we took him to the hospital immediately. In that case, I want my mom to be aware and alert on what to do as she also gets nervous and didn't know how to handle as my brother screaming cause of muscle cramps pain. is there any way to calm or reduce at the pain in that situation?

[cs65 NKF Ambassador in reply to vidaljoanna12]

Yes, if the cramp is in his leg, stand up and walk around a little if he can. Also, heat can help, like a heating pad or a warmed up towel wrapped around the area. If it's happening before dialysis it may be stress-related. I would try the same things (standing, walking, heating). I even had a technician do acupressure on me, which also worked. At dialysis they also have oxygen, which can also help along with taking the patient down to minimum for a little while. Good luck! Also, drinking a little fluid (water, gingerly) may help.

[LadyLuv in reply to vidaljoanna12]

He has to drink extra water. He might not be getting enough. I found out the hard way. I drink a glass before and after pd. You can try that.

[Bunkin]

I am praying for your brother and family. It’s hard to watch someone you love so much suffering.

[vidaljoanna12 in reply to Bunkin]

Thank you for the prayers!

[Kimberbaby]

I'm not sure what advice I can give, but I'm on dialysis and experience stomach and leg cramps too. The nurses say it is normal when fluid is removed, particularly if they are taking off too much too fast. He has to tell the staff immediately when he gets the cramps and they can slow down the rate of removal. I have been able to get them to slow down and it does help the cramps to stop. Hopefully this helps!

[vidaljoanna12 in reply to Kimberbaby]

Thank you so much!

[cgwils]

Ask about home dialysis: peritoneal dialysis or home hemodialysis. These options should suit him way better than 3 times in-center dialysis. Studies show that patients on home dialysis (and more frequent dialysis) have less symptoms, better quality of life, and better heart health. The ultimate best solution is kidney transplant. Has living donor transplant been considered? I hope he gets better soon.

[gilgar76]

Drink more water. Avoid salts. And make sure to adjust the solution with the weight. Check with the dialysis nurse about this. Sometimes if eat too much salty foods the water loses in the muscles creating cramps. I find myself just drinking water before bed and if during a cramp episode drink some more water. Sometimes a hot shower helps. My thing is walking a lot, and doing exercises. Diet is very important during dialysis and water retention can be dangerous so make sure to check weight and BP and ask nurse for advice and speak with a dietician for any water rentention. Cramps are sign of dehydration and doing dialysis is really is taking all the sodium and water out of you. Hope that helps. Believe me I went through cramps and they’re terrible. It’s been better now since I learned to drink more water

[SadMad]

I didn't think you could drink whatever you wanted when on dialysis. Please clarify. Better to drink right before hemodialysis?