PD Dialysis Question

[Virgo03v]

Hello. My mom was on Hemo dialysis twice a week for about a year. Her doctor thought PD dialysis would be better for her, especially with her active lifestyle. So she started PD dialysis a week ago and we noticed her getting bloated. We found out today she gained 40 pounds in a week....which we all know if fluid. And yes, she still urinates, which is why she only did hemo twice a week. Does anyone else have experience with this why she retained fluid like this? Does anyone else have trouble getting the solution out or anything remotely similar? Thanks in advance!

[Jayhawker]

I'm in renal failure but am still not on dialysis so I don't have personal experience to share; I'm sure others will jump in soon.

However, that's a lot of weight gain. I'd strongly suggest that you talk with the PD nurse managing her case. I have no idea what could be causing this, but they need to be involved immediately to get this figured out. This stuff gets somewhat complicated. It could a mechanical problem with the catheter or tubing in general. It could be some physical issues, e.g., an infection. It could be a problem related to the dosing or her fluid intake on a daily basis. It just gets really complicated. But gaining 40 pounds is clearly concerning. Something (or some group of things) isn't working right.

Jayhawker

[Virgo03v in reply to Jayhawker]

We found out today that the catheter isn't working..... So first thing is to get the fluid off of her, which will take a few days and then we go back to see the surgeon. I just wish they would have listened to us originally when we said she was gaining weight. Doctors need to listen to their patients more!!

[Jayhawker in reply to Virgo03v]

Absolutely! This was actually my first thought; that the catheter might not be working at all . . . And, yes, doctors definitely need to listen to their patients!!

Jayhawker

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to Virgo03v]

They should have been limiting the fluids used for PD. Was she weighing before and after and noticing any change in the post weights or was she only weighing daily? Catheter issues were my first thoughts too. Perhaps her peritoneum is just not a good transporter of fluids as well. That's what happened to me. Although it took them 3 months to figure that out. By the time they caught it my creatinine was 24. They did continuous 36 hour treatment and creatinine jumped up over 30. One hemo treatment dropped my creatinine down to 17. I was very disappointed to give up on PD as I loved it. Hope they can fix the issue and get the fluid off. Blessings

[curiousmind2019]

Hi Virgo03v

40 lbs is a lot especially for the first week of PD.

I do get bloating from time to time and it is terrible. It makes it very difficult to drain and also sometimes very painful to drain. And I try to do whatever I can to get rid of the bloating before I try to drain. I don’t know what is causing your bloating, for me I am very sensitive to the temperature of my tummy and certain foods. So drinking hot fluids, keeping the dialysate warm (37C or more) and staying away from certain foods help me with the bloating.

Another thing is that it sounds like there’s more that your dialysis center could have done in your situation. In the first week, they typically shouldn’t be putting too much fluid in. They should also be doing a few flushes with tight weight measurements before and after to make sure you are able to drain. 40 lbs is a lot. Dialysate is only 2L and they usually only put in 1L or less the first few times. The weight of 2L bag is less than 5 lbs. 40 lbs seems a lot if it’s pure fluid weight. It might be that you are absorbing the sugar in the solution or some reaction to it ?

[PracBob]

I have done both HD and PD. On PD I recently had problems with draining the solution out after dwelling so I had to go back to HD. I did gain a little weight (10 kg) while trying to make the PD work. I'm hoping the surgeon can make the cathetor work because I felt much better with PD than HD. I hope you can resolve the problem.

[ReedNovember]

Hi! I was once on PD. When I first started I was absorbing the PD Solution which is made out of DEXTROSE (Sugar). I gained about 30 plus pounds quickly. My Nephrologist prescribed a solution called EXTRANEAL that is hooked up to your machine at might along with the rest of your PD Solurion. It keeps your body from absorbing the solution. Without the Extraneal. Your mom will continue to gain weight. The body thinks that the PD solution is food. So it absorbs it. I hope this helps. Talk with her Nephroligist.