PD and low blood Pressure.

[PracBob]

I've been doing PD for over a year and it's not working well. My kT/V is to low and they have increased treatment volume and time to try to make it work until my HD fistula is ready to use. They don't want to put in a central line.

My problem is that my blood Purdue is so low most of the time that I can barely function. It was 69/50 this morning and is rarely above 100/60. Or seems like every time I composing they up the treatment and make matters worse. I sometimes can increase it a bit by drinking lots of water and rearing salty food. I know this is not good for me either. I'm just about ready to still the treatments and let what harms happen.

Does anyone have any ideas. My fistula won't be ready for pertussis 2 months.

[Jessi1027]

Hello PracBob I myself have low BP too. I take midodrine for this problem. You may want to ask your nephrologist about some meds that will help elevate your BP. Stay strong and communicate with your doctor. Talk to him/her about a medication you could possibly take like midodrine to bring your BP back up. I hope you find this info useful. Much luck to you. Stay strong.

[Readingrainbow]

What color bags are you using? When I was on PD green was my staple color, but my nurse told me to order and use more yellow to help my BP. It definitely helped! Talk to your team and see what adjustments they suggest you make to feel better after dialysis.

[PracBob in reply to Readingrainbow]

Thank you for sharing your results I've tried that but I get a little fluid retention and the BP only goes up a little. They now have me using 2 yellow and 1 green or 3 yellow. PD isn't working for me. My kT/V offs only about 1.0. I'll be switching back to HD as soon as my fistula develops enough.

[TaffyTwoshoes27 in reply to PracBob]

I noticed a decrease in urine output (do you still produce urine?) when I was prescribed Pantoprazole (for acid reflux) by a Gastro doc. Once I stopped taking it, eventually my urine output and kt/V started going up (in a couple months). When I researched side effects of Pantoprazole, decreased urine output was listed.

Without any reflux med, I suffer. I tried Pepcid AC and it did not work. I now take Prilosec (which contains an ingredient that ends in the same "prazole" as Pantoprazole, but my kt/v is within range now).

Just a tip. My Nephrologist knew I was taking Pantoprazole, and the gastroenterologist knew I have ESRD, but neither professional put 2 and 2 together. Sometimes you have to be your own best advocate.

My treatments were also changed numerous times during the low kt/V incident. I think the kt/v was 1.56, which isn't super low.

I got a bit peeved with my renal nurse for constantly changing my treatment without giving much time for my body to adjust. It was a stressful time b/c I had no intentions of converting to HD.

Are you on BP meds? I remember my Neph changed my BP meds 5 times in about 5 months during that time. My BP then got too low! My renal nurse would make me drink that really salty instant chicken soup mix before leaving the clinic. She was afraid I would faint with such a low BP.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

[PracBob in reply to TaffyTwoshoes27]

Thank you for your ideas. I still orifice a little urine but it had been declining over the pat few months. I haven't changed any medications. I've been eating a few salty things that help a little but I'm concerned I store water. I think HD is my only hope.

[TaffyTwoshoes27 in reply to PracBob]

When i am holding excess water, i use a 2.5% 3 L bag with my 1.5% 5L and 2.5% 5L bags. However, if your BP is low, that will probably pull more fluid from you and your BP will keep going down.