Peritoneal dialysis

[bytemynose]

I am on Peritoneal dialysis and experiencing extreme brain fog and unbalanced al the time. Does anyone have this problem and any ideas as to what it could be?

[mereli1]

HeyIs your PD going good ?

[MsTrice]

Hi yes i have. My nephrologist referred me to neurologist but they felt i was doing well and said to followup. Best thing talk to your nephrologist. They may want to make some tweaks to your treatment or meds.

[Tissybell]

I experienced this recently, and found out this was due to low blood⁰ pressure and extremely low iron levels. I temporarily changed from the red manual bag to the yellow one, and got a large dose of Mircera for iron Check with your nephrologist to see if these factors are affecting you. I feel for you- these effects are rather unpleasant!

[OceanBreezes2021]

I have as well. I've been through a lot of PD prescription changes though and low BP as well (crazy ranges, 70/60 on up to 190/100). My Dr has changed my BP med from nifedipine and carvedilol to just amlodipine. He titrated it until my BP stabilized. I believe I feel better, it's just been a few days now though, took a couple of weeks total for my blood serum levels to adjust after each dosage increase.

Had to go off carvedilol for my cardiopulm test.

I've been wondering about dehydration in association with the PD having any thing to do with the mental fog, and being low in protein as well. Although, I thought I had better cognitive power and more clarity when my blood pressure was higher.

I hope the doctors figure it out soon for you. It's no fun. 😟

[alport45 in reply to OceanBreezes2021]

Thanks for your description of your experience. It's so helpful to hear. I'm having low BP, too. It happens when my PD treatment ends, (85/48 or 83/45) twice in the last week. I feel weak and wobbly. I think it may be dehydration from the dialysis since it happens to me right after the treatment ends. I'm getting iron infusions and Epogen which I thought would help if anemia was part of it. My PD nurse said not to take my BP meds when it's so low. She also said to eat something salty like chicken soup. Does that sound right?

[OceanBreezes2021 in reply to alport45]

The holding the BP meds and having something salty are indeed things my dialysis nurses have told me. My first nurse told me to carry around powdered packets of salty broth. My current nurse told me to withhold BP meds. I was taking Pedialyte.

Once, when my nurse didn't call me back, I texted my Nephrologist. He said my pressure was too low, dangerously so. That pressure reading I was having at that time was 69 over something. He advised me in the future to go to the ER should I get very low readings. He thinks I was extremely sensitive to the extended release nifedipine I was on (2x per day).

It might be a good idea to somehow keep your nephrologist in the loop in a way that won't leave your nurse feeling disrespected.

I get epo shots up to twice a month at a different clinic. The Dr there tightly controls my rbc count to between 10 and 11. My last iron and rbcs were within limits, so, in my case I don't think that was the cause of the unsteadiness and foggy brainedness. My current thinking still settles on the low BP and dehydration. If it's a significant drop, I can generally tell when my BP is dropping prior to using my BP cuff. I begin to feel extremely tired, can't think straight, and then my neck and arms begin to ache like mad. Then my legs feel too heavy to lift and walk.

If you can take sugar maybe ask your Dr about the electrolytes in Pedialyte. Please check with your Dr regarding the low BP readings! That's a pretty significant drop.

Take care, feel better soon! 🙂

[alport45 in reply to OceanBreezes2021]

Thanks so much. Your note about respect for the nurse is spot on. My dialysis center seems to want everything to go through them. I am used to e-mailing my neph so I pushed back. Of course I was assured by the nurses that I could continue emailing the doc, as if I needed their permission. Otherwise, I like my current nurse.

I'm not diabetic so I will ask about the Pedialyte.

[TaffyTwoshoes27 in reply to alport45]

In addition to pulling water from your system during dialysis, it is also pulling your sodium. My doctor said with a very low BP as you wrote, I should not take any blood pressure medication and I should always eat Campbell's chicken soup.

[alport45 in reply to TaffyTwoshoes27]

Thanks, it's good to have confirmation of the advice my nurse is giving me. I am new to dialysis and not used to having someone other than my nephrologist directing my treatment.

[RhenDutchess123]

My PD Nurses told me if my blood pressure dropped too low to drink about 1/4 cup dill pickle juice

[alport45 in reply to RhenDutchess123]

I bet drinking green olive juice would also do the trick. That stuff is the saltiest.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to alport45]

It might be...but as always...ask your Doctor or Nurses first