Water is so beautiful, water is life. Water is a sad moment on the scale in the morning.My weight has climbed 10 lbs. and its been a struggle to keep it down. I only eat 2 meals a day. My protein level is low, and Im getting burnt out on eggs. I love vegetables, but my Dietician says I need meats.Sometimes I have a mug of water (Full of ice) by my bedside over night, but this is going to stop. I love Chinese food, but this contains a lot of salt. Salt makes me retain water,so this I do in moderation. PD is a blessing. No more needles, no more trips to the clinic. I do miss the Techs. They know this is a better deal for me. It`s almost like having control of our lives again.
Are you doing CAPD or CCPD? Sometimes people on CAPD whose peritoneal membranes transport wastes too fast can lose too much protein but not enough fluid so they have fluid retention. If you’re a “high transporter,” you may need to do the cycler overnight instead. Your nurse may want to do a peritoneal equilibration test (PET) to find out how your peritoneal membrane transports wastes. Having fuid retention can make your heart have to work harder than it should.
When you’re on PD, you need to eat extra protein because PD takes off more protein than HD. Having a low albumin level puts you at higher risk of getting an infection, being hospitalized, or even dying. Ask your dietitian what else you can eat besides eggs and meat to get your albumin level up. Several dietitians I worked with in the past suggested that patients buy powdered egg whites. They were cheap and could be added to certain liquids and sprinkled on other foods to add protein. There are also protein supplements in bars and liquids. The bars may be kind of dry but don’t take away from other fluids you might like to drink.
Obviously, eating foods that are salty will make you thirsty. Drinking more to try to quench the thirst leads to extra weight fluid gain. When you prepare Chinese food at home, leave out the MSG, soy sauce and salt. All of them are loaded with sodium. If you eat Chinese food out, ask your favorite restaurant if they can they can leave the MSG, soy sauce, and salt out of food they prepare for you. Lots of people today who must eat low sodium diets and restaurants are used to preparing food for people on special diets.
Finally, if you’re diabetic, keeping your blood sugar under control can also help control your thirst which should help you drink less. Some of your medicines may also be making you thirsty. Ask your nurse or doctor to review your medicines to see if any that cause thirst or dry mouth can be reduced or eliminated.
For tips on controlling your thirst, check out the Life Options website (www.lifeoptions.org) for Tips and Stories. There’s one written by a patient called “Thirst Is In the Mind” and one written by a professional calleed “Spray Bottle Helps Limit Fluids.” You can also find a fact sheet on fluids at www.lifeoptions.org/catalog/pdfs/teaching/Fluid.pdf. Also you might want to read Module 9 of Kidney School (www.kidneyschool.org) which is called “Nutrition and Fluids for People on Dialysis.”
Water is great unless your on dialysis! I would just caution with the fluid gains and PD. The more you use the 4.25% solutions, the more wear and tear you will have on your membrane. This may cause the membrane not to work eventually and back to hemo you go. Your PD nurse should have gone over this with you during training. To live well on PD is to take charge of your life and your dialysis. Don’t give up Jesse, you will overcome this.
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