What are the reasons CO2 drops? Does anyone know why bicarb pills are no longer produced?
I would ask your doctor or home training nurse what low results could mean, including whether you have too much .
In the meantime, here’s an article on CO2 testing and what the results mean.
http://www.labtestsonline.org./understanding/analytes/co2/glance.html
I constantly run a low CO2, even before dialysis. One thing that really helps is to get a higher lactate dialysate. If you aren’t using No. 1 bags then you aren’t on the high lactate.
Sodium Bicarb tablets are still made, they are over the counter, go to a local drug store and ask them to order them for you. I get 1000 tablets for under $20.
Cathy
I use the higher lactate, but now after many months of good CO2 on NxStage I have gotten some borderline low results. My PA told me they no longer produce bicarb pills. I thought I had read something about that in a post online. So, I was told to use Bicitra. I will ask about the tablets again. I used them years ago when I was having low CO2. I didn’t like them as they were irritating as they went down, but perhaps they can be taken with food or something else to take the acidy feeling away. Wonder if NxStage will come out with a new formulation to handle low CO2.
My neph told me to drink a table spoon of baking soda dissolved in some liquid every day to bring my CO2 up. It seems to be working very well.
I find it to be a very easy regimen to maintain. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that is tastes incredibly salty going down!
Eston Burciaga
We still have sodium bicarb capsules over her in UK I get mine prescribed by my doctor
It would be messy, but you can buy empty gel capsules very cheaply (here’s one source: http://www.wonderlabs.com/newshowitems.php?Category=Capsules%2C+Empty&search=&add2search=1&offset=0&ad=gooececbec&gclid=CIvH_cOquY8CFSSaZQod3UIpdw) and fill them with the bicarb so you don’t have to taste it or have that acid-y feeling. Ask your doctor before doing anything like this, of course.