can anything be done about it? white people turn a dusky color and blacks turn darker- other docs and techs say that they have noticed but don’t know why
There are 4 or 5 skin conditions (no, I don’t remember all their names) which ESRF sufferers may get one or more of. I don’t think everyone on dx gets darker skin (mine’s gone paler, as I spend less time out in the sun now), but those with one of those skin conditions - which causes the skin to harden also - do. I was in hospital with a guy, who we know indirectly, who has this prob & it makes cannulating a bit of a pain-in-the-arse.
Don’t know why the skin tone of my partner has reversed itself… Since we are at home doing nocturnal 6X/week. Her skin tone has been excellent. Before going on Nightly Home Hemo Dialysis (NHHD) you would think that she was out in the sun everyday… But now you can actually see her veins… and her skin tone is lighter like 20 years ago… It must be something to do with having dialysis 6X a week. Her friends that she has not seen for a while always comment on how good she looks. Some of them can’t believe that she has end stage renal… You would not think that her kidneys has failed for atleast 17 years. she is doing better now that she is on NHHD… She has been doing it at home for 6+years and was on Peritoniel Dialysis for about 10 years…
HemoHelper
Just as there is a build up of uremic toxins in the blood and tissues of people with kidney failure, there is also a build up in the skin. In this case, the particular “offender” that used to be referred to was called urochrome, but it’s probably more complex than just one toxin.
When folks get transplants–or do daily or nocturnal dialysis and get a LOT more treatment–their skin color returns to normal. So, part of the problem is likely that standard in-center treatment is not removing enough toxins.
[QUOTE=Dori Schatell;13640]Just as there is a build up of uremic toxins in the blood and tissues of people with kidney failure, there is also a build up in the skin. In this case, the particular “offender” that used to be referred to was called urochrome, but it’s probably more complex than just one toxin.
When folks get transplants–or do daily or nocturnal dialysis and get a LOT more treatment–their skin color returns to normal. So, part of the problem is likely that standard in-center treatment is not removing enough toxins.[/QUOTE]
I knew a patient who did home hemo either 3 or 4x week for 4 hrs 45 min. txs… So that was 15-20 hrs a week. And her txs were done with top technique. ONe of the results was, her complexion returned to normal and became very pink/clear.
[quote=Dori Schatell;13640]Just as there is a build up of uremic toxins in the blood and tissues of people with kidney failure, there is also a build up in the skin. In this case, the particular “offender” that used to be referred to was called urochrome, but it’s probably more complex than just one toxin.
When folks get transplants–or do daily or nocturnal dialysis and get a LOT more treatment–their skin color returns to normal. So, part of the problem is likely that standard in-center treatment is not removing enough toxins.[/quote]
You just nailed it there! Here’s an example, before starting training for daily-short dialysis I arrived pale with no good looking skin color. Literally, I looked like a dead walking person!..
Now, that all changed, my skin changed to normal looking and even my eyes, so basicly, the in-center dialysis was noth doing its justice…
What do people mean about the eyes looking better…do you mean clearer as in redness gone?
People who do more frequent dialysis have much normal looking eyes than those who are in-center. The eyes looks alive, the whites looks whiter, the pupil looks more colorful…
What has been mentioned that is relevant is toxins. Toxins are bad. Your kidneys are your waste processing organ. They filter and they eliminate. When they do not work properly, they conatin the WASTE. Undertsanding the process of kidney filtration is no differnet than any other filtration system. Our kidneys are specificly designed to eliminate the waste and use the nutrients. What you see in the eyes and the skin is toxins. Whatever the toxin is,…does it really matter? You just want them out your body.Thats what kidneys do, they eliminate the bad stuff and keep the good.
Dialysis is the process of artificially (by artificially means) eliminating the toxins, but its not nearly as good as a real kidney. Your kidney works 24 hrs a day. You probabaly pee 4 to 8 times a day depending on your fluid intake (not to mention juicy foods like watermellon and peachesd). Dialysis only happens 2 to 6 hours every OTHer day. Not enough,.The process of dialysis is very basic. Its the last resort. Dialysis is an amazing process, yet it will never be what a kidney can be…its artificial.
On the BRIGHT SIDE… dialysis is a LIFE SAVER. Many lives are maintained through thre process of dialysis. People thrive. People live normal lives aside from 2-6 hours 3 times a day in an in center clinic. Life is truly your perception and mind set. I see the most strong, and those who choose to give up…
Never give up!!
In the “old days” Caucasian patients on dialysis had complexion that was pale, gray, or even yellow while dark skinned people said that their skin color darkened. Today we see that as patients get longer or more frequent dialysis which removes more toxins than 3 time a week standard dialysis and as we see anemia managed better, this helps people on dialysis look healthier. If your complexion has changed, you might ask your doctor or nurse what your labs show about your dialysis adequacy (Kt/V or URR) and anemia (Hemoglobin or Hematocrit).