Hi
Is anyone having problems removing Toxins using home dialysis???
I am on a programme that does 6 cycles and 9 hours every day. I am using 4 bags a nite. 4.25/2.5/2.5/7.5 Also I have to have Hemodialysis once a week for 3.5hours.
Does anyone know the numbers for Creatine and Urea???
I might be playing devil’s advocate here, but Man, if you have to have a hemo treatment in addition to your PD, you might consider just switching to hemo. It doesn’t sound like PD is giving you enough dialysis - which is not an uncommon scenario. There are no problems removing whatever needs to be removed using daily home hemodialysis - either short daily or daily nocturnal. Short daily hemo would only be 2-3 hours a day, plus whatever setup time there would be with the system you used. I mean, what’s the point of remaining on PD if you need an additional hemo treatment anyway? Sometimes PD just doesn’t work well enough for some.
Pierre
Dag!!! Boo_Jason. I’ve never heard of one getting dialysis like that. Y ou poor thing, that must be very tiring and soak up your a lot of your time. I have to pray for you to get a good kidney that your body will except. I also pray that you get it yesterday, just kidding, but soon and very soon. My husband suffered terribly on hemo. The awful cramps, freezing and to much fluid being pulled off. PD has been better for him. At first he cycled all night with 3 bags 2-6000 and 1-3000 ml bags. (2.5)
Then it was founded that that wasn’t enough so he has two mannual exchanges during the day. 2500ml 2.5. 1 at 10 am and 1 at 3pm. Now I thought he was using a lot, but God!, you take the cake. I feel that my husband is truely blessed in comparison. The only problem he has though, is this, he absorbs the dextrose and it kicks his sugar level through the roof. So now he takes 3 types of insulin plus diabetic pills. By God I hope that you are close to get a kidney! I hoped for my husband too, but his records were lost , therefore he isn’t even on the list yet. 
As Pierre said, sometimes the peritoneal membrane just isn’t working well enough for someone to get adequate much less optimal dialysis, especially as someone’s kidney function declines. At some point one needs to weigh out whether the “freedom” of PD is lessened by having to do one or two exchanges during the day or one HD treatment during the week plus dialysis overnight. My bet is that both of you would do better and feel better with hemodialysis.
Satin, all patients on hemodialysis do not have the symptoms that you reported, especially if they’re doing nocturnal or daily hemodialysis. Doing HD at home gives people similar flexibility and freedom that PD offers and even fewer dietary restrictions than people have on PD. Plus it might make control of blood sugar easier for your husband.
So far as your husband’s records being lost, that doesn’t sound right to me. If he’d made it through the entire evaluation process and the records were sent to UNOS, it seems like someone could advocate for UNOS to do whatever is necessary to fix it so it was as if his records had arrived. Are you sure that he completed all steps of the evaluation? Are you sure that the transplant program did what they needed to do to get him into the UNOS system? Is the clinic drawing blood on your husband every month to send to the organ procurement organization for the matching process? The easiest way to know if you’re on the list is the blood draw. If it’s not happening, I’d suggest that your husband find out from his doctor whether he is on “hold” and, if so, why.
Hi all,
I have been on PD for four and a half years. I have been diabetic for 35 years and am on an insulin pump.
I have found that if you calculate the dialysis fluid dextrose by 50, divide by 65% which is absorbed then divide by the amount of insulin you have to use to lower your sugar you will come up with the amount of units to put into the bags of fluid which will regulate your sugar.
ie: 2.5 solution times 50 = 125. 125 times 65% = 81.25 divided by 60 (the amount 1 unit of insulin drops my sugar level) = 1.35 units of insulin every hour the fluid is in me.
You would have to check with your doctor first to make sure this calculation will work for you but my blood sugars are always around 75 - 80. my a1c is at 5.9.
Chris
christopermichal@aol.com
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for your very informative post. “Pumpers” tend to be the most knowledgeable people with diabetes. Your info on dialysate dextrose and insulin could be REALLY helpful to other folks who do PD with diabetes. I wonder if you might be willing to re-post it in a new thread about PD and diabetes to make it easier to find down the road?
Hi Don,
Yes I would be interested in posting this information in a new area but I don’t know how to start the process.
Can you asssist me with this?
Thanks, Chris
Hi Chris!
All you have to do is go to the main PD Patient message board page (http://forums.homedialysis.org/forumdisplay.php?f=8). Right on top of the “Threads in Forum” there is a button you can click for “New Thread.” :-). Please title it something like “Diabetes, Insulin Pumps, and PD” so we can all easily find it again.
I’ve already shared your formula with someone else who just started PD and uses an insulin pump. Her PD nurse was wanting her to switch to injections, but now maybe she won’t have to do that.
Thanks Don,
The new thread has been started.
I believe I spoke to the person you are refering to via email and I was shocked to see that the nurse wanted her to give up the insulin pump!
It is such a valuable tool for anyone who has to take insulin that it would be taking a step backwards in the fight to control their daily life.
Chris
Don! I still haven’t convinced the nurse to let me keep my pump. she seems to think if I go on the cycler my sugars will go too low while I am asleep. virtsma