I’ve been doing HHD for about 3 weeks, and I still don’t understand the process for setting my ultrafiltration removal yet. Does anybody have a step by step answer for me. If I am trying to remove 2Liters to reach my dry weight. Step 1 -?
Step 2 -?
Step 3 - ?
I am tired of being on the machine for 5 hours, when my treatment should only be 2 - 21/2 hours. HELP
Hi Yvonne, and welcome. If you are on Facebook, you will find that our Home Dialysis Central discussion group has almost 4,600 members, many of whom use NxStage for HHD and can walk you through the steps. In the meantime, I will tell you that removing 1L per hour sounds like a lot–certainly a maximum. Removing water gently helps your heart and all of your other organs to adapt to treatment better. How much water you remove is one question (and this can take some time to sort out. Do you still make a fair amount of urine? That’s an important factor). The other is how quickly you remove it. For this, we’ve built a calculator that can help you to see, for a given treatment, whether you are in the safe, green zone, vs. the yellow or red, where you risk harm. You can find that here: https://www.homedialysis.org/ufr-calculator.
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I have been on Dialysis since Feb 2013 both PD and Hemo. I started Home Hemo in march of this year. I have watched my fluid intake closely not wanting to take off too much. Because of my membrane they had to take off too much fluid to get the contaminants so I went back on Hemo. In center I was on for 4 hours 3 days a week. On the days where I only had one day off I would typically take off around 1-1.5L to maintain my dry weight. On the treatments after the 2 day break, I would be close to 3L of ultrafiltration.
Now that I am on Home hemo I dialyse 5 times a week with monday and friday with no treatment. Most of treatments take off less than 1L I have found that the Ultrafiltration volume is as calculated by the NxStage cycler. The rate, since I am only connected for 2+ hours, I set my rate to be slightly above 50% of the volume to be removed. (My cycler program takes into account rinseback) If I have less than .8L to remove, I will set the rate at .7 L/H. If I have no UF to remove, I set the Volume at:0" and the rate at .3 L/H. I am rarely more than .2l from my dry weight. I was taught that a volume and rate setting had to be greater than .3 L/H .3L of ultrafiltration.
you will not believe how much better you will feel with the many short treatments on home Hemo
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