| Author | Subject: Re: Welcome New Bulletin Board Members |
| Beth Witten | Posted At 16:25:00 02/01/2002 Judie Dell-Alba asked about her friend's leg cramps. As a nephrology social worker with 20+ years of experience, I have known patients who experienced cramps during or after dialysis. Newer machinery and sodium modeling (settings that can be done on newer machines) has reduced this symptom a lot. If your friend hasn't told the dialysis staff and/or her doctor about her leg cramps after dialysis, she should do so. Cramps may be due to drinking too much and trying to take off more than dialysis is intended to take off OR taking off more than should be taken off and trying to get weight below the assumed dry weight. Your friend should do the best she can to stick as closely as possible to the fluid restriction her doctor and dietitian prescribed. Many people find that it helps to avoid salt (or foods with hidden salt), to watch blood sugar (if a diabetic), and to measure the amount of fluid allowed daily into a container and either drink from the container or pour off the amount of other fluid drunk. Foods that are liquid at room temperature (soup, Jell-O, ice, frozen desserts, etc.) should be considered in the amount of fluid taken in. This way it's easy to track what you've drunk and what you have left for the day. It also helps to weigh daily on a reliable scale wearing the same clothing (or nude) so you can see how much you've gained. Most of the weight gained will be related to fluid. You can find tips you can share with your friend on ways to control fluids on the Showcase for People on Dialysis at http://www.lifeoptions.org/patient/showcase/index.shtml Your friend should also report to the nurses if she has changes in her appetite that have either led her to eat better OR to eat less. She should also report if she has been vomiting or to having diarrhea. Any of these situations could affect her "dry weight." If the nurses know about her cramps, how well she's eating and/or what's happening with her bowels can help them adjust her dry weight up or down as needed. Hopefully between watching the fluid and being more knowledgeable about her dry weight, the cramps will be less or will go entirely away. If not, perhaps her doctor can suggest a medication for cramps. Whatever she does, she should not take any medication (prescribed or over the counter) or herbal supplement without consulting her physician. |