You may be living with one kidney and not even know it. Being born with just one kidney isn’t common, but it does occur in about 1 in 1000 people, according to the. Other nutritionists agreed with the assessment that you shouldn’t adopt a gluten free diet if you don’t have to. Natural Kidney and Wellness Advice. That Works. I would like to introduce to you to registered nurse, Lynda Lampert. I’ve invited Lynda to share some of her experiences and knowledge as a nurse in a busy city hospital for today’s article on all things . I’ve never accepted a guest post on this blog before, but when I have access to someone who has been in the “trenches” of a busy hospital, working with dialysis patients, and can present this information in a way that can help those in the kidneycoach community. I am currently working on an query for a national magazine and interviewing experts, such as doctors and patients. I enjoy researching health, supplements, diet, fitness, and other medical related topics.”And so I welcome the first of hopefully many guest posts by Lynda, to help give fresh insights into kidney disease in the hope to better your health and living. Take it away Lynda! Your doctor looks at you kindly, but you can sense a hesitation in his eyes. You get the foreboding feeling that what he has to say next is not going to be something you want to hear. You have kidney failure. In fact, your kidneys are not working very much at all. I can tell you that I have treated many patients who have come to me with the same dire warning from their doctor. It isn’t the end of the world, however. It means that you need to start dialysis. B Blood Type Diet Livestrong Wristbands For Sale
Dialysis is likely a dirty word to anyone who has ever had problems with their kidneys. You think, “If only I could avoid dialysis.” It is true that it is a complex, sometimes intrusive procedure, but it can actually save your life. You shouldn’t think of dialysis as something to be feared. Of course, it would be great if you could preserve your kidney function. Rather, you need a thorough understanding of what dialysis is and how it will affect your life. What is Dialysis? Now, let’s imagine here for a moment that your kidney is not working at all. I mean, it does so many useful things for your body: filtering wastes, controlling electrolytes, and balancing the water in your body. When you have failing kidneys, all these processes go haywire. Simple: find something to take the place of the kidneys that can no longer do their job. One way – the obvious way, I suppose – is to simply put in another flesh and blood kidney to do the work. This is a great solution, but honestly, there just aren’t enough kidneys to go around. In this modern age, to save lives that would otherwise be lost to complete kidney failure, someone invented a machine to do the exact same things that the anatomical kidneys do. Great age we live in, huh? The dialysis machine. Even now, these machines are becoming so sophisticated that they have home hemodialysis machines. If you have kidney failure, you are in luck with these treatments around to help you. Indications for Dialysis. You may wonder just what your doctor saw in your history to indicate that you need dialysis. Indications for dialysis are usually when your kidneys are at the end of their working life. You have reached a point called “end stage” kidney disease, which means that the organs are functioning at only 1. Your doctor determines this mostly by lab work, such as. Too much potassium can lead to deadly heart rhythm disorders, and a high blood pressure can result in stroke, in addition to weakening the heart muscle. Types of Dialysis. The two most common types of dialysis are hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. However, home hemodialysis is now becoming an option with the advent of smaller, less expensive hemodialysis machines. For most patients, though, you will have to go to a hospital or hemodialysis center two to three times per week to remove fluid and filter your blood. If you miss your appointment for dialysis, it can cause a dangerous build- up of wastes and fluid. Hemodialysis is the most common of all types of dialysis. It generally takes three to five hours because the entire volume of your blood is run through the machine. Peritoneal dialysis is another type of dialysis that is often used, and it is much more convenient than hemodialysis. You can actually perform peritoneal dialysis at home without the need for a dialysis center. It involves a catheter placed in your abdomen, and you essentially put the dialysis material into your body through this portal. The dialysate dwells in your body, exchanging fluids and wastes by osmosis, and then you drain the fluid out. Many more people are opting for peritoneal dialysis now that many of the peritoneal dialysis side effects have been addressed. How Hemodialysis Works. Hemodialysis is a complex procedure, and it really is a wonder of modern medicine. Using an access port somewhere on the body, two needles are inserted to access the blood stream. One needle is the outflow needle, and the second needle returns the blood to the body in the hemodialysis procedure. The hemodialysis machine takes small amounts of your blood out from this access port, and it brings the blood into the machine. Once the blood is in the machine, it runs through a series of tubes and filters to change the electrolyte balance in your body, remove waste, and take off some fluids. The blood passes through an apparatus known as a dialyzer, and this cartridge holds the dialysis solution, or dialysate. It is this solution that pulls the wastes and electrolytes from your body. It does this by the force of osmosis. Basically, this means that the concentration of the chemicals in the dialyzer is lower than the concentration in the blood. That difference causes the chemicals in your blood to move across a membrane with holes in it, and the dialysate catches the particles and holds them. The blood is then returned safely to your body through the return port. The machine removes blood and fluid very slowly to ensure that your blood pressure does not drop too low and you pass out. Hemodialysis Side Effects. Hemodialysis side effects can be separated into two categories: short- term and long- term. In the short- term, the most common side effect is low blood pressure. When the machine pulls water out of your blood, your veins and arteries don’t have time to accommodate the drop in fluid. This causes you to have a “big container,” or your blood stream, and not enough fluid to fill it. Usually, your blood pressure will stabilize later in the day after dialysis, but it can be quite uncomfortable, inconvenient, and scary for some. Other short- term dialysis side effects include. You might have cramps and electrolyte imbalances if the machine pulls off too much sodium or potassium. These can lead to irregular heartbeat, dehydration, and heart palpitations. On the whole, most people feel better after a dialysis run. Long- term dialysis side effects include anemia, or a drop in the hemoglobin that carries oxygen to your cells. This is because the red blood cells get damaged from passing through the machine and are no longer usable. You might need a shot to help with anemia, iron transfusions, or even blood products. Other long- term dialysis side effects include. A few different ways exist to accomplish this task. One of the most popular is the arterio- venous fistula, or AV fistula. This is a vein in your arm that is surgically joined to an artery. It causes a rounded nub in your arm, usually at the bend of the elbow, which feels like a cat purring from the rush of arterial blood past it. AV fistulas are great because with just two needles, the dialysis nurse can quickly and easily establish access and perform dialysis. The problems with AV fistula are that they have to be surgically created, and sometimes they clot off and stop working. This can be very frustrating for dialysis patients because they have to resort to other methods to establish access. Another way to gain access to the bloodstream is through an internal jugular vein catheter. This is a port that is placed just under your collarbone and has two floppy access ports protruding from it. Again, clotting of this catheter can happen, but it is not as common as with AV fistulas. With a dialysis catheter, you just get a new one placed. Unfortunately, these catheters are prone to infections that can lead to sepsis, or blood infection. This is a life threatening situation, and all precautions must be taken to avoid it. That is why the preferred method is the AV fistula. Tips for Hemodialysis. If you are getting hemodialysis or want to know how to get through it a little easier, you should keep a few things in mind. You don’t want to eat foods that contain a great deal of potassium, such as bananas, oranges, and potatoes, because this only makes the levels of potassium higher in your blood. This can lead to you feeling sick, but it can also increase your risk for heart irregularities. To raise your blood pressure post- dialysis, you could drink more water to add volume to your veins, but many kidney patients are on a fluid restriction. You should only do this if your doctor is okay with you drinking more water than your allowance. For problems with low blood pressure, change positions carefully. Sit up from a lying position then dangle your feet off the side of the bed for a few minutes. Stand up slowly and hold on to something stable. This should keep you from passing out. When you have an AV fistula or access port, you have to take precautions to keep those access sites viable for dialysis. Without them, you would have no way to receive your life- sustaining treatment. With AV fistulas, make sure that you don’t allow anyone to take a blood pressure or draw blood from the arm that has the fistula. This can interfere with the blood flow and possibly lead to a clot. Also, don’t wear tight sleeves, tight jewelry, or anything restrictive on your fistula arm. With an access port, you should make sure that you and your caretakers wear a mask and gloves when accessing your port to prevent the spread of infection. Protecting your port from infection could save your life. How Peritoneal Dialysis Works. Peritoneal dialysis is a whole different system.
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