As a dialysis patient, you can’t drink a normal amount of water. The reason? Because your body starts to build up fluid which leads to severe complications. However, you can prevent this fluid overload by following some strategies. This article teaches how to maintain fluid balance in the body. If you want to know more about bladder health, visit us at Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center and consult with the best nephrologists and urologists in East New York.
What is the fluid balance?
Fluid balance is the right amount of fluids that you’re drinking every day. More than half of the body is made of water and what you drink throughout the day in the form of tea, juice, beer, etc. is water. People who have healthy kidneys can hold the same level of water in their bodies as they get rid of fluid in their urine. A smaller amount also gets removed through sweat and in your stools.
Managing your fluid intake is essential for dialysis patients because kidneys are responsible for removing extra fluid. When kidneys fail, they can no longer do this. Dialysis can only help with some fluid removal, so you need to drink less fluids to prevent fluid overload.
Fluid overload happens when you drink too much water that stays inside your body. If you don’t manage your fluid intake, it can lead to severe complications. So, you need to ensure you don’t drink too much water. However, in situations, like hot days when you sweat more than usual or pass urine on dialysis, you can drink fluids more than normal. You may need to drink more fluids on hot days as you sweat more than normal. Some patients on dialysis also pass some urine which means they can drink a little bit more.
If you gain excessive weight between dialysis sessions, you need to cut down your salt and water intake. Controlling sodium intake can help you prevent big fluid gains, cramping, and low blood pressure. Fluid not only comes from obvious sources but also from food with a high-water content such as soups, gravy, nutritional drinks, ice cream, custard, and ice cubes. Keep in mind that if you drink less water and sweat a lot, too little water in the body can decrease your blood pressure and make you feel weak and dizzy when you stand.
Signs and symptoms of fluid overload
Fluid overload can cause many symptoms, including:
• Swelling: You can notice swelling in your feet, ankles, wrists, and face when there is too much fluid in your body. This type of swelling is called edema.
• Discomfort: Experiencing headache, cramping, and abdominal bloating that makes you uncomfortable.
• High blood pressure: Excess fluid in the bloodstream can make it difficult for your body to maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Shortness of breath: When extra fluid in your body enters the lungs, it makes breathing difficult.
• Heart problems: The extra fluid in the body can also affect your heart rate, and heart muscles, and may increase heart size.
Prevention
There are several strategies you can use to prevent fluid overload:
1. Be aware of your fluid intake:
Your doctor, renal nurse, or dietitian will tell you how much fluid you can drink to prevent fluid overload. Patients who are on hemodialysis can drink two pints per day and patients on peritoneal dialysis can drink up to 3 pints per day. On hot days they can increase their intake a little more. Over time on dialysis, you can notice a decrease in urine production which enhances your restriction on your fluid intake.
Limiting your water intake can be difficult, so you should look for different ways to help you manage your water intake. It can include:
• Drinking water in small cups.
• Frequently rinsing your mouth.
• Sucking on sugar-free candy, ice chips, or frozen grapes.
• Freezing your favorite drink in small bottles to drink from it as the ice melts.
2. Manage your sodium:
Sodium is available in the form of salt, and consuming too much salt increases your thirst and increases water retention in the body. It also makes it difficult for dialysis to remove fluid from the body. So, you should limit salt consumption in your diet to prevent the chances of fluid overload. To replace salt, you can use spices and herbs in your cooking to make it tasty and healthy.
3. Be aware of your weight:
You need to know your base weight because when you gain a few pounds quickly it means you gain water weight. That’s why you should check your weight regularly and if your weight is more, you need to drink less to manage it. If you’re not sure about it, you can consult with your renal nurse, doctor, or dietitian.
4. Keep yourself cool on warm days:
Use a fan that produces humidified air to lower rapid fluid loss due to sweating. Wear loose clothes to reduce sweating.
5. Adjust your dialysis:
If the fluid overload is a major concern or issue or you’re not able to handle simple adjustments, you should talk with your healthcare team to make some adjustments in your dialysis treatment. Usually, longer, and more frequent dialysis treatments can be used to remove extra fluid.
Fluid balance and dialysis disequilibrium are closely linked with each other because when your body is not able to maintain fluid balance it leads to severe complications in the body, leading to dialysis disequilibrium. That’s why it’s essential to manage fluid balance in the body by drinking water in the targeted range your renal doctor or healthcare team has recommended. Follow the above-mentioned tips to manage your fluid overload and keep yourself healthy.
If you need help with fluid overload or kidney problems, visit our urology clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!
Going through dialysis is never easy. And having your family with you is an important part of your healing journey. So, if you have symptoms of losing kidney functions, talk to your medical provider immediately. Never take any symptoms of kidney problems for granted. It is better to have it checked early on, before it progresses. Doral Health & Wellness provides in-center hemodialysis that is managed by our highly trained medical team. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://doralhw.org/solution/dialysis/.