What Are the Side Effects of Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis, secondary to hemodialysis, is another common dialysis. If you are using peritoneal dialysis, you may suffer from some side effects. To deal with the side effects of peritoneal dialysis is able to improve your overall healthy and life quality.

Peritoneal dialysis uses peritoneal membrane as a filter to clear wastes and extra fluid from your body and to return electrolyte levels to normal. Unlike in-center hemodialysis, you do not need to travel to a dialysiscenter for your treatment. Instead, after being trained at a dialysis center, you will do your treatment at home on your own schedule. Peritoneal dialysis can often be done at night, while you are sleeping.

What are the side effects of peritoneal dialysis?
◆ Lowering your red blood count and causing anemia
◆ Muscle cramps
◆ Nausea, vomiting
◆ Headaches
◆ Feeling hot, sweaty, weak, and/or dizzy
◆ Infection of the abdominal cavity
◆ Inflammation of the heart sac ( pericarditis )
◆ Neurologic problems

Disruption of calcium and phosphorus balance, resulting in weakened bones
Special precautions need to be taken against infection. Washing hands before and after handling the catheter and using a local antibiotic cream reduces the risk of infections. Wearing a face mask will prevent germs from the nose and mouth from having contact with the catheter. The skin surrounding the catheter should be inspected daily for any signs of infection. There are also activities that may increase chances of infection, such as swimming or soaking in a tub. The health care team will provide information about how to avoid infection around the catheter and in the body.

Many people choose peritoneal dialysis because it fits well into their lifestyles and provides more control over their treatment program. Because it provides continuous therapy, it is more like your natural kidneys. PD is highly effective when the treatment schedule is followed along with other recommendations from the doctor and health care team regarding diet and medicines.
If you are suffering from one or more side effects of peritoneal dialysis, you should take treatment immediately.

When Should Patients with CKD Begin Dialysis

You don’t need dialysis or kidney transplant when you are in early stage of Chronic Kidney Disease/. However, if large of kidney function loses, “when should patients with CKD begin dialysis” must be one of your biggest concerns.
Generally, the patients have to start dialysis when your kidney function drops to 15% or less, their creatinine level is higher than 5.0mg/dl, or they have some severe complications such as shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting.
Most people (about 93% of those who apply) qualify for Medicare when they need dialysis or a transplant, even if they are under age 65. Medicare pays for 80% of treatment costs of kidney disease when kidney function has dropped to 10 – 15%.
If you are not having symptoms, you may be able to wait a bit longer before you begin dialysis. However, some doctors believe that starting dialysis as soon as Medicare or insurance covers it is wise, since it can take a long time to recover if you let yourself get very ill. Since chronic kidney failure often happens slowly, sometimes people do not even know how bad they feel, until they start dialysis and begin to feel much better.
It is important to start getting ready for dialysis or a transplant well in advance — when your kidney disease reaches Stage 4. Learning about the types of dialysis will help you make a choice that is best for you.
If you have acute kidney failure, you may need dialysis for only a few days or weeks while your kidneys recover. If your kidneys are too badly damaged to recover their function, then you will need long-term dialysis or a kidney transplant to live.
I believe you have an overall understanding of “when should patients with CKD begin dialysis”. If you haven’t begun dialysis, some treatments can help you avoid or at least delay dialysis. Any other questions can be asked, feel free to email me at zsn122800y@gmail.com.

Is Orange Juice Good for People with Chronic Kidney Disease

Whether you are just diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease or you have suffered from this disease, healthy diet is always an important part in the whole treatment. Is orange juice good for people with Chronic Kidney Disease? This is decided by the nutrition in orange juice.
Prevention of Cancer
Oranges contain high amounts of vitamin C. Improving your health with an increased intake of oranges containing vitamin C as an antioxidant decreases your risk of cancer. The American Cancer society states that increasing your intake of vitamin C helps prevent cancers of the respiratory tract.
Vitamins and Minerals
Oranges also contain vitamins A and B. Other valuable nutrients include folic acid, chlorine, iron, zinc, phosphorus, iodine, manganese, potassium, pectin, amino acids and calcium. All of these nutrients boost your immune system and protect your health.
Liminoid
Eating an orange daily helps in the protection against many forms of cancer. A compound chemical found in oranges named "liminoid" is believed to stop the formation of cancers in the mouth, colon, stomach, lung, breast and skin.
Repairing Sperm
The vitamin C in an orange protects a man’s sperm from being genetically damaged. Vitamin C also helps rebuild and repair sperm. One orange daily provides enough anti-oxidant to keep a man’s sperm healthy. Healthy sperm in a man will help in the prevention of birth defects.
Help prevent complications
Oranges prevent formation or kidney stones.Oranges contain flavonoids. These help in lowering high blood pressure.
From the above, we can get an overall understanding of the answer of the question “is orange juice good for people with Chronic Kidney Disease”. Drinking moderate amount of orange juice is good for your health.

What Are the Side Effects of Dialysis

Dialysis and kidney transplant are treatment options for end-stage kidney disease. It's important to remember that without dialysis, many patients' only hope is a kidney transplant. Knowing the side effects of dialysis is very important to improve patients’ life quality.
Infection
One of the most common side effects of dialysis is infection. Dialysis involves the placement of tubes within the body to allow for the drainage and filtration of excess fluids and waste. Typically, patients need to have dialysis treatments performed three to seven times each week, and each treatment can last anywhere from 3 to 10 hours. The frequency of dialysis treatments further increases your risk of developing an infection. Side effects of infection can include fever, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting or body aches.
Bleeding from the Access Point
As dialysis is an invasive technique, the area surrounding the access point can be damaged and bleeding can occur. You should see your doctor if this occurs.
Hypotension
Dialysis patients are at risk of a sudden drop in blood pressure (hypotension), due to the stress the cardiovascular system is under from regular hemodialysis. However this can be controlled by medication.
Cramps, Nausea and Headaches
These flu-like symptons are sometimes experienced by hemodialysis patients. The water quality in the dialyzer, the composition of the dialyser itself, the dialysate composition, and the rate of filteration can all cause problems, which can be reduced by adjusting the dialysis perscription. However, do remember that these are also symptoms of peritonitis.
Itchy Skin
Patients undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis can develop dry, itchy skin as a side effect of treatment. Itchy skin can occur due to the presence of toxins within the blood that dialysis cannot completely remove from your body.
Electrolyte Imbalance
This will almost certainly be detected via the normal blood tests conducted on dialysis patients. There are a variety of vital electrolytes in the blood that control a number of bodily process and this is too general an area for discussion here.
Anemia
The red blood cell volume in dialysis patients (especially hemodialysis patients) is often lower then normal. This is due to reduced levels of the hormone erythropoietin, which is produced by the kidneys and regulates red blood cell production. Medication to treat the anemia is commonly used by dialysis patients.
There are many other side effects of dialysis. If you are suffering from one or more side effects, accepting relative treatment is very important. If you still have some queries, you can send email to zsn122800y@gmail.com.

A Dietary Treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease

Whether which stage Chronic Kidney Disease you are, a dietary treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease plays an important role in your whole treatment. Today, we are here to give you an overall understanding of this healthy diet.
Potassium
Around 90% of the potassium consumed through our diet is removed by the kidney. The normal level of potassium intake is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L so anything higher than that must be avoided. But in the patients having stage 5 CKD, it becomes difficult to remove the potassium from the body as kidney loses its functions altogether. So, controlling potassium is very important.
Sodium
Kidney diseases and salt are almost synonymous. Higher the salt intake, higher the risk of the CKD, high blood pressure and heart disease. Hence a large amount of sodium intake must be restricted.
Protein
The limit on protein intake is 0.75g per kilogram of one's total body weight, except for those suffering from hemodialysis. One must consume enough protein to keep oneself healthy but not in excess. Mainly meat, fish and dairy products are the sources of protein. Edibles such as eggs, beef, cheese, bran breads, nuts and vegetable also contain a high amount of protein.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus consumption for normal people as well as for people with CKD non-dialysis is 2.7 to 4.6 mg/dL. For CKD dialysis patients the target range is 3.5 to 5.5 mg/dL. Poor maintenance of phosphorus can lead to not only total kidney failure but also to bone diseases and heart troubles. Dairy products, nuts and beans (the main sources of phosphorus) and drinks and beverages like cocoa, cold drinks and beer must be avoided.
Fluids
Consumption of fluids is essential for normal people but for a patient of CKD, fluid intake must be watched. More than 48 fl oz (1.4 L) of fluids a day must be avoided. What are fluids? Edible things that are liquid at room temperature are known as fluids. e. g. soups, ice creams, Jell-O, etc. Over-consumption of such fluids can increase the level of phosphorus. Some fruits like apples, orange, grapes and vegetables like lettuce also contain a lot of water. So, avoid such fruits.
As a patient with chronic kidney disease, your recommended diet may change over time, depending on how much kidney function you have.