Page 1 of 1

Pins and needles post dialysis

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:28 pm
by Daisy4246
Does anyone experience pins and needles in the legs and hands after dialysis which disrupts sleep quite considerably.
Any information about this would be very appreciated.

Re: Pins and needles post dialysis

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 2:26 pm
by wagolynn
Hi Daisy4246,

Things to do to minimise pins & needles/cramp -

Whilst dialysing, get your feet on about the same level or slightly above, your bum, maintain this from start to finish. *

Flex muscles in your legs, feet, hands and arms, to keep circulation going.
Exercise, arms, and legs, before going to bed.

For cramp - drink tonic water, this has quinine in it which is good for cramp, some medics recommend vitamin E, see your GP.

* This is based on the idea that circulation in legs almost stops when sitting in the usual legs down position.

And, dialysis can only remove excess fluid from our blood but the excess fluid that accumulates in our bodies is outside the circulatory system, it is extracellular, to give its medical title.

When on dialysis, what we want is this excess fluid, and of course as much of the waste products (Urea etc.) as possible removed.

So we need the extracellular fluid to move back into the blood stream, which involves the fluid moving back into the capillaries, from there back into the main circulation, on average it can do this at about 0.6 litres per hour.

But in a sitting position, the blood flow through the legs is stopped or is very very slow, making this fluid unavailable for removal, with legs up, all that area of capillaries in the legs) can join in helping the fluid to return to the main flow.

The end result is, our blood will not be quite so dehydrated at the end of a dialysis session, therefore not as thick, and more easy to circulate so we should be less likely to have pins & needles etc.

It would be helpful if you could let us know how you get on...

Re: Pins and needles post dialysis

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:02 pm
by Daisy4246
Thank you for your tips, (you are very clever)and l will try it next time and report back.