So tired I can barely type: Brain fog?

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wagolynn
Posts: 1362
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:49 pm

Re: So tired I can barely type: Brain fog?

Post by wagolynn »

This is a 'common side effect of haemodialysis' if too much water is taken off too fast.

Much of the water to be removed is extracellular (outside the cells), this is the water that causes ankles to swell etc.
Haemodialysis takes water (and waste products) from the blood, any extracellular water removed has to find it's way back into the blood stream.
In the average patient the water can return at the rate 0.6l per hour, which means, to avoid drastically reducing the blood volume *, water should not be taken off at a higher rate then 0.6l/h or say 2.4l in 4hours 1.8 in 3hours etc.

Water removal can be helped by having ones feet higher then your bum rather than sitting with the feet down.
When sitting, with feet down, the blood flow down/up the legs virtually stops, putting the feet up allows full flow into the legs creating extra area for the water return process to proceed.

* If blood volume is reduced too far, the patient will feel drowsy/dizzy eventually they will black out (simply, there is not enough blood for the heart to pump, and what blood there is will be very thick). The remedy is to lay them flat, enabling some blood to get to the brain, and give the patient a drink, some units give salty water others give plain water.

Warning, I am not a medical practitioner, just a patient who shows interest.
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