Wait, Weight, What?

I don't know about you, but my weight can be a little bit fickle. Every spring I seem to drop a few pounds and every fall I seem to gain them back. In between the fall and spring I can fluctuate as well but usually in smaller increments. That was of course my M.O. prior to end stage renal disease and dialysis.

Those patterns continue now that I'm on dialysis, but now I also have to contend with my day to day weight changes. On dialysis its all about weight. We start with what we presume is our "dry weight", which is the weight we would theoretically be if our kidneys were working normally. As an example my current dry weight is considered 87Kg, or approx. 192 Lbs. Most days when I show up for dialysis lately my weight is between 88.5 and 89.5 Kg (195 - 197 Lbs). So I typically have to pull 2Kgs of fluid/toxins off during my treatments.

But sometime in September or October my weight will drift up to be about 89 or 90 Kgs. I don't usually notice the increase, but suddenly as the scale at dialysis reveals my weight as 90.5-91.5 Kgs it looks like we need to pull 3-5Kgs (7 - 11 Lbs). And as we attempt to get those fluids off of me we drop below my actual dry weight and I start cramping up during the treatment and have even passed out on a few occasions.

On the other hand the same thing could happen on any given weekend. Where I don't dialyze Saturdays and Sundays as a general rule, if I consume too many fluids over any weekend I can also gain a few extra pounds and then I really do need to get that extra fluid weight off of me.

Eventually spring comes back around and my weight drops again. And this is where I really get into trouble. As my weight drops it appears to me that I need to have less fluid pulled off, and not wanting to pass out I shoot for less... say 1Kg instead of 2Kgs. Well this leaves an extra Kg just hanging out in my body which finds its way into my lungs as I try to sleep at night and wakes me with coughing and shortness of breath. If this happens on a Friday night treatment and then I have one of those weekends where I consume a little too much fluid, I can find myself at the E.R. on a Sunday looking for an extra treatment, which can take 10-18 hours to arrange, while all I can do is wait.

All this talk about weight... I can't wait to get a transplant so I can stop constantly thinking about my weight.

My name is Bil... And I have kidney disease.