On dialysis and losing weight - what can I do?

nibsy64

Hi glad to be accepted to your group

Ami2301

Hi @nibsy64 welcome to the community!

Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?

nibsy64

I am disabled with dialysis and high risk of falls. I have broken ribs 3 times falling and balance is poor. I am also diabetic and really struggling at the moment.  I also have no appetite and have lost over 15% of my body weight in 2 months. I am now at a loss on how to stop this. 

Ami2301

I am so sorry to hear this, haven't you spoken to your GP?

nibsy64

Yes but because of dialysis they are reluctant to prescribe anything ☹

ofme

Maybe talk the your Nephrologist and the nursing staff when you next go for your dialysis appointment. I hope you feel better soon x

Ami2301

Have you experienced this before @nibsy64?

Sam_Alumni

Welcome to the community @nibsy64
This sounds worrying, do you have any specialist nurses attached to your care you could speak to?

Markmywords

Hello @nibsy64 .

Perhaps you can get referred to a nutritionist at the hospital?

Failing that, could you get drinks down? You could try a high-energy body-building supplement along with a nutritional supplement to replace the missing food. If you get free/reduced prescription charges then that might be an option.

vysvader

L-carnitine isn't only the most effective fat-burning amino-acid but it's also used in a treatment of kidneys and it has been often supplemented patients with dialysis. For more reasons (e.g. it helps to clean/protect kidneys), it's helpful in more kinds of kidney diseases, not only in the phase of a dialysis. 

P.s. to the above-mentioned spammy comment about the drinks: You're supersensitive on nitroxide derivatives (metabolites of protein drinks) and high dosages of minerals such as iron or calcium, i.e. the drinks are gonna destroy your kidneys. The drinks are 80% saccharides and molecularly simpler sugar (4/5 of the content is just an overpriced sugar while there's a minimal chemical difference between molecules of longer chains of saccharides which later in the blood break down on simple sugar molecules). The only reason why a few (rather the new) bodybuilders drink it is an increased insulin intake and lowered cortisol levels. The insulin doesn't help only fat cells, but also muscle cells. Insulin improves the proteins intake from the blood into muscle cells (not only sugar intake into cells). However, it increases your weight in general (you gain a lot of a fat) and also water retention. The insulin is advantageous for bodybuilders, but you're not a bodybuilder (you want the opposite). None who's serious can say it's a good idea to advise you a cup full of a sugar to lose your weight or threat your kidneys.

Best regards

KirstenNutritionAdvisor

Hello, its important that you eat ignored to nourish your body despite your lack of appetite, which sounds like a contradiction.

Small little meals consisting of protein and carbohydrates will help you balance your blood sugar levels are you are type 2 diabetic?

an example of this would be 

apple and a few nuts 
banana and a yogurt 
carrots and humus 
oats and a yogurt 

beans on toast
egg on toast 
cheese on toast 

tuna pasta, 
chicken with rice 

it would be really helpful if i knew more about what your current daily diet looks like so i can advice on the best changes for you to make personally.

Things like having whole milk, adding pesto to sauces making sure you are adding in healthy fats like avocado, hummus and other high energy foods will ensure you are nourishing yourself and keeping your bodies energy balances. please get back to me with your current diet so i can advice you more thoroughly xx

vysvader

KirstenNutritionAdvisor

Nice to see you advising her : ) Surely, she's receiving a treatment for kidneys (diabetes? Just maybe because it's common to see it together. But she said about kidneys, not diabetes). I hope it helped when I said what she's getting treatment for : )

Since she's on dialysis, she has prescripted a low protein diet, her physician prohibited her too many proteins and absolutely any from beans, soy, and piece because, in the ratio of amino acids, it contains too many phenylalanine and many other unusable amino-acids breaking down (in the blood, not in the liver) those chemically react as a precursor resulting in newly created chemicals pretty hostile to kidneys; iron-rich leafs such as spinach; etc. 

Best regards

vysvader

Just to add some ideas, here are some low-protein recipes from kidney.org : )