New dialysis patient problems. Advice?

After years of dreading the day, my mother started dialysis last week. So far it has been horrible. They told her not to take her blood pressure medicine and her top number is going well over 200. Her cramping is so severe that she's sore all over. Today they took her off early because she couldn't stand the cramping from the chest down. She's losing only minimal weight--about 10 lbs from 6 treatments in 9 days. Her fistula arm has a bruise the size of two soft balls. Not to mention that she loses her voice at every treatment and doesn't get it back for about 6 hours. We just don't understand why she's suffering so much yet getting almost no results. Her doctor is great and she has been following the diet to the T. Her treatments last only 4 hours but her speed is 420 (we're not quite familiar with the terminology yet). Anyone have any advice or encouragement? She noramally really happy-go-lucky but the thought of living like this for the rest of her life is really bringing her down.





Thanks!New dialysis patient problems. Advice?
In terms of energy levels / general 'drained' ness, traditional 3-times-a-week hemodialysis in a center is the WORST possible option.





I would definately look into the more 'human friendly' methods of dialysis that can be done at home, especially peritoneal dialysis.





It requires a large time commitment and a lot more time spent 'hooked up', but the trade off, feeling better, being able to follow a less restrictive diet, ect, is VERY important and definately worth considering. New dialysis patient problems. Advice?
Your mother is on what the call In-Center Hemodialysis.





Peritoneal Dialysis show a higher survival rate than for hemodialysis. That is, peritoneal dialysis patients live longer than patients with Dialysis, bu about 15%.





This is because Home Peritoneal Dialysis, especially Automatic Peritoneal Dyalisys (APD), is done 7 days a week. Therefore the toxins are removed better and the patient stays healthier.





The advantagec to APD is that it is done at home, while you are sleeping. NO BLOOD is transferred.





The major disadvantge is that you have to have a cannula (I think that's what they call it) installed into your belly to hook up the ';cycler';. Also, you have to keep a LOT of supplies in the home.





And, since you have the ';cannula'; installed, there is a greater possibility of infection (peritonitis), a potentially deadly disease. This is usually easlily managed by proper hygenic techniques.