Fluid Balance
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Peritoneal Dialysis Unit
Fluid Balance – When You Are Too Wet or Too Dry
In order to get the best results from Peritoneal Dialysis, it is very important
to keep the amount of fluid in your body balanced. When fluid is balanced,
you are at your ideal body weight. Your doctor determines your ideal body
weight based on:
your blood pressure
how well you feel
clear lungs, no shortness of breath or trouble breathing
no swelling
Too Wet
What does being too wet mean?
This means you have too much fluid in your body so you are above your
ideal body weight. This is called fluid overload.
It is important to remember that fluid comes from what you drink and eat.
Some examples are ice cubes, soup, yogurt and ice cream.
Why is being too wet a problem?
When you have too much fluid you have an increased risk of high blood
pressure and cardiovascular disease such as heart failure, heart attack and
stroke. Your lungs may also be affected and cause breathing problems.
What can cause you to be too wet?
This can happen for many reasons such as:
drinking and/or eating too much fluid
having too much salt in your diet
taking your water pills such as Lasix or Furosemide incorrectly
missing dialysis treatments; using dialysis solutions incorrectly
loss of appetite for several days
decrease in the amount of urine you pass
