How to Stop Headaches and Vomiting During Dialysis
Reduce your fluid intake to 2L in the 24 hours before treatment., Avoid eating foods that contain a lot of sugar., Reduce your portions to half their normal size the day before dialysis., Limit your salt intake in order to control blood pressure...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Reduce your fluid intake to 2L in the 24 hours before treatment.
Reduce your fluid intake to no more than 2 liters (0.5 US gal) during the 24 hours before the dialysis treatment.
Dialysis removes excess fluids from the body, so if there is a large quantity of fluid in your system, a large quantity fluid will be removed during the treatment.
When too much liquid is removed from your system very quickly, it causes your blood pressure to drop, leading to headaches, nausea and vomiting.
Therefore, having a lower level of fluid in your system will help to prevent this from happening. -
Step 2: Avoid eating foods that contain a lot of sugar.
In the day leading up to the dialysis treatment, it is recommend that you avoid eating foods or consuming drinks with a high sugar content, such as candy, chocolate, donuts, fruit juices and sodas.
Too much sugar induces nausea by triggering the vomiting center in the brain.
In addition, dialysis causes the electrolytes in your system to be out of balance.
Eating sugar throws this balance off even further, making nausea and vomiting more likely. , The day before your treatment, you should reduce your portion size at each meal by half.
This prevents you from overeating.
Eating too much can cause you to feel nauseous at the best of times, but dialysis can make feelings of nausea even worse (due to electrolyte imbalances) and lead to vomiting.
Eating less than usual helps to limit feelings of nausea and prevent vomiting.
Try using a smaller plate at meals
- this will make your plate appear full and trick your brain into thinking you're eating more than you actually are. , In the days before your treatment, reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking and avoid adding additional salt to pre-packaged foods.
Check the labels on food products and avoid any with high sodium contents.
Salt increases the amount of fluid in your system, as it attracts water from the blood.
Consuming a lot of salt also raises your blood pressure.
Dialysis, on the other hand, removes excess fluid from the system and causes your blood pressure to drop.
This sudden loss of fluid and drop in blood pressure comes as a shock to the system, and increases the likelihood of headaches and vomiting.
Therefore, reducing your salt intake helps to keep your blood pressure more stable. , Avoid taking any medications in the 24 hour period before dialysis, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
This is especially important for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Most medications cause your blood pressure to decrease even further during dialysis, which makes headaches and vomiting worse. , It's important to manage your stress levels in the days coming up to a dialysis treatment.
Stress leads to high blood pressure, which is best avoided during dialysis if you want to avoid headaches and vomiting.
You can manage your stress levels by balancing your work life with relaxation and exercise.
Try doing yoga or meditation and make an effort to get 30 minutes of exercise per day, even if it's just a brisk walk outdoors.
You can also reduce stress by talking about any worries or fears you have with a trusted friend or family member.
Seeing a therapist can also be helpful. , Headaches often occur as a result of caffeine withdrawal.
Therefore, it is important that you wean yourself off coffee and other caffeinated beverages in the days before the dialysis treatment, so you are not experiencing withdrawal headaches at the time of treatment. -
Step 3: Reduce your portions to half their normal size the day before dialysis.
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Step 4: Limit your salt intake in order to control blood pressure.
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Step 5: Avoid taking any medications before the treatment
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Step 6: unless your doctor advises it.
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Step 7: Manage your stress levels to avoid increasing your blood pressure.
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Step 8: Stay away from coffee and other caffeinated beverages.
Detailed Guide
Reduce your fluid intake to no more than 2 liters (0.5 US gal) during the 24 hours before the dialysis treatment.
Dialysis removes excess fluids from the body, so if there is a large quantity of fluid in your system, a large quantity fluid will be removed during the treatment.
When too much liquid is removed from your system very quickly, it causes your blood pressure to drop, leading to headaches, nausea and vomiting.
Therefore, having a lower level of fluid in your system will help to prevent this from happening.
In the day leading up to the dialysis treatment, it is recommend that you avoid eating foods or consuming drinks with a high sugar content, such as candy, chocolate, donuts, fruit juices and sodas.
Too much sugar induces nausea by triggering the vomiting center in the brain.
In addition, dialysis causes the electrolytes in your system to be out of balance.
Eating sugar throws this balance off even further, making nausea and vomiting more likely. , The day before your treatment, you should reduce your portion size at each meal by half.
This prevents you from overeating.
Eating too much can cause you to feel nauseous at the best of times, but dialysis can make feelings of nausea even worse (due to electrolyte imbalances) and lead to vomiting.
Eating less than usual helps to limit feelings of nausea and prevent vomiting.
Try using a smaller plate at meals
- this will make your plate appear full and trick your brain into thinking you're eating more than you actually are. , In the days before your treatment, reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking and avoid adding additional salt to pre-packaged foods.
Check the labels on food products and avoid any with high sodium contents.
Salt increases the amount of fluid in your system, as it attracts water from the blood.
Consuming a lot of salt also raises your blood pressure.
Dialysis, on the other hand, removes excess fluid from the system and causes your blood pressure to drop.
This sudden loss of fluid and drop in blood pressure comes as a shock to the system, and increases the likelihood of headaches and vomiting.
Therefore, reducing your salt intake helps to keep your blood pressure more stable. , Avoid taking any medications in the 24 hour period before dialysis, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
This is especially important for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Most medications cause your blood pressure to decrease even further during dialysis, which makes headaches and vomiting worse. , It's important to manage your stress levels in the days coming up to a dialysis treatment.
Stress leads to high blood pressure, which is best avoided during dialysis if you want to avoid headaches and vomiting.
You can manage your stress levels by balancing your work life with relaxation and exercise.
Try doing yoga or meditation and make an effort to get 30 minutes of exercise per day, even if it's just a brisk walk outdoors.
You can also reduce stress by talking about any worries or fears you have with a trusted friend or family member.
Seeing a therapist can also be helpful. , Headaches often occur as a result of caffeine withdrawal.
Therefore, it is important that you wean yourself off coffee and other caffeinated beverages in the days before the dialysis treatment, so you are not experiencing withdrawal headaches at the time of treatment.
About the Author
Raymond Palmer
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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