Patient was educated on measures to plan for dialysis diet recommendation follows:
- Watch on fluid intake: Poorly functioning kidneys cannot effectively excrete fluid from the body, which can result in back-up of fluid. Increased back-up of fluid in the circulation and tissues can result in increased workload on the heart, poorly controlled hypertension, edema, and weight gain. Fluid intake limitation could be recommended to these individuals and this limitation could be different from patient to patient, typically based on the individual status of renal function. Observe compliance with the recommendation made on fluid intake, to prevent increased workload on the heart and better control of blood pressure numbers. This limitation can also help with better management of edema and prevent acute weight gain.
- Watch on sodium intake: Normal functioning kidneys play an important role in sodium/salt level management and blood pressure management control. Poorly functioning kidneys in renal failure patients cannot effectively eliminate sodium from the body in urine and poorly regulate the blood pressure. Also, sodium retained in the body in renal failure patients can lead to retention of more fluid in the body, thus increasing the blood volume and blood pressure. Increased blood volume and poorly controlled blood pressure can contribute to extra workload on already failing kidneys and worsen the renal function further. So, in patients undergoing dialysis, sodium intake is closely watched upon to improve blood pressure control and prevent any further worsening of renal function.
