Tea and Dialysis??????

The fluid retention might be related to other issues than simply drinking tea. It might have something to do with the medicine that he gets (I assume he gets something) or it might be a different problem. I would suggest you discuss this with your doctor before you experiment too much.

its related to kidney failure, all his meds are regulated very well, all the doctor tell him is to watch his fluid intake and don’t drink dark sodas, he drinks water, tea or sprite and doctors say thats fine but we are starting to think they don’t really know whats fine ya know. thank you for your reply

i think that at this point that everything he drinks is going to cause retention because he dont pee anymore so all fluids from everything just stays inside till dialysis :( i feel so bad for him

You definitely need to get a trained medical professional’s opinion on this before you have him switch what he’s doing – but here’s the problem: caffeine of any kind tends to be a diuretic in people who’s kidneys are functioning normally. In kidneys that aren’t working properly, they’re going to have trouble even getting rid of tapwater/non-caffeinated fluids. But you want to avoid excessive caffeine in order to give the kidneys the “best” chance and not have to compete with the diuretic effects of caffeine.

I had similar issues with congestive heart failure years ago – fluid builds up no matter how well you regulate your diet and water intake.

Unless your husband is drinking gallons of tea at each sitting, I don’t see the tea as being the issue.

But again – take any advice you read here with the skepticism it deserves. Talk to his medical team and have them explain to you why they want you to avoid certain fluids and push others.

tommy our prayers go out for you guys!! hope he gets feeling better soon. i know it is a rough time but i am sure you will “weather the storm” bless you both!

I just wanted to say I am so very sorry for him and for you. Love to both of you.

Tommy, you both are certainly in my prayers. I am so sorry that this is happening and I hope you find the right answers! If you are worried that the doctors don’t know for sure, I would ask a specialist in nephrology, or ask several specialists. More than one opinion is good! I hope your husband starts feeling much better soon, and may you both be full of peace! It is hard to see someone we love sick or in pain.

My Dad was on dialysis (both at home and eventually hemodyalysis) for years and he always had issues with fluid retention, especially over the weekend when he had 2 days in a row without dyalysis. I know they told him absolutely no alcohol and to stick to clear fluids. (This was when I was younger and before my tea addiction days, so I didn’t specifically deal with this with my Dad) Tea is considered a clear fluid, so I would assume tea is ok. I would think Decaffeinated teas would be best so that it’s less of a diuretic and so the body doesn’t have to hold caffeine that it can’t flush out until the next dialysis. If you have concerns I would definitely speak with the doctors, or even get some second or third opinions. My Dad changed doctors a few times until we found a health care team that we were comfortable with and were confident with their decisions and recommendations. Lastly, I’m praying for your husband and especially for you. Often a situation like this is more stressful for the family than the actual patient, especially when you’re trying to be strong for him. Try to stay positive and take some time for yourself when you need it.

We talked to his doctor and hid nurse team and they gave us some good ideas on how to help control his fluids, I’m going to make some frozen grapes for him to nibble on over the weekend so he don’t want to drink so much.

yum, frozen grapes are delicious! some other ideas that I remember my Dad using were not eating any salty or spicy foods that would make him want to drink more water and also using really small glasses for anything he drank, so it tricked him into being satisfied with just that. also sucking on ice and hard candy helped.

I’m so glad that the doctors and nurses were able to help. I’m actually going back to school to become a nurse and want to go into transplant coordination because of the great experience our family had with my Dad’s transplant coordination team. My Dad was on waiting lists for a transplant for years and years (most of my life) and he finally got the call that they had a kidney for him, so don’t lose hope!