By Bill Peckham
I'm in Chicago for the holidays but I've heard from friends that Seattle has gotten an usually heavy snow fall. In the last few hours DSEN has been visited by people in the Seattle area searching for information about the dialysis emergency diet and asking how many days they can go between dialysis treatments.
The first thing to do during a weather event is to check the website of your dialysis provider for updates. The Northwest Kidney Centers website includes information right now. NKC's website as of 9PM on Thursday
is announcing that:
All Northwest Kidney Centers dialysis centers are following regular schedules today. We encourage patients to get their treatments as scheduled.
The first strategy in a weather event is to try to follow your normal dialysis routine. However, if you cannot follow your normal dialysis schedule the NKC website advises you to:
If you're a patient who must skip a dialysis treatment, refer to the booklet you received in November or get the information here
To talk with a dietitian [if you're an NKC patient] between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., dial pager number 206-969-9749. Then enter your area code, phone number and #. The dietitian will return your call.
I have an issue with the current emergency dialysis diet plan but now is not the time to worry about the details. If you are unable to follow your normal dialysis schedule then you need to limit foods high in potassium - generally avoid fruits, vegetables, nuts -, limit foods high in phosphorus - generally avoid dairy - and limit fluids. In order to strictly control your fluid intake it is extremely important to avoid sodium/salt in everything you eat. Salt makes you thirsty.
In general, you can miss one dialysis treatment while following the emergency diet. do not miss two treatments in a row. The best thing to do is get to dialysis, if you are unable to get to dialysis call your unit and ask for help and/or additional guidance.
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