Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who is on dialysis and is constantly itching? Any relief?
HI. My dad is 87 and goes to dialysis on mon/wed/fri. When he comes home he is constantly itching where hes got some serious cuts now from scratching so much. Anyone know of anything I can give him to relieve some of the itchiness he feels. Thanks.
Oold sailor, thank you for your response also. I've never heard of sarna lotion.. we live in the desert and as it is he has dry skin but the itching is driving him crazy. He scratches until he bleeds.
His phosphorus levels are good. The report card says he needs more protein. Everything else is good. Except his blood sugar is high. In the high 200s. The dietitian at the clinic says more protein. The dietitian at the veterans hospital says at his age let him have whatever he wants in moderation. I'm a little confused. As it is he has no appetite. Especially meat. Meat turns his stomach.
We tried sarna lotion for Luz and it seemed to be the only thing that helped her. I heard of it on here and checked with the visiting nurse and she said it sounded good but to watch for any skin reactions. There were none and she finally got some relief. We used the generic version from CVS. Small bottle so as not to waste money for the trial period.
Try Aveeno products- I believe they have an oatmeal based body wash or for the bath. Benadryl can help but don’t give more than the label suggests. Often those on dialysis have itchy skin due to uremia (what he is on dialysis for) & increased phosphorus levels from food he needs to limit. Everything has phosphorus in it, especially bread and dark soda. Ask his dietician what his phosphorus level is. People take phosphorus binders with meals to be effective. When dad brings his dialysis “report card”home from hemo check his phosphorus level. Calcium & phosphorus are two important labs that reflect his status. Often if phosphorus goes up calcium will go down. Its a difficult yet common complaint for dialysis patients. Try getting his phosphorus under control if it is not. Also keep his fingernails short to help keep the damage from scratching low and bacteria get under his fingernails which then can cause an infection if the bacteria gets where there is a break in the skin. Best of luck to both of you.
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I heard of it on here and checked with the visiting nurse and she said it sounded good but to watch for any skin reactions. There were none and she finally got some relief.
We used the generic version from CVS. Small bottle so as not to waste money for the trial period.
Often those on dialysis have itchy skin due to uremia (what he is on dialysis for) & increased phosphorus levels from food he needs to limit. Everything has phosphorus in it, especially bread and dark soda. Ask his dietician what his phosphorus level is. People take phosphorus binders with meals to be effective.
When dad brings his dialysis “report card”home from hemo check his phosphorus level. Calcium & phosphorus are two important labs that reflect his status. Often if phosphorus goes up calcium will go down.
Its a difficult yet common complaint for dialysis patients. Try getting his phosphorus under control if it is not.
Also keep his fingernails short to help keep the damage from scratching low and bacteria get under his fingernails which then can cause an infection if the bacteria gets where there is a break in the skin.
Best of luck to both of you.