Written from a patient point of view. No clinical jargon. No guessing what they meant. Plain language for real people in real treatment chairs.
Dry Weight
Your target weight after all the fluid is removed. The number your care team is trying to reach by the end of your session. Many patients never know this number. You can ask for it and you should know it.
Access
How blood is taken out and returned during treatment. Your access may be a fistula (a vein and artery surgically joined), a graft (a synthetic tube), or a catheter (a tube placed in your chest or neck).
UF / Ultrafiltration
The process of removing fluid during treatment. The machine pulls out the fluid you accumulated since your last session. When the rate is too fast it can cause cramping and low blood pressure. Your UF rate matters to how you feel.
Hypotension
Low blood pressure during or after treatment. Many patients experience this at some point. You may feel dizzy, weak, sweaty, or nauseous. Tell your nurse immediately rather than waiting to see if it passes on its own.
Clearance / Kt/V
A number used to measure how effectively treatment removed waste from your blood. Your care team tracks this monthly through your labs. You can ask what your Kt/V number is and what it means specifically for you.
Cannulation
The placement of needles into your access site at the start of each treatment. Some sessions go smoothly. Some do not. You have the right to request an experienced technician if you have concerns about needle placement.
Cramping
Painful muscle tightening that sometimes happens during fluid removal, often in the legs or feet. It is common but it is not something you have to suffer through silently. Tell your nurse when it happens. There are things they can adjust.
Infiltration
When needle placement causes swelling or leakage into the tissue around your access site. This requires immediate attention. If you notice swelling, hardness, or pain at your needle sites during treatment, speak up right away without delay.
Standing Orders
Routine treatment instructions already written in your chart that your care team follows automatically each session. You can ask your nurse what your standing orders say. It is your chart and you are entitled to understand what is in it.
Labs
Monthly bloodwork used to monitor your treatment effectiveness and overall health. Results include potassium, phosphorus, hemoglobin, albumin, and more. Ask for your results every month. Understanding your numbers puts you in a stronger position.
Rinse Back
At the end of treatment, saline solution is used to return the blood remaining in the machine back to you. This adds approximately 0.5 kg of fluid weight to your post-treatment reading, which is factored into your fluid calculations.
Interdialytic Weight Gain
The fluid weight you accumulate between sessions. After a weekend gap of three days you will naturally gain more than after a two-day gap. This difference is normal and expected. Your care team should account for it when setting your treatment parameters.