I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: paddbear0000 on February 09, 2009, 06:39:30 PM
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Tomorrow I start dialysis! :o I am having mixed feelings about it. I am glad I'm starting because I want to feel better, but then again, it's somewhat scary. I'm starting with the cath, so I feel like I'm easing in to this before going full force with the gigantic needles going directly into my veins!
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I hope it goes ok. Anticipating it may be worse than the actual experience, at least i have often heard that.
Take care and hopefully it will be over before you know it!
Do they offer benadryl for sleeping? Some places don't - Jenna never got any but she napped anyway.
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:grouphug; :grouphug; We'll all be thinking of you.
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I'll be there with you in spirit Janet. :grouphug;
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Good luck and I am sure everything will be okay :grouphug;
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We're here for you :grouphug;
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We are with you paddygurl, take something with you to occupy yourself. Let us know how it went. :grouphug;
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been there; done that
thinking about you
keeping you in my heart
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Thank you! :grouphug; :grouphug; :grouphug;
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Hope it goes all well for you on your first day and the rest. Of course there will be up's and down's, but hopefully you'll get your transplant soon.
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Take a blanket, you may get cold. Wear comfy clothes, I have gotten bleach stains before too. Pray you get nurses/techs that talk you through what they are doing, that helps. Relax, it isn't that bad. I remember that I was scared too, but then again I didn't have IHD. You are so much more prepared than I, you will be fine. Looking forward to your post. Praying all goes well....
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Good luck Padd, hope your first run is a good one :thumbup;
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Girl, do you know how many people all over the world will be there with you holding your hand? You will do fine. IHD is with you. :grouphug; We are looking forward to you telling us all about it.
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god bless you have a hug :grouphug; carol
Edited: Fixed smiley error - paris, Moderator
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Hey mate
You will be fine
You are informed
You are strong
You are loved
You are supported
You can do it
Lots of love mate
:cuddle;
:flower; :flower; :flower;
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Sending you big :grouphug; P Bear!
I hope you get great nurses to help you
thru your first day. I know this must be
scarey for ya, but keep in mind you will
have all of us with you there in spirit cheering
you on!
Anne
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You will be fine padd.
You have the best support group and we will be waiting to hear how it went for you.
And im sure it will be a humdrum day, maybe even a bit boring.
I just know when i start i will here the theme from Jaws running through my head.
But im strange like that ;)
P&K :grouphug;
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:cuddle; paddbear. I will be thinking about you today and hope all goes well. Please let us know as we will be worried about you. :cuddle;
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Sending good thoughts your way. I hope you can relax and let the cleansing begin. Good luck!
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Thanks everyone! I'm actually hooked up right now! They had to go find out if I could get online because no one has ever asked before! Usually, the patients that use this clinic are hospitalized and older. It's a very nice clinic, probably because it's part of a highly funded level 1 trauma hospital. The chairs are so comfortable! They cover it in a sheet, so no bleach spots on my clothes. I have a wide screen tv, wi-fi, the machines are all new and the nurses are all very nice and explain everything. Today I am only running 2 hours, but I will move up to 3 next time. The only thing I'm not happy about is that I can't eat or drink, especially since lunch time runs right in the middle of my treatment.
I've not been feeling well since getting sick last night. Since getting hooked up, I feel more and more tired, shaky and kind of out of body. I'm still not feeling well.
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:2thumbsup;
Hopefully you will feel like yourself soon.
But a nice center big tv wi-fi comfy chair. You may not want to leave. This may be why your not aloud to eat ot drink. they want you to visit but not stay :-).
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Welcome to dialysis paddbear.
Sorry your not feeling well, but I thought that might happen. You'll probably want to sleep after treatment too. Yeah those Lazy Boy type recliners the hospitals have are great and then when you go to your dialysis facility, you get crappy chairs. >:(
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Paddlebear!
I am glad to hear that your first treatment was not *too* bad and it sounds like you have a really nice clinic! I don't think my clinic even has internet access, so I am happy for you that yours does because we ALL know how time flies when you are online! Keep us posted on how you are doing! :bandance; Also, being without food and drink for that long, DOES suck! :stressed;
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just sending a hug :cuddle;
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:cuddle; For most people they start feeling better after the first few treatments. seems like it takes your body a while to get used to not having as many toxins in your body!!! Take care and try to relax a bit. Sounds like you have a very nice unit!!
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Hi, P. Bear!!!
Just wanted to let ya know
I have been thinking of you, and do hope
your first day on D went smoothly.
Sure hope you are feeling OK!!
Anne
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My first day was fairly uneventful. I did start out this morning nauseous though. As soon as I got there, they weighed me (55kg) then took my temp. As soon as I settled in the chair, they made my husband leave, which kind of suked, but he would have been so bored. The clinic is really nice, but like i said, it's in a well funded hospital. I have mixed feelings about having to leave in a month though. It is nice, with the tv, chair and all (and it was nice and warm!), but the way the chairs are seperated, you can't see anyone and it's lonely! Also, the no drink or food sucks too! My neph was supposed to make it to the hospital clinic during my shift after seeing patients at one of his offices, but he never made it. The nurse did get to take a look at my arm and said it looked a little red and felt a little warm. She said to keep an eye on it and they'll check it again Thursday. She's not overly worried yet because I do not have a temperature. It sure does hurt like a b**** though!!! :banghead; And it's rock hard, but people keep telling me that's normal. Okay.
I only had to do a 2 hour run at a slow speed today and very little fluid was taken off so that I can be eased in to dialysis. I will go 3 hours normally. My speed was originally set at 290, but it was making me very shaky and made my heart pound really hard, so the nurse cut it back to 250. My orders said no fluid removal, but since I have started retaining fluid since I saw the doctor, she took 1/2 a liter off. I see a little difference in my hand, but not a lot. The nurses were very good about telling me exactly what they were doing and I was busy asking questions too. I should have asked about the wi-fi sooner, but the thought didn't even cross my mind until I was already hooked up, so I didn't get to plug my laptop in. I only had about 10 minutes before the battery drained. So I spent most of my time watching tv.
Besides my computer, I had brought some puzzle books, a notepad, a book, warm socks and my warm, fleece blanket. I just became more and more tired as the session went along to read anything, but I did use the computer for those 10 minutes! I didn't bother to take my shoes off since I wasn't there that long, but the blanket was nice and cozy! I felt weird dragging in this big bag of stuff when the other patients were all being wheeled in in hospital beds with nothing else. After it was over, I was downe to 54.5 kg and I was extremely tired and exhausted (still am), still a little shaky, my heart was still beating hard, I felt a little lightheaded for a few minutes, and I've got a wierd taste in my mouth that appeared about half way though treatment. What is that all about? It's not horrible, but it's not pleasant either. I haven't gotten that metallic or ammonia taste yet, just stuff tasting different.
After figuring out the kilograms to pounds conversation, I just realized how much weight I've gained back in the last week after losing those 11 pounds over the last 3 months--all of it! Yikes!
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Oh Paddlebear! I guess I read your last post wrong...........I thought when you talked about the clinic and the internet access and no food and drink and all that, I thought THAT was your first day.............sorry I misunderstood! :urcrazy; Anyways, just hang in there, it will get better or well, maybe not "better" but you will get use to the routine............... :cuddle;
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I'm glad your first day went pretty well. The unit sounds nice as do the nurses and that's a big bonus at the beginning. I often feel washed out after a session and sometimes have a headache because it's not always easy to get the dry weight exactly right. I hope the unit you go to eventually will also be OK and maybe they will allow a small snack. It's probably wise not to eat much if anything in the beginning anyway as it'll take some time to figure out how you respond to everything. :cuddle;
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I've been very tired, but that wasn't unexpected. The one thing that I didn't expect was this horrible heartburn that started shortly after. And I hadn't even eaten anything. I keep taking stuff for it, otherwise it just comes back.
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I didn't have that happen, maybe other have had that hapen. But bring it up with the nurse and doctor if he comes in on time Thursday.
Hope you have a good day tomorrow.
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Could it have any connection to what you ate before D or to not eating enough in the day so that you might have had too much acid in your stomach? Coffee and colas are the two things that occasionally give me heartburn but it isn't something that I deal with very much at all so I'm afraid I can't be much help.
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I didn't eat anything before dialysis and the only things I had for the rest of the day were water, jello, and a bland, 6 inch sub from subway. And the sub was eaten long after the heartburn started. I'm hoping my neph will show up during my session tomorrow.
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Sharon never had any heartburn problems until she started on Dialysis, the Neph prescribed Prilosec and it has controlled it quite well ever since. By the way, I get the Generic to it - Omeprazole, at Costco for $17.99 for 6 weeks supply......
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:grouphug; :grouphug;
Hugs Paddbear.
I had a funny taste long before I started dialysis. It still comes and goes. Because I am on PD I can't give you any advise on Haemo, except to say I know you will start to feel better. Give your body a chance to adjust.
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I thought funny taste comes with the Kidney failure. My neph also prescribed Prilosec and it helped.
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I am glad you made it through! Your body will soon get accustomed to it all. when I first started, I would just go home, lie down and stay there until the next morning. I had no energy, no will to do anything. Now, I leave from dialysis and go straight to tutoring, feeling quite fine. In the early days, I didn't even drive myself to and from D. Now that is no problem at all.
You just keep on keeping on! :cuddle;
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Looked at my old med sheet and I too was on Prilosec while on dialysis. After transplant though I was switched to Ranitidine (Zantac). Some transplant center will keep you on Prilosec though due to the efects of the anti-rejection meds on the stomach.
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Glad your first day went OK. I remember my first taste of saline, but the iron they give by far is the worst taste of all.
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Hopefully everything went well for you.
Thinking of you mate.
:cuddle; :cuddle; :cuddle; :grouphug; :grouphug;
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Hoping that today goes better for you.... :thumbup;
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Sorry I haven't been around to give you more support Paddbear. Seems I am in a similar position to you at the moment and I am starting dialysis as soon as I can get a spot in training. Definitely left it too long to get going but have to live with that decision now and just get on top of it. I hope the effects of your treatments settle really soon and the treatment starts to make you feel a lot better. By all accounts it takes a few months to settle into a routine and then you start to feel better. I don't think it helps that we were both feeling pretty hideous before starting But you can look forward to feeling a lot better soon. I hope I don't have to wait too long to start my training. Love to you and hope you start feeling better really soon. xx
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things will get better as you go along, but it doesn't happen overnight. after 3 years i still have days where all i want to do is sleep and nights where i can't. the interesting tv stops at 2am. i'm hoping my adjustment to nocturnal won't take too long. please know that we all care.
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I am on Pepcid-AC prescription strength for heart burn.
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Hey PB, hope it goes well today. :cuddle;
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Same sentiments here paddygirl. :grouphug; :grouphug;
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Same sediments here paddygirl. :grouphug; :grouphug;
WTF!!?? are you trying to be funny there you sluffaroski?? :rofl;
your pal :urcrazy;
Rolando
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Hope Saturday goes well for you paddbear.
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Same sediments here paddygirl. :grouphug; :grouphug;
WTF!!?? are you trying to be funny there you sluffaroski?? :rofl;
your pal :urcrazy;
Rolando
:oops; misspelled, spell check didn't catch it because sediments is a word also.. :rofl;
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Sediments works well too though because we all do have the same cocktail of sludge settling down in us waiting to be removed by D.
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Thanks for all the advice. Thankfully, the heartburn has subsided. Yesterday's session didn't go nearly as well as the first. They decided to try starting my speed out at 350 this time. I immediately became lightheaded, extremely nauseous and felt his weird pressure in my head. They turned it back down to 250 thankfully. They did eventually ease me into 300 by the end without too much trouble. When I was weighed, we discovered that I had gained all the fluid back that they had taken off last time (which was only 500ml). When I left Tuesday, you could still see fluid build up in places, but they had just wanted to go easy on me then. Well, yesterday, they took off 3 pounds of fluid (1.3 liters I think? I'm still trying to get used to the conversions!). I did my 3 hour session yesterday too. At hour 2 I started getting restless. I also got that funny taste again, but that started at the beginning. By the end, it was worse than Tuesday! The worst thing about it is that it makes anything with artificial sweetener taste really bad now. Which stinks since I'm a diabetic! I left feeling a little weird and with a slight headache, but not so bad that I couldn't stop at the pharmacy on my way home. By the time I got home though, oh lord!! I had such a horrendous headache that I had to lay in the dark with no sound and took 2 doses of Tylenol. I had even started throwing up. I tried taking a Vicoden for the headache, but it didn't stay down. I finally took a phenergan suppository and went to bed. The headache and nausea are gone today, but I'm still extremely tired.
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:grouphug; Paddbear, i am so sorry that you are feeling bad. i sure hope that you feel better soon and get some rest..... :grouphug;
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Sorry Padd.
As i am only quessing i would quess they are just trying to dial you in so to say.
I hope this all gets figured out fast so that you can feel yourself again.
Still sending positive thoughts your way
P&K
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I too now remember my first time was in the hospital and I too had problems like you are experiencing... but not the nausea. So sorry sweetie. But they also seem to be playing with your dry weight, and that can make you tired. How is your blood pressure? If it tends to drop off at the end, I could tell I was getting too dry. Also, I would get a ringing in my ears. Re: sweeteners, have you tried Stevia (herb) or Zylitol? The later is made from fruit pectin and is low glicemic. Just a thought. Hope tomorrow is better!
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Paddbear, have the doctors limited your fluid intake yet? Although if your nauseous and vomitting, your probably not eating and drinking very much. The less fluids you intake while on dialysis will help reduce the amount of build up and amount taken off at each session.
Which artificail sweetner are you using/prefer? Maybe switching to another one will help or nt even use one. Unfortunately I did not experience thatwith the artificial sweetners. As for he odd taste in your mouth when on dialysis, have you tried sucking on s/f hard candy like Lifesavers fruit or creme candies? I think there was a thread about that topic in here too about the odd taste.
For weight conversion, I just kept a journal of my weight in kg and multiplied it by 2.205 to get it in pounds and then rounded to the nearest hundreth. After awhile you will know it by heart in your brain when you get weighed. But I also kept a log of my glucose readings too along with the weight through treatment and before I left since I was driving.
Hopefully Saturday goes better.
Did the doc stop by this time?
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Just read this thread mate
Hope you are feeling better today
:flower; :flower;
:grouphug;
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Yes, my doctor finally stopped by. He answered all of my questions and checked my arm. He said my arm looks fine for being only 6 days post surgery. He said he wants to keep me at the hospital clinic until my graft is being used and shows no signs of problems, so it could be longer than 1 month. I also found out that my neph does not work at the clinic I'm going to later on. I could have sworn he said he did, but it turns out that was one of 2 of Dayton's Renal Physician's Inc. clinics that had free time slots. My neph is one of RPI's doctors; he just doesn't work at the clinic I'd rather go to. The other that is available is in a bad part of town. No thanks!
As for the sweeteners, the taste seems to affect any artificial kind. And they vary, depending on what I'm eating or drinking. I've never heard of Stevia, but it doesn't really matter because the stuff I eat and drink is pre-made by the manufacturers, and they don't use it.
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:grouphug; Hope things get better.
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I never tried stevia and probably won't since it is not easily available when I get coffee. I'm the old fashioned sweetner type from what was available when I was a kid, the taste of the most recent, Splenda is just not right.
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I liked Splenda so much better than any of the artificial sweeteners until I started dialysis. Now I can't stand it because of the weird taste I get from dialysis.
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I usually use2 packets in a 12 oz coffee, but with Splenda, 2 is not enough. It took5 1/2 to get close to the same sweetness of my old stuff and then it just didn't taste the same. I'd rather use Sugar Twin than Splenda if I had to choose the lesser of two evils in taste.
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The Hungry Girl website just did a piece on stevia. Apparently some companies are going to begin putting it into commercial products.
http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/askhgdetails.php?isid=1674