I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: dwcrawford on April 11, 2009, 09:24:46 AM
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Hehehe.... I thought that would get your attention.
But seriously, Richard, in your profile it says they gave you two years before dialysis and you changed doctors. My delima is last November they gave me 2 years before diallysis and then this April he give me NO time before diallysis. Should I change doctors or even get a second opinion. He has me schedule for the surgeon next Wednesday for a fistala and a cateter....(please don't take off points for my spelling.)
It is all base, according to him, on my Creatin (whatever that is) and Bun (ditto) numbers. Creatin went from 4.2 in January to 5.8 last week... is that bad?
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I am sorry to read about your story and I appreciate the position you are in. You say you have a Creatinine of 5.8. May I please ask you if you have any of these symptoms associated with uremia such as scratching, swollen face/ankles, nausea and sickness, no appetite, etc,etc...? Kind regards, Kristina.
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DW---you are bad!! I came here all ready to defend RichardMeltMyHeart and assure you that there are plenty of women to go around! :rofl; You did get my attention :2thumbsup; Sounds like your creatinine is going up and it really is about time to get everything in place. It seems like you have a good relationship with your doctor and you will have to trust him to decide when the time is right. Good news is that you are becoming a very informed patient. :thumbup;
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He's watching your numbers which is good, at least he is not letting you drag through the dredges of crashing like most of us. That is not a :banghead; :puke; pretty picture if I must say so myself. My young son used to compliment me..."wow mom, you can walk by the bathroom and vomit at the toilet from 10 feet away and not have to clean up anything...what a mom".....and he was 33...the snot.....that is not what I want on my Rock some day. Get ready to do what your Dr. says.
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To Kristina... I have no outward symptoms other than extreme fatigue....Paris is correct in that I have a good relationship with the doctors but I really don't want to do surgery... it hurts.
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See for yourself what stage you are in and what is recommended.
Here is a tool from Davita that will let you put in your information and give you what stage you are in and the different stages of failure.
http://www.davita.com/tools/gfr-calculator/#
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Interesting... he's always done something on a calcuater and said about a state.. (or percentage). That says I'm stage 5 (10) which is what he said Tuesday... I always thought it had other factors than Creatin but I guess not -- I mean potassium etc. is all good...bp, etc.
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dw - you can find out more about what lab tests mean here http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=13394.0
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DW that heading definitely got my attention! I just started dialysis February 2009 and had my 1st fistula surgery last July 2008, it had to be redone in October 2008 and at that time my creatine was between 8 and 9 which is quite high. The only reason I was able to go so long before starting dialysis was because the only symptoms I had were fatigue. No swelling, or vomiting involved thank goodness. I was able to hold off until my creatin was 11.55. I knew then I couldn't hold out any longer I was dragging. So it really depends on how your body reacts to the toxins and fluid building up in you. If every month you see your levels going a little higher it is time to get things in place. :cuddle;
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mmm I think everybody saw my post except RichardMel.... oh well! I used that chart that BigSky sent and read the article from okarol. My number was 10 so maybe I could wait a bit but since it is all planned I'll go ahead. I think he(doctor) is trying to make it easy for me by starting in the hospital. He seemed to say part of the reason was the two things at one time. Also, I've always had low blood platelets (idiopathic) so they need to watch that. Once the surgery is done, I'll just lay back and order up all kinds of wonderful food. Protein? I've been on low protein so long I won't know how to act.
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Richard is in Australia and might still be asleep - the time in Melbourne is Sun 6:04 AM - right now - according to the World Clock http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
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I have all my answer anyway. Aside from wondering about that, I thought it might be fun to harass Richard. He seems to take it all very well.
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Thanks for replying to my question I really appreciated this. I am in a similar situation and I understand the insecurity. IHD is really good because you get great feed-back and this allows you to get a better picture and makes you fell more confident at this very vulnerable time. good luck, we are all thinking of you. Kind regards, Kristina.
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Oh boy now I do not know which one to :bow; to DW or Rich.
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Well, just set a timer and switch off every few hours.... :rofl;
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Well, just set a timer and switch off every few hours.... :rofl;
:rofl; :rofl; :rofl; Now there is a solution. Naaah! Better stick to :bow; to the man I already have.
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Hey, we could just rotate them since they are in different time zones. :rofl;
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:rofl; :rofl;
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>:D After all, Richard and I are not just pieces of meat you can throw around like that.... >:D >:D >:D
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Who says you aren't? :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
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RichardMEL gave us a very succinct answer about what he would do if the ladies of IHD.com showed up on his doorstep. What would YOU do?
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I know ... he was answering my post... I think he's bluffing.
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DW---you are bad!! I came here all ready to defend RichardMeltMyHeart and assure you that there are plenty of women to go around! :rofl; You did get my attention :2thumbsup; Sounds like your creatinine is going up and it really is about time to get everything in place. It seems like you have a good relationship with your doctor and you will have to trust him to decide when the time is right. Good news is that you are becoming a very informed patient. :thumbup;
Made you think though didn't it :rofl; :rofl;
Somewhat like the comedian me and kitkatz like, Gabriel Iglesies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIScMJnxBAY
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LOL! I nearly fell off my chair when I saw this subject headline pop up!!! LOL. Yes, looks like it started in the "wee" (no, not that sort!) hours for us and although I was woken at 4:50am by a text message (not the phone activity I wanted!) so sorry I did not get this till much later!
On the "hidden" topic here - I was very tired (like you) before I started Dialysis - I had none of those other symptoms.. but frankly I would want to start before I got that bad - do you want to feel like crap all day, nausea, throwing up etc is NOT fun... if your neph says it's time.. then it probably is.. though hey if you want a second opinion there's no problem with that.
Just to clarify my own story a little more.. the first neph I saw said "You have two years" - that is the VERY first thing he said. I can't remember exactly how much further he said after that - we were so shocked at his wonderful patient manner. NOT!!! LOL). So we were never sure if he meant I supposedly had two years to live, two years till Dialysis or what. I mean geez... and hey mate, that was in 1993 so he can stick his two years!!! Of course he just had some labs to go on so who knows... but anyway we ditched him and went to a much better doc who my mother had worked with and he accepted me and well.. yeah I lasted another 13 years which was awesome... but I was probably around GFR 30 or 40 back in 1993(I can't remember) and luckily had a very slow moving form of FSGS which perhaps they didn't realise at the initial diagnosis. Whatever.
As for my response and bluffing or not... oh well (this is for kitkatz) "Vulcans never bluff" :rofl;
So I think YOU should answer what you would do if the girls of IHD showed up !!!! hehehehe
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I knew that you have a good sense of humor else I wouldn't have done that. You are one of my hero's, man. I am sure it will be, at least, another 13 years, my friend.
As for my response to kitkatz, I know i couldn't top yours. She'll just have to wonder. But them I am 68 years old so that should be taken into consideration. Give me a Break!!!!
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For what it is worth my :twocents; is not to start too early. I started dialysis just over a month a go and I have never felt WORSE in my life. I felt a million times better before I started. I know they say there are benefits to starting early but I don't think you should start too early and loose your residual function. I have not had one good say on dialysis yet and the only day I feel even close to normal is after the weekend and I haven't been on it for a couple of days. We keep reducing my time on the machine, how much fluid they remove and my pump speed. If we keep going this way I will be doing no time, no pump speed and taking off no fluid. So.....what the hell is the point of being on it. Today I am back to two hours, 250 pump speed and 500 mls off. Absolutely nothing will convince otherwise....I definitely started too soon. Every Sunday my own kidneys kick back in and I feel better until I come back here on Monday. I can't do any exercise, I feel totally washedout all the time and at the end of the week I am totally exhausted and feel like I have a bad dose of the flu. I was so well before I started, I just want to stop now and see what happens. I really resent the fact that I am losing significant residual renal function. The day I walked into this clinic feeling terrific I should have turned around an walked straight back out again. If you feel really well, I would defintiely not start until you get some symptoms. You don't have to wait until you are throwing up...you will know when you don't feel as well as you normally do. All the best. xx
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Sorry to hear what your going threw Lucinda.
I hope they sort you out fast and you can feel yourself again.
You make a great point..
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Lucienda-- what was your percent when they put you on dialysis. I really feel bad that you feel so awful. Maybe they will get you leveled out . Good luck
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Wow Lucinda,
I am so sorry that you are not feeling well. Keep your chin up :grouphug;
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Everyone starts on dialysis at different times dwcrawford. Sounds like your creatinine is going up quite suddenly. 5.8 is still not too bad though. I started when my creatinine was 450 and it was too soon. As I said above, I am having a hell of a time getting my balance right. I had no symptoms before I started but had had some previously. My creatinine was up and down like a yoyo. One month 500, next month 400, next month 700 and then back down to 400. Your Bun (urea) is probably what you should look at more. That will dictate how you feel. Your numbers over there are different to ours but they say here that you start feeling pretty off if you get over 30. Mine was 30 and then went back down to 22 a week before I started dialysis but they still got me to start. Biggest mistake I ever made. I am now letting the machine TAKE my perfectly good renal function. By all means though, get your access in and be ready to go when you need to. xx
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Hey Cindy, sorry you are having difficulty. I am confused about you saying that dialysis is taking your remaining kidney function. It is my understanding that dialysis actually helps you retain the residual kidney function over the short term. Not sure if that's accurate though, because that would be in the case of an acute renal failure patient. Anyway, I hope you begin to feel better soon. :cuddle; :cuddle;
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From what i understand.. Hemo makes your kidneys "lazy" (as many nurses have put it) and they, over time, stop functioning all together. Since my time with hemo was quite shoddy, I never lost anything. Although, starting PD I have lost a little bit of function (in my opinion) but the nurse says my kidneys are "taking a break" since they had to work so hard to make up for what hemo wasn't doing.
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:rofl; :rofl; Haha I wanted to see who Dan's woman was...
But I think it comes down to how you feel about your doctor. Do you think he is stupid and really dosn't know what he is doing? Then yeah find a new one. I don't know if it is really something you can put a time limit on. It all just depends on your body.
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From what i understand.. Hemo makes your kidneys "lazy" (as many nurses have put it) and they, over time, stop functioning all together. Since my time with hemo was quite shoddy, I never lost anything. Although, starting PD I have lost a little bit of function (in my opinion) but the nurse says my kidneys are "taking a break" since they had to work so hard to make up for what hemo wasn't doing.
My own personal experience was that dialysis itself didn't seem toaffect my remaining kidney function. The constant exposure to anesthetic from the repeated fistulagrams and surgeries are what hurt it the most. I noticed a marked drop in urine output after each and every procedure.
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ahem! Why has this topic gone onto kidney disease, fistulas and renal function and away from the topic of dan and my WOMEN??????
:rofl; :rofl; :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
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Because young RICHARD....this is a renal site. This is where we discuss kdineys....not other parts of the anatomy...get your mind out of the gutter....I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about affairs of the heart! I reckon we should start a lover's board just for you and Dan!!! Seeing Renal Romance is not around anymore it would be a great idea. Karol and Sluff what do you reckon??
I vote for "I Hate Dialysis But Love Our Women Message Board."
Abbreviating that could be a bit risky though ;D
"IHD BLOW ME" !!!! Man I am sooooooo bad! >:D :o
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Classic!!! Lucinda - love you!! :cuddle; :cuddle; :cuddle; :cuddle; :bow; :cuddle; :cuddle; :cuddle; :P :P :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Oops....for that to work it should be
I Hate Dialysis But Love Our Women Message Eboard!!
Love you too Rich :guitar: :guitar:
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:rofl; Lucinda..that was classic.... :rofl;
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Good one Cindy girl. :rofl; :rofl;
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:rofl; :rofl; :rofl; Priceless Lucinda. :waving;