I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Introduction => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: midges on October 29, 2012, 10:56:59 PM
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My name is Margarita. I'm a 38 year old single mom with 2 teenagers. I've been on hemo for a little more than a month and I have a catheter for access. I'm having a procedure this week to for placement of access for PD.
I don't know how long I have been sick. I mistook the symptoms of kidney failure for the stress of being a single mom, full-time student and, eventually, unemployed. In retrospect, I have probably been sick for at least 2 years, if not longer.
On September 19, 2012 I went to the er with headache, chest pains, fatigue and nausea. Before then I thought I was a pretty healthy person who was just a little worn out from the stress of my life. Apparently I was wrong. I had been feeling headachey and nauseous for 4 days at that point, but we were having a heat wave and I thought I was suffering from heat exhaustion. When the chest pains began, I got worried and decided to go in.
At the emergency room, my initial BP reading was 211/182. The emergency room nurse told me that I could have had a stroke and that I was in kidney failure. She admonished me for not taking care of my blood pressure, but I didn't even know that it was an issue. At that point I had about 3% kidney function. The emergency room doctor seemed to be surprised that I wasn't aware of how sick I was. I guess I had just gotten used to feeling crappy all the time.
I was admitted to the hospital and began dialysis 5 days later. I initially had a catheter in my neck because I was so full of fluid that I couldn't lay on my back for the insertion of the AV catheter.
It's been almost a month since I was released from the hospital. I get dialysis 3 days a week for 3.5 hours at a time. I don't know all the technical terminology about dialysis, but I ask the nurses questions whenever I can and read whatever I can get my hands on and I'm learning. I was fortunate enough to find a dialysis center a mile from my house that I am very happy with. I am still struggling with bureaucracy to get the financial help I need in this period of adjustment. I'm not currently employed, and it's hard to function because dialysis still takes a lot out of me. I am hoping that once I transition to PD it will lessen my fatigue and also free up my schedule so that I can go back to work.
I found this board through a friend of mine who had a kidney transplant a few years ago. I'm so thankful that this is here. When I first started reading about ESRD I was afraid that everyone was expected to be a Pollyanna about their diagnosis and keep their chin up, but that's not really me. I do feel fortunate to be alive, but sometimes I have some not so happy feelings that I need to get off my chest. My friends try to be supportive, but they just don't get what I'm going through (except my friend who sent me here, but I don't want to burden her with all my questions/ rants/ complaints). So glad to know that this place exists.
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Welcome, Margarita! :welcomesign;
I can thoroughly recommend PD. I hope it will work well for you. You have come to the right place for asking questions,
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Hello Margarita!
:welcomesign;
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:waving; Hi Margarita, and welcome!
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Wow, 3%! I got down to 4% a month ago, and have been on hemo ever since, for 5 hours per session. I like this forum too. The folks here are full of interesting information, which I've been learning about as I've gone along. Ask away, rank, rave, and be merry! Welcome to the site.
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Margarita, :welcomesign; Welcome to the site, sorry you have found yourself in this situation. Ask as many questions as you like , we are all here for each other. You will be fine on PD, it does free up a lot of time.