I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: Riki on July 23, 2013, 05:35:24 PM
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I've been kinda hinting at it, and those who have me on FB already know most of what's going on.
Yesterday afternoon, I woke up from my post-dialysis nap in intense pain. I had been having pain for a few weeks beforehand, but it always went away within a few hours. This time was much worse than before, so we decided to go to the ER. As time passed, the pain got steadily worse until I was having trouble breathing. I had some x-rays and bloodwork done, and they gave me something for the pain. When the bloodwork came back, the doctor said that something to do with the pancreas was high. I didn't understand it then, and don't really now. Anyway, they admitted me.
I spent the night in the hospital, and had more bloodwork and an ultrasound done today. What they thought was going on was, that I had had gallstones in the past, but they thought that the gallstones, instead of blocking the ducts, they were falling back and blocking the pancreas. I had suspected gallstones a few weeks ago, when the pain had started, and already had an appointment with a surgeon, via my family doctor. When the results of the ultrasound came back, it appears that I have both an inflamed gallbladder AND pancreas. They are unsure, but they believe that the original theory is standing true, only the stones are blocking both ways. I'm told that bloodwork done tomorrow will verify this, and then they will look at surgical options.
I have not had any pain since they gave me the major painkiller last night. They said that the reason they are not moving quicker on the surgical options is because I am stable. If I were sicker, they'd move faster, but they do have everyone ready in case things should change.
Due to circumstances and doctors orders, I have not eaten since Sunday night, and am about to gnaw off the fingers on my right hand... *L* I'm hoping that the bloodwork will firm some things up, so that they can either go ahead with the surgery, or put it off a few days and let me have a bite to eat.
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Sorry to hear you are in such pain. I had to have my gallbladder out and it was very painful. I am hoping you get sorted out quickly.
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I hope you have a pain free night and will be able to get some rest. I'm very eager to find out what is really going on!
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Oh, dear, that gall bladder pain is, well, a real pain! :cuddle;
Hoping you get this sorted out ASAP!
Aleta
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If there's anything new, I'll try to post tomorrow after dialysis. Hopefully by then some things will be figured out
It was kind of cool, after telling the doctor covering for my family doctor the story about the ER docs not believing me when I said I had peritonitis.. they said I had gallstones.. we were both right in that instance, but the peritonitis is what was causing the real problems... She came into the room, and the first thing she said was, "you were right..again." *LOL*
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:cuddle; I hope it's something easy to fix (is it ever? lol) - good luck!! :waving;
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Beat wishes :flower;
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So, I'm still in limbo. They're waiting for some more bloodwork to come back, but from what they've seen so far, everything seems to be doing what it's supposed to. The doctor said that if they're not going to do any kind of surgery for a few days, then they might be able to get me something to eat. Since I haven't had anything since Sunday, well, this excites me
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It sounds like pacreatitis. Your pancreatic enzymes are probably elevated on the blood test. The amylase and lipase which are the ezymes that digest food. Pacreatitis can be caused by blockage of the bile ducts backing the enzymes into the pancreas causing inflammation and SEVERE pain. It may be trated non surgically or sometimes by endoscopy down through your upper GI sysytem into the ducts. It should get better in time . Hang in there.
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It sounds like pacreatitis. Your pancreatic enzymes are probably elevated on the blood test. The amylase and lipase which are the ezymes that digest food. Pacreatitis can be caused by blockage of the bile ducts backing the enzymes into the pancreas causing inflammation and SEVERE pain. It may be trated non surgically or sometimes by endoscopy down through your upper GI sysytem into the ducts. It should get better in time . Hang in there.
That's what I have. The blockage is caused by gallstones. The next thing they want to do is see if there's still stones blocking the ducts. If there are, they're going to remove them, and then they're going to remove the gallbladder so it doesn't happen again.
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I certainly hope this is resolved soon!
:grouphug;
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I hope you stay out of pain. But, if in a lot of pain they will do something. Exhausting!
Hang in there.
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Riki , I am glad they are trying to sort things out, the pain must be aweful. Keep us informed.
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I had the MRI test today, and there are no stones in the ducts. YAY! That means food! I still need to have the gallbladder out, but with no stones blocking anything, like the pancreas, so that's good. I think.
I went over my data on my phone, which is what I was using to connect my laptop to the internet, so that's why I haven't been around. I think it's time to get a dedicated mobile internet stick for my laptop. Maybe I'll see if I can't get out of here for a quick shopping trip tomorrow.
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Hope you get to eat soon, Riki. Also hope for a speedy recovery. Hospitals aren't fun.
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I had food.. it was the best crappy vegetable soup and dry turkey sandwich I've ever had.. *LMAO*
They're staying that the gallbladder can come out at any time, and perhaps it'll happen sometime this weekend
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Glad to hear you were fed. All the best honey, and stay strong.
Lots of love, Cas
:flower;
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Crappy vegetable soup and a dried-out turkey sandwich? Yum!!! Sounds delicious!
Seriously, Riki, I'm so glad you're feeling better. I'm sure the gallbladder surgery will go well and you'll be feeling way better in no time.
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The original plan, though it wasn't told to me, was to have the gallbladder surgery today, but when the surgeon and I had a little conversation, we decided that it might be better to leave it till a non dialysis day through the week, for a couple of reasons. One, I think he's afraid to do anything surgically with me, because I'm a dialysis patient. He told me that he was unsure of how I would heal and recover after the surgery because I was on dialysis. I know how well I heal and recover, and I know it'll be no big deal. Two, I was in no way prepared mentally for surgery today. I knew nothing of it until I got no breakfast this morning. This way, I'll have a conversation with the surgeon who works during the week with regular scheduling, instead of the seemingly overworked surgeon on the weekend who had been doing emergency surgeries until long after midnight last night, and we can schedule the surgery, and I can mentally prepare myself for it, instead of having it sprung on me like it was this morning. I'm stable and in no pain, so we both believed that this was the best course of action.
My next task will be to talk to the renal dietician on Monday to see if she can fudge something in the computer and get me on a regular diet, cuz the renal diet here that they automatically put me on is absolutely disgusting. I don't think the food will do much for me if I don't eat it. She knows that I know how to choose the right foods for me, and I keep my levels almost normal without the use of any binders or supplements, and she knows this, so hopefully it won't be a problem.
Today, the lovely little lady that I was rooming with and I were both moved from the "surgical" unit to the "miscellaneous" unit, unfortunately, not in the same room. She's on the other side of the unit in a semi-private, and I'm in another ward with 2 other very cute, lovely ladies. It's too bad we all couldn't have been put in the same room. I think we all would get along really well. At least I can walk over and visit with her and play a game or two of cards. One of the ladies in the room bares a striking resemblance to my paternal grandmother who died 13 years ago this week. It's kind of eerie, but still, I like her.
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You know what they say about hospital food.... :P I'm sorry you're going through this. It really sucks to be in the hospital, but at least it sounds like your pain is under control. Hope you get better soon! :cuddle;
Anne
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thank you.. I really think I'm on the home stretch now
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So glad to hear that at least your 'thinken' ;) your on the home stretch!! Geesh, theres no place like home, and i hope you get there quickly and safe and sound :cuddle;
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OMG! That renal diet. Once I was in the hospital and I couldn't figure out how to order because the menu wasn't renal. I did my best. They rejected it and sent me an empty plate! The doctor asked me if I was eating and I told him what happened. He got on the phone with them and still had trouble getting me something I would eat. They were so obnoxious about it. But on a later admission I did finally get a menu where they blocked out the things I couldn't have so I finally had a chance at getting a meal.
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I know my way around the renal diet. I've been working with it since 1991.
I have a whole new saga today. This morning, a doctor I didn't know came in and told me that he thought I was well enough to go home. My thought was, "what? I haven't have my surgery yet." He told me that the surgery was elective so I could just go home and contact the surgeon myself to book a time to have the gallbladder out. Now, I never thought that it was elective. It seemed to me that all week, the other doctor had been saying that they needed to be sure I had no rogue stone in ducts so they could take out the gallbladder and be done with it. I think what happened was, they were going to try to squeeze me in somewhere yesterday for surgery, but I knew that the surgeon had been doing emergency surgeries well after midnight the night before, and he did seem a bit tired when I talked to him. He seemed very hesitant to do the surgery at all, and he was making me a bit nervous about the whole thing, so when he asked if I thought we should go ahead, I said that I'd like to talk to my mom about it first. That's where he said we could leave it for the day. I didn't think anything of it until the doctor here today said that the surgeon put in his notes that I had refused treatment. Between me and my mom, we fought for me to stay in the hospital because if I went home, it could be anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months before I could get in to have the gallbladder out, and I certainly don't want to wait that long. I don't want to have another attack either, especially if both my gallbladder and my pancreas are affected. That was the most pain I've ever felt in my life, and it's not something I'd like to go through again.
At any rate, I'm still in the hospital, and I'll have to talk to another surgeon tomorrow to see what's going on.
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Well, color me confused! To be sure, though, I wouldn't want an overworked ER doc to be operating on me!
Ya gotta get that gallbladder out/resolved. That's a horrible pain.
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I was told when I got back from dialysis today that the surgery will tentatively be done tomorrow. I'm all for it. A different surgeon, actually, the one I was speaking with all last week when we were going through all the diagnostics, has said that he will try to fit me into his schedule. He doesn't seem as apprehensive about the fact that I'm a dialysis patient when numerous previous surgeries including 2 transplants as the surgeon that I spoke to on Saturday, so I have a lot more confidence in him as well.
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Riki, Hope the surgery went OK and that you are feeling alright.
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hope your recovering well sending all my love and :grouphug;
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:waving; Hey Riki - thinking of you!
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Riki, Hope the surgery went OK and that you are feeling alright.
Hear, hear!!
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This is Riki's Mom. She asked me to tell you that she had her surgery and is recovering well. She will be back on line soon with all the details.
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Thanks, Riki's Mom! We have been concerned about her and appreciate the update. We look forward to hearing from her soon!
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Oh, Riki, it seems nothing about this has been easy for you. Well done, you and mom, in refusing to let them brush you aside. It pays to know how the system works and to not be timid about standing up for yourself. *applause*
So thrilled that you made it through the operation and, touch wood, that this will mean the end of this pain for you. Wishing you a speedy recovery! :flower; :flower; :flower;
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I am hoping that the incision pain that I have now will be the last of the pain for a good long while. The older surgeon that was around last weekend really didn't want to do the surgery at all. I think he, like many of the older doctors in the province, was afraid to do anything to me because I'm a dialysis patient. My neph has been quite involved, just making sure that nothing done will hinder dialysis. He even changed my pain medication, giving something not so strong that doesn't wash out as quickly.
I was in ICU after the surgery, but that was mostly because they have the plumbing for dialysis up there and the neph and the surgeon thought it would be better to not move me around too much directly after surgery. So, my dialysis was done in ICU on Wednesday, and today I was back in my regular chair, even if I couldn't sand for a weight or standing BP
Something I have noticed, since the surgery on Tuesday, my BP has gone down considerably. I'm wondering if maybe the irritated gallbladder was causing the BP issues, and now that it's gone, so are those issues.
All I really need to do now, in order to get home, is to get rid of the drain in my side, and to come off the injected pain meds. I'm working on it, slowly, but working on it.
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Riki, so pleased every thing went OK, you sound quit cheerful and yes I bet you can not wait to get home. Take things easy.
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yeah, I would like to get home, but I know I'm not quite there yet. I still need help getting from the chair to the bed, so climbing the stairs at home would be more of a challenge than I'm ready for. *G*
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:flower; Hope you heal well!
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Riki, it sounds like you just might be on the mend! :clap; Well done!
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I certainly am hoping so. It took a bit of throwing weight around to get it done, but you do what you gotta do. There are times when I'm glad I have an aggressive mother
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Pleased to hear of the improvement.
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Great to hear its done now, and wishing you a speedy recovery,
Lots of love Cas
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Speedy recovery Riki. :grouphug; :grouphug;
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Just saw this Riki, sorry to hear of what is going on with you.
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I got the drain out today, and they're really pushing to get me out of here. Not that I wouldn't like to go home, my BP is a good bit lower than it was before, so I want to be sure that I'm not going to pass out on my mom once we're home. I do need to practice walking around more if I want to get anywhere close to home. I still have all the staples in, so I'm not sure what the deal would be with those.
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Welll if your like me when I had staples, I got a couple dollies out and played them like a xylophone! :-[ :rofl; :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
And the way they take them out is just like using a staple remover in an office.
Hope you get to practice more of walking and do not pass out.
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I've had staples in before.. *G* I've just never been outside a hospital with the staples still in. I never realized how much I use the muscles that they cut through either.. just standing up sometimes can be exhausting.. I wasn't this sore after transplant
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Hope you recover quickly. :flower; Give yourself lots of time to heal.
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I'm definitely working on it, Del
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That cutting muscles thing really sucks. You don't realize which muscles you use til you can't. Keep on getting strong!
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Some of the nurses are getting a little snippy with me, and don't like that I've been here so long. I had to fight for stronger pain meds this afternoon. They are used to people leaving for home 3 or 4 days after surgery, and I think they forget that it takes longer for me to bounce back and to heal because I'm a dialysis patient. I want a PT person to help me try out some stairs, as I want to know how I will do on them before I even think of going home
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Don't let any hospital staff make you leave before you are ready. Why on earth would a nurse think a patient would be in the hospital for "too long"? They aren't paid to make those judgments.
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this nurse didn't want to give me any pain medication this afternoon. Mind you, it's a narcotic, but she offered me regular strength tylenol in it's place. I've grown a tolerance for regular strength tylenol. It hasn't done anything for me in years. I don't know why she thought it would be better. It's not like I was popping the pain meds all day long either. That was around suppertime, and it was the first time I'd asked for any
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Riki, I would complain about her. I had to with one nurse. Also have you asked your doctor to order pt? I had to do that with reccent hospital stay.
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yeah, and PT was around the other day to check on my walking, since they did slice through those core abdominal muscles. It's a little hard to stand up straight, but I have found that I'm in less pain when walking and standing than when sitting.
Also, tonight, with my mom's help, I went up and down some stairs outside the nursing unit without any real issues, so I'm going to try to nail down the doctor to talk about the plan to go home, since I still have 17 staples across my upper abdomen.
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I'm home, though I'll be back there tomorrow for dialysis
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I hope you are doing ok without more pt Riki
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I have a walker that I'll need to use for the next month or so until the muscles heal up a little better, since I can't stand for very long before I start to get sore. My breathing is almost back to normal, but I'm still coughing a bit. Sleeping in my own bed is like Heaven.
also, having a proper internet connection is getting hard to get used to again. *L*
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Good to hear that you are home hon
:cheer:
Lots of love Cas
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Back in hospital. Long story short, went to doc Monday and discussed health issues going on, had labs drawn, went back upstairs to her office, collapsed on her. Sent down to ER at 2:30 pm and waited 12 hours to be seen (long part of story), finally got a room not on the transplant floor Tuesday after 7 am.
Chemical stress test done, labs, x-rays. One problem found and now looking for intial cause to cause this to happen.
Whitley stayed with me till 11 pm Monday when parents came to take her home. She did not want to leave and had to be picked up to get her on her feet.
Bed ridden again, food is being chosen for me for some odd reason and served fish, the one food I told them I would not eat!
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Sorry to hear that....feel better.
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Oh dear Chris, I'm so sorry this happens now.
Is it your heart?
Good luck honey, and I really hope they'll supply some food you can eat soon.
Lots of love, Cas
:pray;
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Oh no! What the hell happened? This is rather scary...
I hope they find out soon what's going on. I hate to hear this news.
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Sorry, I thought I posted this in my thread Okarol started from my hospital stay a couple weeks ago.
Heart - undetermined, stress test has to be done again. Cancelled due to high bp during some phase of test