3rd week on APD and I think.......... I'm doing fine.

[komomai]

Aloha from Okinawa, I'm now on my 3rd week of doing APD using the Baxter cycler.  Latest checkup with my doctor and my numbers have gone down bun was at a high of 79 now it's at 43, creatin was at a high of 6.2 now at 5.9, but my weight has shot up I've put on about 8-10 pounds and I was already overweight to start.  Also my ankles and legs are very swollen.  Doctor told me to go on a diet, and he prescribed some medication for the excess swelling also I've been itching like crazy, and I don't want to scratch it and cause and infection, well he also prescribed some medication for that also.  I mentioned to him about giving me a stronger dialysis solution bag as I'm using the 1.5%, he said no to that as he said the stronger solutions would cause my lining not to last as long.

Still no joy with getting an extension for my drain and patient line, as the Japan Baxter rep said so sorry not available in Japan, so I guess I'm stuck with what I have.  The Baxters rep suggestion was that during the dwell cycles I could break the connection and before the drain cycle hook back up, just doesn't make sense to me, as I'm awake when I start my dialysis and would like to get on my computers.  They did at my asking them set up my machine for tidal settings I think he set it at 65%?  I will see how that works as far as the low volume drain alarms.

Really appreciate this site for all the super information.  Mahalo.

Aloha,
Komomai

[Restorer]

That doesn't sound good. You sound like you're putting on fluid weight because you're absorbing a lot of the 1.5% solution. Yes, your peritoneal lining might wear out faster with a higher dextrose dialysate, but not as quickly as you'll have much more dire problems if you keep absorbing fluid. I can't believe your doctor would prescribe something for the swelling (I'm guessing it's a diuretic) and not prescribe you bag of solution to pull out more water.

[komomai]

Thanks, I'm scheduled for a checkup in Nov. and if the excess fluid is still an issue, I'll tell the doctor if I can change my dialysis solution from 1.5 to 2.5.

Aloha,
Komomai

[phyl1215]

Hi, I have been told by my Baxter nurse to have 4 boxes of 2.5 on hand in case of swelling and or high blood pressure readings.  Talk to your Baxter nurse as mine seems to know more about PD (since they are trained for PD), my Dr. will call my nurse a lot of times if I ask a question he is not sure about as he is a kidney Dr. not specifically trained in PD.  Itching is caused by either phosphors or potassium being off, blood work should show that.  Ask a lot of questions....and get your answers.  Good luck!

[billybags]

komomai, how many bags are you using on your cycler? it seems wrong to be using just a 1.36 bag or yellow bag as we call it in the UK. You have to use a 2.27 green bag to get fluid off. My husband uses a green and two yellow and finishes off with a extraneal to take him through till tea-time. Do you do a manual 2.27 at tea-time. When he first went on APD he used a 1 green and 1 yellow. Over time you will get use to what needs to be on the machine. If weight goes up its a green, if weight goes down its a yellow. Hope this helps. Are you sure your Doctor is a renal guy.

[komomai]

  Guess I'm not doing fine as 10 days ago i woke up as usual to get ready for work, noticed this slight pain in my chest.  Started off to work and while driving chest pain got worst, drove myself to my hospital ER and went in.  They stopped my heart pain with some nitro spray, which caused the pain to subside.  Doctors told me they want to do the stints and ballon which of course will destroy what's left of my kidneys but can't live without a heart so I agreed and scheduled for that evening.  While waiting In the ER I caught a fever and a cough, surgery was canceled and they admitted me to a room, this is where it goes downhill , got another bad case of chest pains and this time they used 4 shots of nitro and finally morphine to get the pain to disappear, other drugs where used but I don't know  what they are.  Next day they say they are going to put me in the  isolation room in the ICU because of suspected TB and pneumonia.  Also in the ICU they started hemodialysis and during the 6 days they pulled about 8.8 liters of water fro me me, I did 3, 3 hour sessions.  On the sixth day still had pneumonia but no TB, which meant I could be discharged from the ICU.  Doctors said chest pains where caused by too much water in my body and they will discharge me to recover at home and reschedule my angio surgery. 

Still trying to get them to prescribe a higher solution fro me the current pd-4,1.5 so I can start taking the water out.  Oh yeah I do run into the language barrier with the Japanese.

Mahalo to everyone for the wisdom and advice.

Aloha
Komomai

[billybags]

Wow, where did all this come from, you poor thing. I hope you are feeling a lot better, you do need higher bags, thats why you are collecting fluid in your body and its the fluid that upsets your heart. 1.5 bags do not take much fluid off. If you stay on these you will end up back in IOU. Are they keeping you on hemo until things are sorted out? or are you back to doing manual bags?

[komomai]

Aloha Billybags, I'm still in the hospital, still trying to kick what's left of my bout with pneumonia.  Yesterday they took out the temporary connection for hemodialysis.  And I've been on my Baxter doing APD, still a battle trying to get them to change the prescription to 2..5. The  good news is that they might let me go home to rest, reschedule for the  angio surgery for the heart.  Bad news is the cost, I do have US health insurance but I need to pay up front and file claims and wait for reimbursement, gets pretty expensive especially converting dollars to yen.

Mahalo for advice, take care.
Aloha,
Komomai     

[natnnnat]

Darn it komomai, I'm sorry to hear about all this business, which you describe in such matter of fact terms that it puts my worries and fretting to shame.  You have been in hospital at the same time as Gregory.  When do you think they will let you out?  (When you run out of yen?)  Are you feeling any better yet?   Gregory is so sick of hospital, hospital food, hospital wards, hospital hospital.  Hope you are resting and able to sleep alright at night, that the nurses are good and the food is edible...
keep posting to tell us how you are going
 

[komomai]

Aloha Natalya,

Doing fine the pneumonia is almost gone, sleeping  good except for the japanese bed mattress it's to thin for my big heavy butt.  Food is pretty bland, I'm thinking about a sub sandwich right now.  Nurses are super polite and they even apologize before they stick you for blood. Regarding payment I will make partial payments until my US insurance company catches up.

Hope Gregory is doing well with his stay in the hospital, take care.

Aloha,
Wendell

[natnnnat]

Aloha komomai-Wendell.
Hope hospital time is passing gently for you.   Hope your bed is comfortable for you.  Gregory is home tonight, a blessed relief.  I hope you will be home soon too.  Maybe tomorrow?  Let us know.  Talk about food being bland, mostly it was indescribably bad here, like, I just couldn't believe how they got it so bad, but then out of nowhere today they gave Gregory a chicken schnitzel for lunch, and it was kind of nice.  Sort of, not too bad at all... 
Shall I send a sub sandwich in the mail?  I'll do it!  PM me your address! 

[komomai]

Aloha Natalya,

Still stuck in hospital, they have scheduled the angiogram for tomorrow, followed by the angioplasty procedure if necessary. 

My APD is still not working right, after doing the temp-hemo I weighed 101 kilos, since then using APD I'm up to 104.  Again asked Dr. if I could switch to a higher dialysis solution, he wants to wait one more night.

lol!  On the sub sandwich, but I know I shouldn't be eating that kind of food, and I just need to change my habits. 

Tell Gregory I'm happy that's he's at home now, take care.

Aloha,
Komomai

[natnnnat]

How did the angio stuff go, komomai?  and the dialysis solution?
Gregory is at home now but they let him out early due to his negotiations, and he really is still unwell.  I suppose he is better off here because the bed is big enough (he is over 6 foot), so he can sleep.  But if you can sleep in hospital it probably is good to be there, they take good care of you.

[komomai]

The angio went fine they did mention tha one of the arteries was shrinking and was to small to  put a stint in.  They mentioned in a few years I would need a bypass but right now they where going to treat it with drugs.

Doctor finally agreed to a stinger solution I will use 1 bag of 1.5%, a bag of 2.5% and a bag of extraneal for final fill.

The good news is that they are going to discharge me today!!!!!  I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and relax in my man cave.

Take care,
Aloha, 
Komomai

[natnnnat]

Hooray!  Hooray for your relaxing man cave!  Welcome home komomai!
(don't overdo it.  We don't want a relapse)