My Worst Dialysis Session

[Bajanne]

Well, last Wednesday was an absolutely AWFUL session for me.  Almost everything that could go wrong, DID!
It started in a quite normal fashion.  Lidocaine needles - OUCH, that sting!  Then the 15 needles - no problem.  However, soon, with the air-conditioning set to 72º, I was feeling rather hot.  They even had to give me a piece of card to fan myself with.  Then, my blood pressure just plummetted.  I can always feel when it is getting low (I never feel anything when it is high). 
Then the dizziness started; I felt like I would pass out.  Then for the first time on dialysis, I vomitted (forever, it seemed).  The nurses were quite concerned - I had about 4 of them around me.  Then with the saline, oxygen and some fanning by a nurse, I started to feel better.  T
hen I needed to go to the bathroom (again, the first time on dialysis).  They clamped me and took off the stuff from the machine.  I went and came back.
When the nurse was setting me back up, he noticed that my venous needle was coming out.  When he tried putting it back again, it seems that it went into my skin, because I could feel liquid coming into my skin and it was swelling. 
At that point, they decided to give up.  They finished me off and let me go home, nearly 2 hours early.  Was that the end of my problems?  NO!!
When they took out the needles, as usual, I had to hold the place (one thing I do not like doing, since I never seem to know when it is finished.  The venous went okay, but when I was holding the arterial, I fell asleep.  You see, I usually sleep, but because of the drama, I had not slept for the session.  Now with relatively quiet period, I dropped off.  I looked up to see my precious blood on the pillow, on the sheet, on my blouse!  That took some cleaning up.
They told me I would have to come back today for 2 hours, and I did.  Today was fine - happily, very uneventful.
The only problem is that my regular session is tomorrow, so that means I would have spend 3 days at the centre.

[Sara]

((HUGS)) to you Bajanne!  Joe has experienced something similar this week.

[Rerun]

To get blood out use Hydrogen Peroxide.  It bubbles it right out. 

Just a hint from - Martha!   

[Bajanne]

Thanks for the hug, Sara, and the advice, Rerun!

[RichnStacy]

Bajanne2000 wrote:

Well, last Wednesday was an absolutely AWFUL session for me

Sorry to hear you had such a rough time Wednesday.  Hopefully with any luck you will not have any repeat of that type of situation.  Hang in there

Any idea what caused your blood pressure to drop so low?

[Panda_9]

Im concerned that you fell asleep while you were holding the needles....
Thats a dangerous thing to do, you really should be more careful. If you are that tired that you are going to fall asleep, ask the nurse to hold it. They dont know when its going to stop any better than you do, its just a matter of keeping an eye on the time, and checking. Eventually you will work out a rough time of how long it takes to stop.

[Bajanne]

I wasn't actually holding the needle; I was holding the place from which they came out.  After more than 9 months of dialysis, I still cannot guage when the blood has stopped, especially with the arterial side.   I remember once that it had supposedly stopped, they taped me up and I went home and off to the airport as I was travelling.  On the way there, it suddenly started to bleed again. It was a good thing that the nurses usually send me home with bandaid and some gauze.

[Panda_9]

Sorry bajanne, I didn't mean to say needles....whoops!
All you have to do to check if the blood has stopped, is just lift the gauze up slightly so you can see the hole. It may gush out, ooze a little, or do nothing. Check it after about 5 minutes of holding. If it gushes or oozes when you lift the gauze up, just quickly reapply pressure for another couple of minutes, then check again. Its really not that hard to do. Its either stopped or its not!
It can bleed hours later, but all you do is just apply pressure as normal until its stopped. I assume when it bled on the way to the airport that you yourself held it and checked when it was stopped?

[hyperlite]

One thing I always do if it starts to bleed after I have taken the band-aids off (lets say the morning after...), is I raise my arm in the arm like I'm answering a question at school. This usually allows it time to clot, and stop bleeding. Works for me...

[Len]

I use the   ((sure seal bandaids)) they have some clotting meds in them and work great. but they are damned expensive if you have to buy them. the green ones have a bigger pad than the brown ones

[hyperlite]

Yeah I use those too...but i didnt know that theyve got a clotting medicine in them...thats probably why I stop bleeding so quickly after dialysis. Only problem is they sometimes rip the scab off when im taking them off, which starts the bleeding again.

[Len]

seeing that I do a run each day I leave the bandage on  and about 3 or 4 hours before my next run I squirt hot water under the bandage   when I pull the bandage off there is never a scab

[kevno]

Not my worst dialysis day just a bad one. Tuesday 6th June, I had a feeling it was going to be a bad day. 6/6/06. IN other words 666. Went on the machine OK. Asked for my pain killer 10mins before I am due to have it so it can be got ready. I got told that the unit was short staffed and no one could go and get the key for the drugs cupboard. So I waited, after 30mins I asked again by this time the pain was getting very bad. Then I demanded a saline flush to try to ease the pain a bit. It did work a bit. then one hour late I had the injection. Two hours into dialysis. I was suppose to have another one one and a half hours after that one. But it was to late to have the second one. The drug would not dialyize out of my body. So once again the pain was getting bad again. I could not have the second injection so I come off the machine with half an hour to go. Plus because I had the flush 0.5kg over my dry weight.

Was on my computer sending a e-mail as soon as I got home to the head of the unit. Today she was on, and I was told that she had a very long talk to the staff. It felt very strange today, the nurses kept asking me how I was. Got the pain killers without asking for them after one hour, then one and a half hours after that. Not to sure what see said be it looks like it worked. (FOR NOW )

Kevno

[Panda_9]

What sort of pain do you get kevno?

[kevno]

Vascular pain in my right leg. I am seeing the Surgeon again this week. He was going to amputate the leg below the knee on the 10th of April, but I said NO. So been holding on to see what happens. On the machine I am on 100mg of pethidine. On Durogesic DTrans 3 day patch 50 mcg/hr. Plus 100g tramadol at night. At home.

Still can not make my mind up what to do. I know the pain is slowly going worse. On the machine, I can not say how bad the pain is. I have been told by a nurse. I do not show when I am in pain. In other words. I am not a screamer. Like a lot on the unit. The unit here at Manchester is a acute unit, so there are plenty of ill patients.

Must make up my mind what to do. Lost over 7kgs in 3 months. I have been told that I am loosing the strength to have the operation if I do not do something. Two choices remove half f the foot, that as a 10% chance of working. But if I have that done I will have to stay in hospital for  2 to 3 weeks to make sure it heals. if it does not. That after that time I will  have the amputation.

I have been having operations now for 34years, never said no before. This is so different to any operation I have ever had. All the over operation. You have something cut out or put in, the pain a scar and thats it. But to have my let cut off is something so different for me.

Kevno

[Panda_9]

I can imagine how hard of a decision that would be to make kevno. I guess all you can do is weigh up your options and the outcomes, and decide what you think is best for you.

[kitkatz]

Kevno,
  Do you want the resources I have found on the net for amputees.  I belong to yahoo group that is active.  Email me and we will talk.  My hubby is going through this now as you know.  It is a different world, but I am learning it is not an impossible thing to live with.

Katherine