Dont you just wish you had stayed in bed !

[KICKSTART]

Phew what a day ive had , i think ive been through every emotion in the book again, this is what i dont like about kidney failure it messes with all your emotions. I have mentioned i have changed from several good years on CAPD  to the Cycler and since then i havent felt right ..well today i ended up at the hospital. I was sat quietly watching tv last night , when the ground started to come up to meet me and how i didnt pass out i dont know, anyway as soon as i was able to move i got my self into bed, i cant say i slept well. When i got up this morning i felt sick , dizzy but the worst thing for me ..i was fighting off a panic attack ( i havent had any for about 6 months now) and of course got myself in a right state. My biggest worry is that its my heart again and of course the panic attack makes it seem like it is. Anyway i rang the hospital who said get down there to get checked out . My bloods have come back as expected , not brill, but my blood pressure is yo yo ing like crazy , from really really high to quite low. The cycle either doesnt pull enough fluid off or pulls to much off. The doctor said this was why i was feeling so bad, my body has got used to my b.p. being so high for so long , its now a shock to my system when it drops (to near normal) So i ve spent most of the day there having tests done etc. The next thing they are going to do is arrange for me to have a monitor fitted for a few days to see what my heart is actually doing day to day ..it like to do the rumba now and again ! But in all seriousness im scared , not of any tests , not of any treatment, but off passing out or worse .. cause no one would find me .

[jbeany]

Uuuugh - sounds scary!   Hope the heart problems are anxiety and can be treated.  Hang in there!

 

[paul.karen]

Kickstart why dont you go back to CAPD.  I imagine the freedom of the cycler may be nice and i hope you work it out. 
I am sure it is scary and i wish you the best as always. 
Please make frequent apparences here so we dont worry.
I hope they sort you out A.S.A.P.......

[willowtreewren]

Oh, Kickstart,
Take care. This must be very stressful, but that stress isn't good for you, either.

I will be thinking about you and hope you will keep us posted on how you are doing.
Aleta

[Deanne]

I understand your worry. I live alone, too and have had times (blood sugar level of 1500 when I was on prednisone, and when I had a DVT) when I worried that something would happen and no one would know I needed help. I was glad I had a job to go to just so I knew someone would notice if I dropped in front of them.

Is there someone who you can arrange regularly scheduled check-in times with? I'm thinking of something like you agree to call Person X at 10:00 every morning, just to say you're ok, Person Y at 2:00 every afternoon (or at whatever intervals you're comfortable with). The agreement is that if you don't call at those times, they're to try to call you (to see if you forgot to call) or to send help if they can't reach you.

[rose1999]

I am so sorry to hear you are having more problems, you've had more than enough lately.  Can you get one of those medic alert things to hang around your neck so you can pull it for help.  Although I suppose that's only good if you pull it before you fall/faint.  Deanne's idea is good if you have enough people to arrange say 3 calls during each day.  I really hope things improve for you and soon 

[Lucinda]

Sounds like the cycler is taking off too much fluid and you are a bit dehydrated.  I have high blood pressure which is even hard to control with medication and the only time it was low was when they took off too much fluid that didn't need to be taken off.  Exactly the same thing would happen to me when I went to the gym. The treadmill would come up to meet my face and I was dizzy etc.  Now I drink water while I am exercising and it never happens anymore.  Understandable that you are nervous being on your own but definitely sip fluids when you feel like that and it should help.  Maybe you should think about going back onto CAPD if that is possible.  Better the devil you know than something new especially if you are on your own.

[monrein]

Do you have a service there like we have here to check that people are OK when living on their own?  My mother-in-law has a thing called Lifeline.  She wears a necklace thingy while in her apartment and there is a monitoring device hooked up through the phone.  If she falls or feels funny or whatever, she pushes the button and someone will respond.  She can talk to them from anywhere in the apt.  They also call her periodically to check on things, and make sure that the system is functioning correctly.  They will call an ambulance if need be or call us or call the desk downstairs, depending on the situation.
This has given all of us tremendous peace of mind.


I'm so sorry that things have been so messed up lately. 

[KICKSTART]

Just checking in ! Some good ideas there thanks but we dont have any schemes like that over her unless you are of a 'certain' age ! I dont have any to call me day to day , my mother used to when she was speaking to me but it ended up more of an interrogation if i said i was going anywhere.