ugh, when it rains it pours...

[Darthvadar]

Great news, Calypso...

I'm so pleased that this went pretty well for you... I was thinking about you today, and wondering what was happening....

My mum's fistula never matured, and needling was a nightmare.. She's on PD now...

Keep fighting the good fight...

May God bless and protect you!....

Darth...

[calypso]

Great news, Calypso...

I'm so pleased that this went pretty well for you... I was thinking about you today, and wondering what was happening....

My mum's fistula never matured, and needling was a nightmare.. She's on PD now...

Keep fighting the good fight...

May God bless and protect you!....

Darth...

Thank you Darth! Only thing I don't understand is why would they stick a fistula that hadn't matured yet?

[Stoday]

Thanks for the detailed description, Calypso. That's one fewer things I have to worry about.

And I'm delighted to hear that your fistula was recovered.

[Bruno]

I've been told to go straight to emergency if my fistula blows because there is often the chance they can fix it straight away. I'm supposed to tell emergency the problem and ask that they contact my surgeon's registrar. But all this is possible because I live 5 minutes away from mt centre and hospital.
In Calypso's situation I'd be doing exactly what he is doing.

[natnnnat]

Wow Calypso, that's great news, and what a cracking post you wrote describing it all.
 

[calypso]

Thanks everyone! And Happy Thanksgiving to those here that celebrate it.

So I was thinking about this stuff today on D.

My blood pressure has on hemo always gone down and then up again throughout treatment.

Sometimes it starts out at say 150/98 then down to 131/86 then back up to 150/92 or some such. The numbers are always different but the trend is always the same, down, then back up again. For example sometimes I drop very low (for me) like last sat, to 105/50 or whatever it was.

Sometimes my bp has been higher at the end of D than at the start. My UF is always positive though. I always come off with less fluid than going in.

I've always wondered how the bp could be higher with less fluid in the system. I think I now understand the mechanism. I used to think maybe the machine was filtering the bp meds out of the bloodstream or that the bp meds just wore off, or both. I no longer think that is the case.

I think the body senses low blood pressure, or low blood volume to the brain and counteracts that by constricting the blood vessels to get more blood to the brain. That would explain why the low blood pressure goes high after D for me, and why even though my bp had returned to normal after D that fateful day on sat, my blood vessels constricted enough to cause clotting off.

Course there was the subsequent dehydration from getting sick, and that doesn't help matters as dehydration may make clotting more likely. But I think pulling enough fluid to go dizzy is probably not a good idea at least for me. Sure it will get me closer to dry weight but it's not worth the potential loss of a fistula that is still maturing.

So what do you all think? Is that how vasoconstriction /dilation mechanism works or am I off base? I realize other factors affect this such as temperature. Just wanted to know what you think of this theory of mine? I don't have any formal education in medicine or anatomy so I'm just guessing/grasping at straws.

[Darthvadar]

Great news, Calypso...

I'm so pleased that this went pretty well for you... I was thinking about you today, and wondering what was happening....

My mum's fistula never matured, and needling was a nightmare.. She's on PD now...

Keep fighting the good fight...

May God bless and protect you!....

Darth...

Thank you Darth! Only thing I don't understand is why would they stick a fistula that hadn't matured yet?

The reason is that two PermaCaths had bitten the dust... One through infection, the second one, only one side of worked... Oh and it's NEVER matured...

Again, great that it's getting better for you...

Darth...

[boswife]

I was so happy to read of your success!!  Amazing things CAN happen.  Im really glad it did for you 

[calypso]

Thank You!

[ODAT]

 

Glad to hear your fistula was fixed! If low blood pressure did cause fistulas to clot, then my mom would have lost hers over a dozen times! Unfortunately, her bp drops low quite often. I was at the center last week - mom was sleeping so I just sat there. Her bp was down to 91/54 - I've seen it as low as 89/50, and they woke her up to ask her how she was feeling. She said fine. But I really wanted to say to them, she feels fine because she can't move, but she'd probably feel faint if she had to stand up. I know that bp drops doing dialysis and that they stop the run for a bit (they actually stopped mom's for 15 minutes that day) and if it still isn't good, give you saline.

[calypso]

Glad to hear your fistula was fixed! If low blood pressure did cause fistulas to clot, then my mom would have lost hers over a dozen times! Unfortunately, her bp drops low quite often. I was at the center last week - mom was sleeping so I just sat there. Her bp was down to 91/54 - I've seen it as low as 89/50, and they woke her up to ask her how she was feeling. She said fine. But I really wanted to say to them, she feels fine because she can't move, but she'd probably feel faint if she had to stand up. I know that bp drops doing dialysis and that they stop the run for a bit (they actually stopped mom's for 15 minutes that day) and if it still isn't good, give you saline.

Thanks   Well yes I mentioned in an earlier post that some in my D clinic have pressures much lower than mine and seem to do fine, but their fistulas are already developed, whereas mine is still not mature yet. Also while on D they are on heparin. I may have lost it when I got home and got even more dehydrated from the illness. I was so dehydrated after vomiting that I started to sweat profusely and felt dizzy like I was about to pass out. I stayed conscious though. Mind over matter Then i went straight to the ER because I couldn't replenish fluids myself.

[sullidog]

when I go to the er over a non working access they will ccall my vascular group. Keep us posted on what they tell you.

[Bruno]

Hey Calypso, your posts are great and help me a lot, so thanks. Here's my take: I think your BP goes down because you are moving blood out of your body. This is why doctors years ago used leechs and not so long ago blood letting..to reduce blood pressure.
I think your blood pressure returns to normal at the end of a session because you put the blood back into your system, plus in your case if I remember rightly plenty of saline.
As I understand it the purpose of saline is to raise your blood pressure by getting some salt into your system.
I think the problem with too much fluid being taken off is often dehydration which can make even normal people very crook and which includes low BP as a symptom.