Had a very bad session last night (again)

[Des]

3hours into the session I started feeling "funny" I was sweating like a pig and felt dizzy, tired and had a fast pulse.

I called the staff and they dropped my "head" down. Looking at the blood pressure they realised that it was VERY VERY low.

The last thing I rememebered was when someone said to take me off the machine because whatever they did wasn't working.

I woke up an hour later....... tired, cold and a bit wobley.

I hate when things like this happens!!!!! 

I HATE DIALYSIS!

[Tracy]

OHMYGOSH! How scary!  I've never had that happen to me (knock on wood)!  I would be really scared if that happened to me.  Did they find out why your blood pressure dropped so low?  My BP runs very low anyway and they have a hard time getting my top number to reach 100.  So, dropping lower like you did is a scary reality for me I think.  I hope you feel better.  Hang in there!   

[MooseMom]

Oh no, Des, I'm really sorry to hear this.   I wish there was something I could do for you.

[tyefly]

sounds like they are pulling too much water off again.......   I had those problems when I was in center..... 

    I     NEVER   have those problems now......   

 maybe try to not take so much water off.....  its ok to have a little......

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

Sounds like you are hitting "the wall. " They are trying to remove fluid that you don't have. Sounds like you are at your dry weight. Or if they weren't going for extra, maybe you gained body weight? Not unheard of  after Christmas season.

[del]

Sounds lke you ate well and gained weight!!

[Riki]

they're supposed to drop you back and give fluid, because they've taken too much.  In my unit they will also set the machine to not take off fluid, I think, but they tend to pause the dialysis at first, just in case they will need to take you off, and add the fluid.

[Des]

Sounds lke you ate well and gained weight!!

No lie there...... round an about 

[Des]

they're supposed to drop you back and give fluid, because they've taken too much.  In my unit they will also set the machine to not take off fluid, I think, but they tend to pause the dialysis at first, just in case they will need to take you off, and add the fluid.

They did, but I fainted anyways. 

[rsudock]

That sucks Des...sorry to hear that friend...

xo,
R

[KICKSTART]

Sounds like you crashed, all i can say in future as soon as you get the first signs , sweating or light headed get someone over. If they stop fluid being taken off you straight away it can prevent this but sound like you also need a little less fluid taking off now as well ...fatty  (you know im only joking  )

[Jean]

No wonder you hate it. That must have been one of the scariest times in your life. Sorry, Des.   

[Riki]

they're supposed to drop you back and give fluid, because they've taken too much.  In my unit they will also set the machine to not take off fluid, I think, but they tend to pause the dialysis at first, just in case they will need to take you off, and add the fluid.

They did, but I fainted anyways. 

I did that a few times in the beginning.. it's how I know what they're supposed to do..*L*  Once they got my dry weight figured out, it wasn't as common.  It still happens from time to time, though.

[mogee]

The worst thing about crashing is that you feel terrible for the rest of the day.  Even when your BP is back to normal, you still feel like you were hit by a bus.

[Des]

True!

I really feel unsafe on that &^% machine.

[KICKSTART]

Exactly why i fought them and learned as much as i could about that &^% machine, so i could have some control . I just struggle with the things i cant get up and do , believe me if i could figure a way of moving about with my machine i would but its a bit like pushing a Dalek round ..not that ive ever pushed one . Ive kicked one but thats a whole other story !!!

[Des]

I have kicked one of them myself 

[kamar55]

I've crashed many times and it's always scary. Sometimes it's due to pulling too much and sometimes to gaining "weight weight" and not fluid weight. I'm known as a "fast crash" in my center because my bp drops very low in a few minutes so the tech is on stand by when my bp gets below 100. Then I'll get a hyper-tonic or saline and they'll set the machine to just filter and not pull. I even crashed one time after just 5-10 min on machine and nobody could tell me why that happened. For me the worst about crashing is that I always bite my tongue really hard and lose tiny bits of it, bloody, etc. Yuck!

[Gandalf]

Des, it happened to me once, and I was so scared I stopped going to dialysis all together until it became a desperate measures issue.  I have absolute empathy - it is truly utterly terrifying to be at the mercy of some machine and to feel so powerless.  My heart is with you.  The only suggestion I can offer is to be hyper-vigilant for warning signs - spots in front of my eyes, coldness, light-headedness, nausea and clammy skin - well these warn me there is a very low BP coming my way.  Wish I could offer more constructive assistance.  Believe me, I to HATE DIALYSIS!

[GraphicBass]

Had that happen to me two weeks ago, but ended up in the ER for the next day. Treatments since then have been uneventful, but we've kept from going below my newly-discovered dry weight and am not pulling so much. Seems to work. Good luck on your treatments going forward. Don't give up; it's worth the effort to keep living!

gary

[Des]

I've crashed many times and it's always scary. Sometimes it's due to pulling too much and sometimes to gaining "weight weight" and not fluid weight. I'm known as a "fast crash" in my center because my bp drops very low in a few minutes so the tech is on stand by when my bp gets below 100. Then I'll get a hyper-tonic or saline and they'll set the machine to just filter and not pull. I even crashed one time after just 5-10 min on machine and nobody could tell me why that happened. For me the worst about crashing is that I always bite my tongue really hard and lose tiny bits of it, bloody, etc. Yuck!

Biting your tongue can't be nice.... The things we have to go through is just   

[Des]

Des, it happened to me once, and I was so scared I stopped going to dialysis all together until it became a desperate measures issue.  I have absolute empathy - it is truly utterly terrifying to be at the mercy of some machine and to feel so powerless.  My heart is with you.  The only suggestion I can offer is to be hyper-vigilant for warning signs - spots in front of my eyes, coldness, light-headedness, nausea and clammy skin - well these warn me there is a very low BP coming my way.  Wish I could offer more constructive assistance.  Believe me, I to HATE DIALYSIS!

Believe me I watch them like a hawk now. I refuse to fall asleep, what if something like this happens while I am asleep I shudder to think about it.   

[Des]

. Don't give up; it's worth the effort to keep living!

gary

Believe you me! I will never give up.!

[mogee]

kamar55, If you are connecting the arterial line, then priming the circuit with your own blood before connecting the venous line, you may be triggering a hypotensive episode.  To avoid this connect both lines at the same time, thereby replacing your outgoing blood with an equal volume of saline.  Ask your dialysis team if this could be helpful for you.