Maybe its time....for Dialysis

[tyefly]

   Well  I am back from my vacation in the woods....  had a great time..... was only sick a few times... body still hurts but  I took pain pills to help and make the vacation a nice one.... hiking and all of that sightseeing stuff.....  I am still kind of sick....  nausea sometime when I caught too much as It seem like I have fluid in my lungs at time.... stomach cramps and up it comes.....  not fun.... anyway.... I did my blood and the results was  GFR is 14  but my potassium and phos is right where it should be.. the only thing that is low is my CO2.. all my other labs are where they should be except for the RBC and hemoglobin which is at 10.2 and I am on EPO (5 weeks) and still waiting for it to work.....  My last appt with my surgeon who did my fistula 6 weeks ago said it ready to go... I was surprised... as I thought it took longer and really doesn't look any different than when he first did the surgery.... I was expecting something to pop out or get bigger or something...    I guess I am wondering if I should approach my doctor and ask him about starting......   I am not ready  but I know I will never truly be ready.....  I am thinking that if they start me now before I am really sicker and if they blow my fistula up   ( new fistula ) then at least I will have some time for that to heal...  its that sad..... I don't trust the whole deal....   I have had so many things go wrong with medical and dental   that I truly don't trust anyone to do it right....  I almost died with my last dental treatment with my inplants  and with the numbness in my lower arm from them placing the fistula in my upper arm....      DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.............  I keep asking and they all say    they are the best .... and then they miss it up.....  I have had really bad luck with medical and dental.....  All I keep hearing is    I am sorry this has happened....  and we can do anything about it..... its not so bad.....   all of that.....  so when I die from bad dialysis or what ever   I am sure they will say     well   I guess we should of not done that.....   Sorry about the complaining......   I just don't have any confidence in anyone..... and that is very sad...... 

[Hanify]

Yuck.  Horrible situation to be in.  I don't think you'll ever be ready for dialysis.  You might just have to do it!  The people you work with are good people - no one will do anything that will kill you.  They mean well really.  Just make sure you know what is happening and why, and you'll be fine.  Good luck.

[willowtreewren]

Tyefly,

Have you been squeezing a stress ball to exercise your fistula? Do that several times a day. That will strengthen it considerably.

They told my husband that his fistula was ready after 6 weeks, too, but he didn't have to use it then. He got infiltrated a few times at the start. It is big and strong now, for sure.

But as far as you are feeling, I think that since you are asking this question, you already know the answer. No, we don't go gladly into dialysis. But let me tell you, my husband felt soooo much better after getting some of those toxins out of his system. He had no idea how bad he felt until he started feeling better.

The nausea, the feeling of fluid...

I know that you have really, really been educating yourself about this process so you are so much further ahead than we were. Keep asking those questions. I think the medical field stays a bit more on their toes when they know that a patient is well-informed.

Best wishes what ever you decide.

Aleta