Ended up in the hospital last night

[paddbear0000]

It turns out that the vomiting that started on sunday, was just a virus or something. Probably that 24 hour stomach bug that's been going around. I hadn't been able to keep food down sunday, then couldn't keep fluids down either last evening. Fearing I needed emergency dialysis, Greg took me to the ER. The admitting nurse was an idiot though, she didn't even understand what I was talking about when I told what my kidney function was!    They gave fluids and phenergan, and I'm back home. I'm still feeling the way I have been for the last few weeks, just not like in the last few days!

[Sluff]

I hope you feel better soon, it is better to be checked out. 

[del]

Hope you feel better soon.  I hate it when there are people in the medical profession(especially ER) that don't know about some medical conditions!!     If they don't know they should educate themselves!!! 

[G-Ma]

or even "allow" themselves to be educated.

[circleNthedrain]

Sorry padd, ERs are the worst!  Hope you feel better soon.

[paddbear0000]

I forgot to mention something before. The doctor who saw me in the hospital said that it could be a year before I need dialysis. And he mentioned something about the fact that my potassium and phosphorus levels were fine. Do these have to be out of whack before they do dialysis, even if your kidney function is down to 9%? I'm confused. Wouldn't it be better to start dialysis before the damage gets done by the potassium and phosphorous being out of whack?

[monrein]

They need to keep monitoring your blood work Paddbear.  If your phosphorus goes up you'll need to take binders, if your potassium goes up that could be serious and need to be addressed too.  I'm surprised they're telling you to wait with 9% function not so much because of damage but because you feel so crap. 

[Mimi]

Sorry you are feeling so wretched Paddbear.  I'm at 22% and my neph wants blood work every
6 weeks.  Maybe you should talk to your Dr.  Anywho hope this virus business passes quickly.

Love, Mimi

[rose1999]

 

[Chris]

Sorry to hear your bout with up chuck charlie and the idiot nurses. I swear I didn't send any I knew over to you. Even with being trained as a nurse not specializing in renal fuction, they should know a little something especially when working in the ER.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Lucinda]

I am at 5% and I still feel fine so that is why they keep putting off my start time.  Generally I feel fine but my neph thinks I have just grown use to feeling like crap but I don't agree. I have gout at the moment but I am certainly not feeling sick or throwing up.  I'm sorry you are going through all this.  If I was feeling as bad as you have been the last few months I would definitely be asking them to get me started.  I hope you are feeling better soon.

[Romona]

 

[Tinah1968]

Hope you get to feeling better soon.

[2_DallasCowboys]

Sorry to read about your ER trip, PBear

Also sorry about the contact with the idiot nurses-
I can relate as to how aggravating that can be 

I think I would base your dialysis start time on what your
usual neph dr says, he should be the one most familiar with
your case and your blood work Just my

Wishing you the best,
Anne

[paul.karen]

:-(

Feel better soon padd.
Seems so many doctors have different points of view about when one should start dialysis.
My neph told me i will know better then him when i am ready to start??
But i get sick and dont admit im sick?  so hopefully he will at least help me figure out when it is time before the time has passed.

But i hope you bug pases fast for you.
P&K

[willieandwinnie]

  paddbear. Hope you start feeling better soon. 

[st789]

Home is comforting.

[pelagia]

  the ER is truly no fun...

[citygirl]

i startedPD dialysis after having 8% function.  It has now been 7 yrs and I am 73 yrs old.   

[joyfulmother]

-I have to say that my experience with the ER yesterday was amazing (and that's not the norm).  I went in and there was NO ONE in the waiting room.  Called me back immediately and I got in a room immediately.  Truly amazing.  They said an hour earlier the rooms were full and they had just cleared them out after lunch.

[kellyt]

My ER experience yesterday was semi-pleasant, as well.  When I walked in the waiting room seemed pretty full.  I went straight to the counter, told them I just got a kidney in Nov., told them I hit my fistula arm and they were opening the door to the back before I was even finished telling them what had happened.  They did ask me if I wanted to wait in the waiting room and I said "no".  They put me in a back room immediately and I waited there for maybe 10 minutes before they put me in one of the ER cubbies.  I waited longer for the nurse to check me out than for anything else.  Being that this is my first experience with the ER since transplant, I was pleasantly surprised.

Padd, even when my GFR went to 6% I still felt pretty good.  Tired, but good.  Fortunately, I never had the nausea, vomitting, headaches, etc.  When my doctor recommended me getting my fistula in Sept of 2007 he thought I'd be on dialysis by March 2008.  But I was able to hold it off, thankfully.

If you are feeling anxious and/or sick you need to tell him you're ready to get the fistula.  It's much better for you to have the fistula and be waiting on dialysis than the other way around.  I've heard horrible things about the neck catheter.  My doctor said "You don't want a neck catheter.  Absolutely not".

Good Luck!   

[kidney4traci]

Sorry about your being sick, I hate the stomach bugs!  Hope you feel better quickly, and watch your diet!  Listen to Morein, she knows her stuff.

[thegrammalady]

hope you're feeling better. be glad you're not me. the last time i had to go to the er for fluids they kept me for 3 days.  and my last virus settled in my ears and they kept me for 2 days. it's just not safe to go to the er. i actually had an er doc tell me i had remarkably good labs, duh! and i work very hard to keep them that way, thank you very much.

[paddbear0000]

Thanks everyone! I am feeling better. I'm back to my old self--nursing diet cokes all day for mild nausea, shaky and tired. But after the way I felt the other day, it feels good comparatively.  I was supposed to meet with my new neph here in town for an emergency appointment, but due to the snow storm, everyone was stuck at home. It's been level 2 and 3 snow emergency levels since yesterday, so we couldn't be on the roads. We got slammed with 3 inches of snow yesterday, then 2 inches of ice on top of that overnight, and finally another 5 inches of snow.

[thegrammalady]

yuck! maybe you should come to denver. i know i complain but the snow is never that bad!