How does dialysis make you feel?

[LifeOnHold]

Please answer the poll... feel free to add your own sarcastic response!

[Epoman]

I feel tired, I go to dialysis at about 10:00 pm so when I get off I have all day to stay up and it sucks sometimes because I can get really tired and worn out. I used to go in at 6:00 pm and that was cool because I would get home by 10:00 pm and goto bed at about 11:00 pm. What really sucks in 1st shift.

[kitkatz]

I am usually okay after treatment for four hours.  Sometimes a headache rages. Sometimes my mood rages.  Sometimes I am real quiet because I am pissed off and want them to just leave me alone and let me go. Usually I am pretty upbeat and can get out of there pretty quick. I drive myself so I better be acting normal when I leave or they won't let me go. A few times they had me call the hubby or someone to come get me when I had a fever.

Katherine

[Bajanne]

I don't know how come I never saw this thread before.  I used to feel like real crap at the end of my dialysis sessions.  Now that I am controlling my fluids ( the last two sessions, I was only .8 more than my dry weight.  WOOHOO!!), I find that I feel much better when I come off.
But my general feeling is tiredness.  I just want to get to my bed. My shift ends between 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m, depending on when I get to go on. (I do 4 hours)

[kitkatz]

Freaking grumpy!  I hate the tech I have had for the past three weeks. She is rough when she takes me off and very unfriendly.  God help me and the center when I let loose.  The other day they tried to put me into a broken chair. When I could not even figure out how to sit in it, I let them know how I felt.  I told them rather loudly that the chair "sucked, sucked sucked."  The tech changed it for me.  Luckily it was not the mean tech.  And what happened to team work when something goes wrong?  I had to wait Friday for the lake to be picked up under my chair by one tech. It was her assigned chair and the machine had leaked everywhere.  Noone noticed it or came to help her out.

GRRRRRRR!

Katherine

[Naggy6]

I used to be really grumpy and cranky after dialysis. I would be in a bad mood and some times I would yell  at people then later I would feel bad about doing that and tell them I was sorry. 

Ever since my last transplant I seem to have a better attitude after dialysis. I don't know what has changed me Maybe because I was so sick the last time. I would never want to have any thing happen to me and have my friends and family (my kids and husband especially) think that I was so miserable and that they couldn't ever make me feel any better. I never want my last words with them to be uncaring or hurtfull even though they seem to be very understanding of every thing that I go through.

I want them to always know how much they mean to me.

Live like there is no tomorrow

[bluedove57]

I'm tired, not energy left after 3 hours of treatment. The more fluid I put on the worse I feel. I always have a hard time with fluid so I need to discipline my drinking more.

[Adam_W]

On a "good day", I feel tired. On a "bad day", I feel tired, grumpy, sad, mad, and any other negative thing you can think of.

[jbeany]

I run noon to 4, and then have an hour drive home.  By 7:30, I'm usually fighting to stay awake.  That's on a good day - if it wasn't, then I don't bother with dinner and go straight to bed.

[Zach]

Washed out.  That's why I dialyze at night, so I can sleep some of it off.

[kitkatz]

That is why I have afternoon/evening dialysis. Otherwise I am washed up for the day.

[sherrile]

Levi sleeps, then he deals with it like Jenna.  He puts a pillow over his head.  His way of dealing with it is NOT dealing
with it.  Not where you want to be when you are 18, or ANY age for that matter.  We then go home, and he eats, then
more sleeping.  Some days all he wants to do is argue with his 12 year old brother.  I know he loves him, but it must feel
so unfair to him at times.  Oh how I wish I could take this from him!!!  I would if I could, in a heartbeat.  I know I wouldn't like
it anymore than he would, but I am his Mom.  Mom's are supposed to make it better.
Sherri

[bolta72]

Some days I feel fine and ready to get up and go, others I tire and am in a grumpy mood. Seems I never know what to expect.

[Triker]

I used to feel completely done in. Nowdays, I'm usually good to go, with occasional days of being rung out. I'll never have the energy I used to have, but go as best I can anyhow. Sort of mind over matter. LOL!

[kitkatz]

Some nights it is off to bed as soon as I get home.  However, most nights after dialysis, it is dinner, then onto the computer with you fine folks, then off to bed.

[goofynina]

When i was on hemo i was always very moody, angry, sad, depressed, you name it, that was me, now that i am on PD, i am doing a little better, feeling a little better, geeze, i hope i dont have to go back to hemo soon  

[brenda]

I like to dialyze at night so I can just hang out and then go to bed to sleep the effects off. Ive done it a few times in the morning but I really don't feel right for the rest of the day. But when I have to run in center, look out, don't matter what time of the day it is, I'm grumpy. I don't like going there too much bad stuff to see.

[kitkatz]

Tired, tired, tired, tired, tired,,tired, tired!

[George Jung]

When I was going in 3, 4......5 kilos over it was awful, I felt awful!!!   For the past month or so I've been consistant right around 2 kilos and the treatment is not as bad.  I dare to say it is "good" or "better" because it flat out SUCKS....at least it can be tolerated at my current status.

[goofynina]

Glad to hear you have been able to maintain that fluid George, i know how hard that is to do.  Keep up the great work    Out of curiosity, what is the most you have ever gained?  (kilo's)  The most i have ever gained from a Thursday to a Monday (New Years weekend) was 15 kilos     I broke records,  they wanted to hospitalize me but i chose to go to dialysis an extra day.  Now that was a pretty damn ugly feeling right there, so please, keep maintaining that fluid.   

[George Jung]

I believe the most I have gained was around 6 kilos (I was still working on my dry weight).  I can't believe you had 15.....WOW....must have been a lot of tequila.   I am not sure how I do it.  I do watch how much I drink but not meticulously.  I do not keep record.  I do still pee some so maybe that does the trick?  I went 6 or 7 times yesterday!!!  Is that some kind of record?

[goofynina]

Lucky you, i wish i could still pee, oh well, i am just thankful to be alive   I know for a fact that being able to pee has alot to do with not gaining too much fluid, and i know this sounds kinda funny saying but enjoy peeing while you still pee  cuz once its gone, it will be missed   (if that makes any sense) 

Back to topic..
I have noticed that on PD i really have no appetite, but i do feel a whole lot better than when i was on hemo.  I used to get this pain from shoulder to shoulder after each treatment, i was always very irritable (my poor husband)

[MyssAnne]

How do I feel? I feel a sense of relief after I drain (I'm on a cycler), and have found the cycler is much better as far as filling and draining go.  I wish I could say my appetite has gone down. It hasn't, darn it all. I do feel better, more like myself (just bigger in the tummy!)

[kitkatz]

Can I be honest??  Dialysis pretty much makes me feel like crap! Nope you cannot pretty it up...I feel like crap afterwards...crap...crap...crap...So there it is.  Not a pretty sight.

[mdorn]

I usually feel tired but if I have to see a customer I make myself do it. If I keep busy I do not have time to think about it. I try to rest after my treatment (10am - 2pm) and get ready to prepare dinner, as my wife will not cook. If I feel real bad, it will be takeout/restaurant for dinner.

Marv