Tag Archives: peritoneal dialysis

So now I’m on hemodialysis…

Posted on by

So now I am on hemodialysis. That’s the dialysis where there’s needles and such but I don’t have to have that yet, since my fistula isn’t in place yet. Don’t worry I’ll explain.

It all started out on a Friday. I woke up and felt horrible. I was shivering and I had a feeling I needed to do an exchange. So I got up and did an exchange. Lo behold I looked at the bag, and it was cloudy. It should be nice and clear but not this bag. It was pretty cloudy. So I started the flush process and called the dialysis clinic. I was told that I had to do the flush and then put antibiotics in the bag and let it dwell for 6 hours. Ok. No problem I said and I thought it ended.

First, when we went to use the antibiotics, I realized that we didn’t have syringes to do the transfer! So I called the unit and Meesh ended up picking up some at the clinic. Finally Meesh was able to do the antibiotics. At this point, I was feeling horrible and could hardly sit up.

A few hours later, after I took the antibiotics, I was not getting any better. Either I was not getting enough antibiotics or it wasn’t working. Then Meesh took my temp and realized it was 103.5 or something like that. The point being it was 103 or higher. That was the bell that told Meesh I need to go to the ER. So after some scheduling things around, we got my dad to take me there. Meesh ended up staying at home because she needed to stay there to get our new tv. (Yes, we got a new TV and it’s very big. 73″. You’ll find out more about it at hello! yoshi)

So me and my dad were at the ER. We were in the waiting room for about 3 hours. Now mind you the nurse when she finally saw me for triage told me she would put me on the urgent list, and it still took about 2.5 hours to get me inside the ER to be treated. Meanwhile while we were there, a gentleman who had his leg cut up by a skillsaw was bleeding out of his clothes. Obviously, this guy should have been taken care of before me, but he was still waiting in the waiting area when I went in! Sometimes, the triage at our hospital (I will not mention who) can be a bit crazy.

So I went in the ER and they took care of me nice, and I ended up getting the same doctor from when I was in the ER for my stroke. I also found out from some nurses that I was something of a legend at that hospital. Probably because I was the youngest stroke victim they’ve ever had. I wasn’t even 40 yet. I was 39. Crazy, I know.

So the doctor was on the fence. “Do I admit you in the hospital or not.” In the end, they decided to do so, because after some thought, the Nephrologist on duty had said that he wanted to pull my PD catbeter and patch me up and put a “perm catheter” in for hemodialysis.

I was then admitted to the hospital, this was about 8pm, about 8 hours after I went to the ER to get taken care of. They admitted me to the renal floor, and I finally got to be able to drain myself and they took that drain off to the lab to do some tests. I’m not quite sure what they are, but I’m sure they’re important.

dscf0070At 10pm, I was finally taken down to the OR where they finally yanked my PD catheter. I have to express my sorries to the surgeon that put it in. I didn’t want to ruin her work! But I have to admit now that it’s a relief. No more feeling bloated or I can’t eat because my belly is so full of liquid. So they took it out and I was on some serious meds. I have no idea what Really happened, but when I woke up I had a bandage where my catheter used to be. Sorry Danalyn you’ll never get to see that. But you can see the perm catheter if you’d like (to the right).

So after that I spent a few days in the hospital where I recovered. Believe me, I felt like crap. My stomach gave me some serious pain because it was infected and I had those holes in me where the tube was. I just needed to heal. So on monday when we got home I was in some serious pain. I was on vicodin at this point, since I couldn’t have anymore IV morphine. (which worked awesome btw, although I did throw up once when I got it. A whole other story there LOL.) I also had the perm catheter, which was located in my shoulder/neck area. My shoulder was sore as hell. Believe me I was popping vicodin like a drug addict.

Now, I am going to hemodialysis, 3 times a week, for 4 hours at a time. It’s about 12-15 hours a week, spent at the dialysis clinic. It’s almost kinda like having a part time job. (except I don’t get paid!) But it’s working for me and of course if it’s working then it must be worth it.

Dialysis

Posted on by

After a week of training, I’m now doing peritoneal dialysis (PD). It’s worthy to note PD is nothing like Hemo Dialysis, which is the one where you have needles and sticking. PD, however does require you to have a tube placed inside you, and this is a surgical procedure.

How it works: It’s basically pretty simple to understand. Basically, I put this liquid in me called the Dialysate, let it “dwell” inside me for a few hours and then drain it out. Yes, it looks just like urine. To quote a friend, it’s like I’m peeing out two holes in my body.

The process of filling and draining takes some time. Actually the filling/draining is not what takes the most time. The entire process of doing an exchange is what takes time. I have to take my vital signs (blood pressure, weight, temp, pulse, etc) before I even start, just to make sure I’m ok. My vitals determine what solution bag I use. There are typically 3 types of solutions, from low sugar content to highest sugar content. This is also geared towards each person as well. Not everyone is the same.

After my vitals, I now have to heat up the bag of dialysate. I don’t need to be putting something too cold inside me, that would cause cramps and well, I don’t need them. So believe it or not, microwaving the bag for about 5 minutes brings the bag up to about body temperature. As long as it’s a dry heat, it’s ok.

After I heat up the bag, it’s important to have all your stuff you need during the exchange. This is a clean procedure, so everything has to be clean, or I will get contaminated. When I get contaminated, it could lead to peritonitis, which is a bad, bad thing.

This entire process takes about 30 minutes for me. I have to do this 4 times a day. I’d like to say it’s very inconvenient, but as you know, the alternative to dialysis is “or death” and well, the or death option is not what I want.

Perhaps for reference purposes, I will bullet this process for those people looking for references. But for now, this is enough.

What another new site?

Posted on by

So here I am starting something else new. A while ago, I decided that I didn’t Really like to put information about diabetes or my dialysis on my own site. I realize that it is my personal site, but it wasn’t Really personal. It was a place for me to have fun. At the same time, I came to the conclusion that people don’t Really know enough about the situation they were in. After all the hospital visits, I’ve heard too many people who, like me, had diabetes (or something similar) and just didn’t know what to do. It was like you’re lost and not sure where to go.

For some people, this is okay. They will do what they’re doctor tells them to do. But they will never know why! They will mindlessly do everything the doctor subscribes, and never question anything.

So what I want to accomplish here is some type of knowledge base, as well as my experience with dialysis and diabetes as well. Learning is the key to everything. Knowledge is power! Hopefully, this will also enable others to chime in and comment on their own experiences as well. I know I am not alone. If you are here reading this, know that you are not alone.