Thursday, April 4, 2013

To catch you up...

I had my dialysis catheter placed last week. Letting people know you are a nurse is not always a good idea. During the pre-op the doctor started to explain the procedure and all the risks and benefits of having a CVC. I may be a nurse but I had know idea what he was talking about- intrathroacic pressures and aortic valves. I had to explain to them that I take care of vaginas and boobs- far from the heart. He asked me if I wanted just a little bit of lidocaine to numb the area or some fent and versed. I'm not stupid I chose the fent and versed. I was really anxious and nervous and this little cocktail helped ease my worries. The next day the site was very sore, nothing Tylenol could help which is what they told me to take. Needless to say I had to go back to the clinic and be checked out in case they had cut my muscle. Luckily it was just a hematoma- which by the way is very very painful.

Hemodialysis started two days after my CVC placement. The first run went well . It was 2 hours long and I got a little bit nauseous during it but overall wasn't bad. The next day I was able to get out of bed and hang out all day with my boyfriend which is a far cry from what I had been experiencing.

My second run of hemo was Wednesday and it was 2.5 hours long and a little bit more challenging. The whole concept of hemo is to act like your kidneys and remove all the wastes and extra water from your blood. I, unlike many other renal patients, still pee which makes it hard to determine what my "dry weight" is or what I would be if my kidneys still functioned and I wasn't holding water. They tried taking 2 kg off because they said I gained 1.4 kg over the weekend. I got sick and couldn't handle it so in the process I ended up getting 1.5L of fluid. Confusing I know. After my second run I felt very very weak. Like my legs weighed about 300lbs each. When I got home I had tingling all over my body, from my face to my toes. The kind of feeling you get when your foot falls asleep. After I slept for the night and woke up that feeling went away but I still felt dehydrated. The day after dialysis is usually your best day, this one...not so much. I slept most of the day.

My third run of dialysis was Wednesday and was AWFUL. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I felt bad for the nurses and techs because I kept yelling for help. Every 30 minutes I got high, sweaty, short of breath, nauseated, and felt like I was on the brink of passing out. I had to have oxygen and again received a bolus of fluid. I told the nurse my dry weight is too low and I can't have that much water taken off. So they figured to give me a 100cc bolus every 30 minutes and to only take off about .5kg. I bet they're thinking what a pain in the ass patient I am lol all nurses are :)

I go for my fourth run tomorrow. A total of 3 hours in the chair. Hopefully we have figured out my issues and it goes more smoothly and I can just sleep thru it.

I appreciate all of everyone's support, it means everything to me.

Below is a picture of my port site and Layla because she's so ugly she makes everyone smile!.. Ill be trying to post day by day because I know some of you reading this live far away and are wondering what has been going on!

Xoxo, britt



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