28 Sept. 2012

With the other news I have passed along recently, I have neglected to keep you up to date on my day to day things.

To start, here are the dialysis weights I have been seeing since the twentieth of this month:

20 Sept
Starting Weight: 104.9 Kg
Water Removed:  2.00 Kg
Ending Weight: 102.9 Kg

22 Sept
Starting Weight: 104.9 Kg
Water Removed: 1.70 Kg
Ending Weight: 103.2 Kg

25 Sept
Starting Weight: 105.5 Kg
Water Removed: 2.30 Kg
Ending Weight: 103.2 Kg

27 Sept
Starting Weight: 105.8 Kg
Water Removed: 2.70 Kg
Ending Weight: 103.2 Kg

If you remember, my ideal dry weight is 103.50 Kg's; and each session listed, we have failed to hit that mark. The nurses and dialysis techs don't know why that is. The session is set up properly to hit the desired target weight, but it keeps going over that number. Today, I asked that we go for 103.8 Kg to see if we might actually hit the target. The result? 103.2 Kg's. I can't even hypothesize a why.

My latest weekly labs came back today, and I am "a model dialysis patient" with maintaining my labs properly, according to the center dietician. They are:

Albumin: 4.6 g/dL (NR 4.0 g/dL or Higher). My Protein in "Very Good!"

Hemoglobin: 11.3  This is low due to my poor RBC production [as regulated by my failing kidneys].

Calcium Corrected: 9.9 mg/dL (NR 8.4-10.2 mg/dL). My Calcium is "Good."

Phosphorous: 4.4 mg/dL  (NR 3.0-5.5 mg/dL). My Phosphorous is "GREAT!" (Dropped 0.5 from last week).

PTH Intact: 101 pg/mL  (NR 150-600 pg/mL). My Parathyroid is "Very Low."

Potassium (K+): 4.3 mEq/L  (NR 3.5-5.5 mEq/L). My K+ is "Good."

URR (Uremic Reduction Ratio): 74%  (Need 65% or Higher). This means that the dialysis is approximately 74% effective in cleaning my blood each session.

So, aside from the PTH numbers, I am doing pretty well with the dialysis.

My day to day hasn't really changed much. I continue to be exhausted the day of dialysis, then awaken feeling a bit stronger the next day. Not much change in that at all. 

My headache is still improved over the pre-dialysis levels. Right now I am averaging 3.4 T3 usage per day. This has even included a couple more days that I took only one, then two T3's. The headache gets pretty good on and after dialysis; but then dissipates on the off days. I told my doc about this and, while he seemed pleased to hear this news, he remains skeptical that the headache was solely caused by the advancement of the kidney disease. I, on the other hand, have little doubt that the now 34 month long headache was ONLY caused by the disease.

My appetite remains better. Food is starting to taste like food; at least it is once in a while!  ;o)

And that's all for now. I am forgetting things that I wanted to write, but that is nothing unusual these days. So, I will sign off!

Good Health to All!

ScottW