18 February 2014

A really rough week!

That's putting it mildly.

Last Wednesday I began to have some discomfort breathing, and trouble sleeping because of the discomfort. I would awaken suddenly, gasping for air. This carried over to Friday night when I couldn't sleep at all because of DiB (Difficulty in Breathing). I decided to go to the hospital at 230a on Saturday. What was happening definitely wasn't normal for me, so it is always better to see a doctor than to wait it out.
So, I had my wife and daughter drive me to the ER. Because of the DiB, I was seen immediately. Blood was drawn, pulmonary xrays were taken, I was put on O2 (NC only at about 2L/min.
The doctor determined that I was in Respiratory distress due to fluid in my lungs. Since I have no kidneys, the only treatment (Tx) is dialysis--which I was scheduled to do in a few hours. So, I went to my regular Tx  as scheduled, took off four Kg's (about a gallon), and went home and slept all day.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. On Sunday evening I began feeling the same way again. It was tolerable, and I slept a bit, but the symptoms increased Sunday night and into Monday. In the afternoon, the DiB was so bad I couldn't take a deep breath. Then, I began to have nausea on top of that. Between the two, I decided to do dialysis early; so, I called my Dialysis center, got permission, and went in for Tx. I found out that I had inexplicably gained 4.3 Kg in just two days!
I had O2 during the treatment (this helps vacate water from the lungs), again a NC at just 2L/min. Plus, I was given a full shot of Zofran for my nausea. I slept through most of the Tx, but began feeling better within just a few minutes. By the time it was done, I could breath deeply again, and felt better in general.

As of this morning, I have slept about twelve hours, my lungs feel clear, and I am feeling even better. I am hoping that I won't have DiB again before Thursdays' dialysis; but if I do, I know that it will be alright. The Tx will take care of it.

I also learned something on my Saturday dialysis. One of the nurses suggested I have my fluid reduction done at a rate of 1L/hour (one liter per hour), rather than a liter every forty five minutes. This might help reduce any cramping that would otherwise develop from a faster fluid draw. And...he was right! I had no cramping on Saturday, and, using the same formula yesterday, I have had no cramping once again after a 4+ liter draw.
I'll definitely continue utilizing this formula!

So, you can easily understand why I've had a bad week. No fun whatsoever.

Dialysis Weights:

13 Feb 14
Starting Weight:  106.5 Kg
Ending Weight:  103.4 Kg
Water Removed:  3.10 Kg

15 Feb 14
Starting Weight:  106.5 Kg
Ending Weight:  102.6 Kg
Water Removed:  3.90 Kg

17 Feb 14
Starting Weight:  106.9 Kg
Ending Weight:  102.5 Kg
Water Removed:  4.40 Kg

That's really all I have for now. Though not sleepy, I'm still tired from all of this. So, only a truncated entry today. Hopefully, I'll stay feeling better and give more of a complete entry next time.

Good Health to All!

ScottW