06 October 2014

Time to get you updated...

Dialysis Weights:

23 Sep 14
Starting Weight:  101.7 Kg 
Ending Weight:   99.1 Kg
Water Removed:   2.60 Kg

25 Sep 14
Starting Weight:   100.2 Kg
Ending Weight:   99.3 Kg
Water Removed:   0.90 Kg

27 Sep 14
Starting Weight:   101.3 Kg
Ending Weight:   98.9 Kg
Water Removed:   2.40 Kg

30 Sep 14
Starting Weight:   101.2 Kg
Ending Weight:   98.7 Kg
Water Removed:   2.50 Kg

02 Oct 14
Starting Weight:   100.7 Kg
Ending Weight:   98.7 Kg
Water Removed:   2.00 Kg

04 Oct 14
Starting Weight:   101.4 Kg
Ending Weight:   96.7 Kg
Water Removed:   4.70 Kg

Notice that my weights have been dropping. I suspect there are two reasons for this...First my recent bout with C-diff, and subsequent poor average food intake.
Second, I began using my new R fistula on Thursday, 02 Oct. The new fistula is incredible strong, and is literally pushing additional fluids through the needles.

Now, as to the recent bout with C-diff, I think I lost a good amount of weight that remained in my body in the form of water. My ankles have been constantly swollen, and I have had that continuing issue with feeling like I am struggling to breathe, while my lungs are clear. The clinic head nurse thinks I've been storing water around my diaghram, which answers the breathing issue. Plus, the ankles being swollen despite dialysis, and you have hidden weight in added water throughout my body.

Saturday's dialysis showed me that these have been going on when I gave back over two additional Kg's of water, yet have had almost no cramping, my dialysis headache was almost non-existent, and I have been more comfortable in my breathing than I have in weeks. I had no idea.
So, when I go in to dialysis this coming Tuesday, I will aim for the same 96.7 Kg I left at on Saturday. If I fail to cramp badly, or have any other severe issues, I'll know for sure that that hidden water weight has come off, and I can take a huge drop in my dry weight(currently at 99.0 Kg).
When I began using the R fistula, I also began using my L arm for BP readings. And, according with using the arm, my BP has dropped significantly to more of a normal range. When I left my last Tx, my final BP was 153/98. While you may think this is high, it actually isn't. By using an abandoned fistula arm, the BP is going to be higher than normal due to the continued high pressure/high flow volume in the arm. Until the fistula dies altogether, the readings will reflect this higher pressure, while the numbers are NOT reflective of the actual BP.

My eating lately has been poor. Foods are just not appealing; and when I do eat, I am only eating about half of what I've [normally] been consuming at this point.  My sense of smell is way off lately as I can hardly smell most foods at all; and when I do smell them, the odor is extremely off-putting. Between the two, it impacts my appetite significantly.

My energy has been slowing improving, and I have been able to drive more and more. However, once my energy is gone, I am pretty much useless the rest of the day. At least I'm seeing improvement in this area!

Overall, the nausea has been way down. I am taking maybe one dose of Zofran per day, on average. Some days I have taken none at all...A definite improvement! 

My sleep has been poor, at best. I haven't had a solid night of sleep in several weeks. Usually, I sleep for four to five hours, then stay awake most of the day, with an occasional nap in the late afternoon/early evening, then stay awake for hours again, being exhausted the whole time. Dialysis days see the greatest volume of sleep over a twenty four hour period of between 12-15 hours. Other than that, there is no pattern to my sleep.

On my labs, the monthly labs won't be drawn until this coming Tuesday. I should have the results by the end of the week. In the meantime, I already know that my Phosphorous and Potassium numbers are outstanding; dropping to 5.3 and 4.9 respectively.

That's all I have for today. Like I said, the latest labs will be available later this week, and I'll post them as soon as I can.

Have a terrific week, folks!

Good Health to All!

ScottW