Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Hi All, Today is Tuesday, Aug 2, and it is my 8th treatment. Oh wait! before i get into my treatment episode today, i forgot to include something else in my blog on my 2nd visit to Yosemite Park. Steven took us for a ride on the other side of the park, where there is a large lake housed there, but as we were going on what seem to be an endless ride around the moutain, i began to feel faint fatigue & nauseated, because it was a ride around a moutain, that seem to have curve afte curve, until i couldn't take it no more, i kept telling Steven to turn around, We got up to about 8000 elevation. I know i can't take that large attitude, without feeling nauseated, and even my back was starting to hurt. I should have brought my back masssager, and that would have truly helped a great deal, (in lessening my back discomfort), but what can i say, every time we visit Yosemite, there is something i learn and i note to bring the next time, i visit Yosemite Park. You truly need to be prepared for Yosemite, especially when it comes to a dialysis pts, Yosemite can take a lot out you, with having chronic issues of any kind. Now, on to my 8th treatment. Everything was going well, but about 20 minutes into the treatment, i began to have a constant irritating cough, and of course, this won't suffice, because it affects the blood flow in a very serious way, and the techs or nurses, get very angry, when they have to constantly come over to my machine, and tend to this alarm, so the nurse, decided once again to administer some benadyrl through my tubing, i guess to get me to calm down and sleep the rest of the treatment (in which that is exactly what i did). I woke up to the very loud alarm from a fellow pts. on my right, who only dialyze for 2 hr. 30 mins, (I remember those good ole days when i would dialyze for the exact time during my ten year run with AV Graft on hemo), i always feel a sense of jealousy, when this patient is finish with her treatment for the day, but what can i say, i have to sit and endure my 3 hr 15 min. treatment. Well, back to my awakening from that treamtent complete alarm. Ray, the case manager of Kaiser, comes over, after hearing about my issues with coughing during my treamtent, that he came up with the conclusion, that my dry weight may need to be challenged. He decided to take an additional 1/2 k, to try to help me reach my dry weight goal and to stop those dreadful constant coughing attack, (so to speak). Besides, i can't keep getting all that unnecessary benadryl, i may get hook, because i must admit, it does feel good going through my veins ( and i know there are other hemo pts. that get benadryl, know that exact feeling, right! I hope my next treatment is better, but what i have known about hemo in the past, that when your dry weight is being challenged, you may have to experience some cramping and plummeting b/p, in which i truly don't want to deal with. I truly hate this side effect, that result from challenging the dry weight. However, my b/p has been pretty normal at each treatment. Let's see what transpires, after the dry weight challenge, i will keep you posted on the outcome. My case manager, seems to be more eager for me to have my hernia repair, than i do, because he said, i hate to see you going through these issues on hemo right now, it is evident, that he realizes that i truly need to get back on PD, as soon as possible. Well, that is it for my blogging for today, i hope i won't have to blog about the next treatment, but wait! hold the presses, i will have to blog about my next hemo treatment, if this dry weight challenge works, right! By all means, i will have to brag about how well i did (lol). Until next blog, take care and all the best to my bloggers, and most importantly all the best to the perm and temp cath fellow hemo pts, on smooth sailing hemo treatments. Glo