Due to the colonoscopy, I asked to moved my dialysis treatment from tomorrow morning to tonight. I was supposed to get there at 5:00 pm but I got a call at 4:00 pm informing me that my machine was ready. I got there at 4:30 pm and a unfamiliar tech led me to the chair. I was a bit worried since we just had problems with my fistula Saturday, but he was able to cannulate the needles fine. Since they had to fit me into their schedule, I was only dialyzed for 3 1/2 hours, which was fine by me. Since the nephrologists come around on Mondays and Tuesdays, I saw the same doctor again. He said my phosphorus levels were really high at 7.7. Last month, the reading was 6.2 so something is weird. I’m eating mostly the same things and taking the binder. The only thing I can think of is the deli meat from the club subs I’m getting from Jersey Mike’s. They don’t publish the phosphorus content of their ingredients so maybe they are using one with high phosphorus levels.
The patient to the left of me came in 10 minutes after me. He saw my work-logo’ed clothing and asked if we were hiring. I told him to go online and look but automatically assumed that he was after a factory job. He didn’t look like a salaried office worker, but I probably don’t either. I think I made an assumption based on his race and age, even though I just took a class online a few weeks ago. Not good. He later had pretty severe leg cramps and was still groaning and moaning when I left.
On the right side was an Indian-looking woman. She appeared to be a fairly new patient and just came back from the hospital due to pneumonia. As the doctor talked to her, it turned out she had an infection with her chest catheter, and they had to set up an antibiotic IV for her. So far, I’ve avoided any access infection while on dialysis so I don’t know how it feels, but I heard it sucks big time. She seemed to be in a bit of pain; I hope she gets better.
I left dialysis at 77.9 kg and won’t be back until Thursday morning. My ending standing blood pressure was pretty low at 103/something. I’m counting on all the colonoscopy flush to come out and that I don’t absorb 4 liters of fluids.
Life with chronic diseases 