Thursday, April 30, 2020

Kidney Saga part 83

Adjustments have been made, but will take time to take effect.

I passed out once yesterday, but the doctor was not only aware that I might but warned me to take it very easy in case it happened again. She said it would be a couple of days before the medication changes should make the very low blood pressure stop, which means I have a couple more days of possibly passing out. At least I know what's happening now, so hopefully can stay safe while it's happening.

So... yesterday was interesting. After breakfast, I settled in my computer chair and kept checking my blood pressure just to see. About 7am I started to feel faint, and watched as my blood pressure readings dropped well below the "safe" level (90/60 is the point where it starts to be a problem) then the readings slowly rose again to my new normal. It was fascinating to watch from the safety of my chair. I was really tired and faint the entire time, but didn't quite pass out - although I napped, which might be why I didn't fall unconscious by accident.

I noticed it happened about an hour after I finished eating. It didn't happen at lunch, but it happened again at dinner, as hubby-Eric can attest. This time I did pass out. I sat on the bed for a moment and slipped into another world for a bit. It was very confusing to wake up and realize what had happened. Passing out is very strange. It felt like I'd been out for several minutes, but Eric said it was only a few seconds.

So now I'm testing my BP before I try to stand up, so I won't fall over and pass out. It's slightly freaky, but if it works to keep me from hurting myself again, I'm for it. I suspect the fainting spells correspond to when I take a particular medicine, so I'm going to be extra careful after my daily meds.

Back pain is bad. Very bad. It keeps waking me up in the night, and it's really hard to move sometimes. I'm hoping it will fade again, but it really is causing me a lot of grief at the moment.

My virtual doctor visit yesterday was a success. I have some new instructions, some medication changes and some guidance. And we didn't have to drive to Richland for the appointment. I was very happy to stay at home for it, as the long drive combined with the stress of moving around an office building with this back pain combined with the stress of wondering if anyone in the building has the virus would have been physically and mentally tolling. I wish I could have more virtual doctor visits instead of office visits.

I did get more information from my nephrologist, who also is adjusting some of my meds. My kidneys are "stable" and my protein levels have gone done enough to be a positive sign. Unlike most kidney patients, my potassium is really low still, so I can still have bananas for a bit - yay! I just have to watch carbs, sodium and phosporus.

So today is going to be all about trying to get my back to behave. I wish painkillers worked on this type of back pain, but the only thing that has ever helped is a medicine I dare not try at the moment. So I'll just exist and hope it goes away if I move a little and try not to make it worse.

Full Kidney Saga --- Start Here --- Kidney Wish List --- GoFundMe

0 comments: