Highway to the Danger Zone

Well, I just had a harsh lesson in the dangers of PD (my type of dialysis)… I spent the last 5 days in the hospital trying to get rid of a staph infection that was on my dialysis catheter site! Last Wednesday, I was at work when I started shaking uncontrollably and vomiting non-stop, but when I went to the dialysis center, my site looked ok (it didn’t actually start showing signs of infection until the next day, so I felt it before I saw it. Nice.), and my fluids were crystal clear, so we didn’t know what was going on, and I was sent to the ER. I’ve been told that this was something that I needed to be careful about, but I never thought it could be this bad! Ugh… Never a dull day in Berta-world. 😛 Actually, what happened was a “perfect storm” of sorts… not only did I have the infection, but they think there was some sort of residual stomach bug that came back, AND my blood count had dropped too low. So, not only was I getting the full IV diet of antibiotics, morphine and fluids, but I also had to get a blood transfusion as well! Weeeee!

Me, getting some "Mommy warmth". — Me, getting some “Mommy warmth”.

I have to say, though, of all the hospitals I’ve been in, this one knocked it out of the park! I was staying at Baylor Plano, and I had read from an old friend of mine that she did not like them at ALL, but I have to say, I was highly impressed! The rooms were nice, the staff was amazing and the food was totally gourmet! No boring, bland chicken slab for me! Not only that, but they are becoming one of the hospitals that actually provides my type of dialysis (PD) when most do not…AND they had gluten free bread! Woohoo! Yes, I know… it’s the little things for me. 🙂 Just a note, for all those concerned, I’m all good. I’ll be on antibiotics for the next 21 days, and hopefully it won’t lead to anything worse!

Sooooo… due to all this, my heart cath for this week has been postponed till next Friday. Which means more waiting. However, I’d rather be safe than sorry! I just pray that this turns out well so I don’t have to keep dealing with all of this medical drama. It would be nice to have this catheter taken out so I don’t have any more complications to worry about!

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What I’m thankful for today:

1. The nurses and doctors at Baylor Plano for saving my catheter and preventing me from having to go on Hemo!

2. My friends and family for staying with me and visiting while there… Mr. Monkey is a rockstar! 😀

3. My mom and dad for driving all the way to Denton just to satisfy my Taco Casa fix… mmmmmmmm… is there anything better????

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16 responses

Regan

December 11, 2012 at 5:45 pm

So sorry to hear you had to spend hospital time to get back healthy again. Thank goodness it was a good experience! I had several stays while I was ill, so I feel for you. Nothing better than being at home. I think about you often! Taco Casa in Denton? Never had it and I live here. Hmm, may have to try it!

Reply
1. nachomama311
  
  December 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm
  
  Thanks Regan! Yeah, what bothers me most is that before all this started, I never had to visit the hospital for ANYTHING. Now it feels like it’s every time I turn around! Such is life when you get “blessed” like us, eh? 😉 And what?!?! You’ve NEVER been to Taco Casa and it’s right in your own backyard? I’m highly disappointed… you have no idea how lucky you are. LOL!
  
  Reply
  1. Regan
    
    December 12, 2012 at 1:24 pm
    
    Yea. I went to the same hospital, same floor, and the same nurses. I got to know them pretty well. One of the Labotomists (a man even) cried the day I left. It gets to be pretty special.
DevonTexas

December 18, 2012 at 8:17 am

Taco Casa! My favorite! There’s one in Colleyville so I’m happy. It’s a bit of a trip but close enough for that great food.

Now back to the really important thing… Thank you for sharing this experience as difficult as it was and is. It’s important that others learn from this experience. Home PD is a good method for dialysis but it carries with it, the responsibility for a sterile environment and procedures. Frankly, with two dogs and a car there’s little chance I will be enjoying it. But, again, thanks for sharing this harrowing experience. And, stay the hell out of the ER!!! LOL

Also, if you don’t mind I will re-blog or direct my readers to this. It’s some valuable information.

Reply
1. nachomama311
  
  December 18, 2012 at 11:18 am
  
  Yay! Another Taco Casa fan! I think a lot of people think I’m a nut for being so hooked on them. I know good food when it hits my belly! 🙂
  
  Also, I think it would be great if you reblogged my experience! Thank you for sharing with your readers! I totally agree that these are the types of things we can share… it’s one of the reasons I’m keeping the blog, and why I continue to follow yours! Sometimes the bad stuff isn’t always brought to light by those who live through it. Now, let’s just hope there isn’t any more of these visits…LOL!
  
  Reply
  1. DevonTexas
    
    December 18, 2012 at 4:14 pm
    
    Love ya, hon’ and best of luck to you for these holidays. Get well quickly.
DevonTexas

December 18, 2012 at 8:57 am

Also about the heart Cath… there’s a much better and more modern method that doesn’t require any invasive (potential infection) procedure. It’s called CT Angiography. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=cardinuclear

Also, there’s a doc in the Colleyville area that does it… http://sothcardiology.com/services_coronary-ct-angiography.html

Reply
1. nachomama311
  
  December 18, 2012 at 11:22 am
  
  Thanks for this info! This sounds very familiar to some of the tests they have already done on me… however, I’m sure they are doing the normal heart cath on me this time b/c the last time they did one, they had to give me two heart stents. I will not be surprised if I have another one placed this time… and they are probably expecting the same. I’ll definitely discuss it further with my dr though!
  
  Reply
DevonTexas

December 18, 2012 at 9:02 am

Reblogged this on DevonTexas and commented:
Here’s some really valuable information about an experience with PD and infection. PD (Peritoneal Dialysis) is an excellent way to dialyze at home instead of at a dialysis center but it carries with it the chance of infection (more so than in a center). In this case, the person didn’t have any signs of the infection at the catheter site. Take a read. And if you want more information about PD, visit Davita’s info page http://www.davita.com/treatment-options/home-peritoneal-dialysis/what-is-peritoneal-disease-/a-brief-overview-of-peritoneal-dialysis/t/5483

Reply
hollybernabe

December 18, 2012 at 1:11 pm

I’m happy to hear you’re okay! Good hospitals and staff (and food!) make all the difference.

My husband has ESRD and is on dialysis (I blog about it occasionally). We both love Mexican food, too. Seems like restaurants are out what with the ungodly amounts of salt used. And all the beans and cheese are phosphorous no-nos. We end up making much of our Mexican at home, but it’s tricky. Any tips on making it more kidney friendly?

Reply
1. nachomama311
  
  December 18, 2012 at 4:31 pm
  
  Thank you! You know, I’ve actually been lucky and because I’ve cut most of my sodium and phosphorus out of my diet, those levels stay pretty low…which allows me to have my Mexican food using regular cheese and seasonings. One helpful thing, though is that I season my food with my own seasonings like garlic powder, pepper and Tony Cacheres and NOT the envelope packets which are LOADED with sodium and phos. I did try some of the no-salt seasonings like Mrs. Dash, and although not bad, I’m not a fan. It didn’t have enough flavor for me. I’ll have to check out your blog too!
  
  Reply
  1. Regan
    
    December 18, 2012 at 5:11 pm
    
    There are several varieties of Mrs Dash, a couple are pretty hot actually. You may have gotten a bland one. Try the southwest chipotle one. There’s also and extra spicy. Great flavor. My dr also told me to cook with a lot of lemon and lime because they give a “salty” flavor. Another thing to try is potassium salt, it’s a little different but it’s not sodium. Good luck out there!
  2. nachomama311
    
    December 18, 2012 at 5:30 pm
    
    Mmmm… good to know! I’ll have to give it a try! Thanks Bro! 🙂
  3. hollybernabe
    
    December 18, 2012 at 11:29 pm
    
    You are so lucky that you have your phosphorous and potassium levels under control! Ugh. We struggle with it daily for my hubby.
    
    I like some of the Mrs. Dash seasoning mixes, but some are kind of…just okay, I agree. I’m in total agreement with you about using your own seasonings, though. I do all the time. That way I can be sure that I’m not getting any extra added sodium. Those taco seasoning packets and whatnot are awful.
    
    Just a note for Regan–our doctors and dietitian told my husband not to use those and that they were actually worse for him than normal salt because of the large amounts of potassium in them. We have to watch no salt or low sodium products because of that–if they say potassium chloride (or any other potassium additive or phosphorous additive), we are very leery of them!
  4. Regan
    
    December 18, 2012 at 11:37 pm
    
    Oh, we’ll then you shouldn’t listen to me! Other than the lemon/lime idea. My situation was different, I was in liver failure and my potassium was bottomed out. Good luck to both of you, it’s definitely hard to eat food low in sodium!
  5. hollybernabe
    
    December 19, 2012 at 1:17 am
    
    It IS so hard!! I love lemon and lime, though, and so I like to add those to my cooking a lot. 🙂

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