Since I started dialysis, I have felt much better. I believe my body was just overloaded with toxins since my demise of my kidneys. Even though I feel good, during treatment, it can get a little scary.
One day I was at the dialysis center, and I start to hear a lot of shouting and the staff was rushing over to a patient. The patient had passed out. They applied oxygen, leaned the person back in their chair and started giving them fluid back. It was very scary to witness.
Now fast forward a couple of days. I was sitting in my chair working and I started to get a little lightheaded. Then it got worse. Then I saw starbursts of light. I told the nurse I didn’t feel well, and I was “seeing stars.” The next thing I know, I woke up and was laying back in the chair, I had oxygen on, I was surrounded by 3 technicians and the nurse was shaking me and calling my name. I had passed out. My blood pressure had gotten too low. This happens sometimes when they pull off too much fluid. They immediately stop drawing fluid and give you fluid back. I was able to tell the nurse I didn’t feel well. People that sleep during treatment are relying on a blood pressure reading every 30 minutes to alert someone there is an issue! What if you go out in between BP readings? Will anyone know? How long can you stay “out?”
Again, this is why I recommend not sleeping during treatment…be aware of how you feel. If you don’t feel good, tell the nurse. This is one big advantage to having dialysis in a center. I also recommend getting a watch that checks your BP. Monitor it on your own when you feel bad, or ask for the tech to run your BP. Low BP comes on quick!
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