Drain Alarms + Heparin + Labs re Dialysis

As I write this blog on Sunday for posting at 0800 CDT Monday I have been adding Heparin to my dialysis solution for three nights. In all cases, the drain function has not stalled as it did on one previous night of hell. All three nights there has been an alarm on the first drain; only on the first night of heparin use was there a second drain alarm. The last two nights I have had only an alarm on the first drain taking place roughly at midnight after turning out the lights by 10 PM. I can live with this and am holding out that things will improve.

A little on the technical side of using heparin. My dialysis nurse provided me with what is labeled 30 mL bottles of heparin for my use. My dosage is determined by the rule of thumb 2 mL of heparin for each Liter of dialysis fluid in use. Since I am using 8 L total, this suggests injecting 2 mL x 8 = 16 mL of heparin. While the bottle is labeled 30 mL which infers you can’t get two nights out of each bottle of heparin, at least my first bottle had more than enough heparin in it to draw two night’s worth, or 32 mL of heparin.

My labs continue to be so-so. By the numbers:

1. Albumin 3.4 versus a goal of 4.0 or higher. It has never reached this goal.
2. nPCR 0.97 versus a goal of 1.2 or higher. Again, never been close.
3. Potassium 4.2 goal 3.5-5.5. I’m good here.
4. wKt/V 1.86 versus goal of 2.0 or higher. On been over 2.0 once.
5. Calcium 85 versus goal of 8.5-10.0 Ok here.
6. Phosphorus 5.4 versus goal of 3.0-5.5. Close to top of range and corrected phosphorus is probably over.
7. Hemoglobin 10.9 versus goal of 10-11. First time under 11 – Yeah!!!!
8. Glucose 121 versus goal 70-160. Blood draw was non-fasting and after breakfast so this is outstanding!
9. Lastly, Creatinine of 7.27 down from 7.5 last month. Just of interest and since I am on dialysis does not, to my knowledge, factor into my treatment.

Coming up later this week, I have a dermatologist appointment to cut out some skin cancer and look at a funky growth on the back of my head that is bothersome, and a GP appointment for a blood draw to ensure that my blood still clots as it should so I can keep on using testosterone injections, and whatever else pops up out the woodwork. Stay tuned.

BTW I just noticed on the lead photo I took of the Heparin bottles Fresenius supplied that heparin is derived from “porcine intestines” which is a polite way of saying pig intestines.