Rocks & Shoals of Dialysis

The purpose of this blog entry is to provide data for my dialysis team to diagnose my current situation of hypotension (low blood pressure.) It should also communicate to readers of this blog that all is not necessarily smooth sailing in peritoneal dialysis.

Background: This past Wednesday I had a rather large amount of Basal Cell Skin Cancer surgically removed from over my right ear. As a consequence, I have about a two-inch incision with multiple stitches. My dermatologist prescribed Cephalexin 500 MG caps 2x per day for infection. I took three before stopping. I stopped because I had no idea what influence this had on BP. Whether this has any bearing is purely conjecture.

My BP the next morning was 98/59 (see chart below) and I wasn’t feeling all that hot. The next day (3/28) my BP was even lower and I notified Cindy, my dialysis nurse that something was awry. At this point, we stopped all BP meds (Irbesartan 150 MG tabs and Amlodipine Besylate 5 MG tabs), and switched to ONLY 1.5% dialysis solution including the manual 2000 ML pre-fill. I am still taking Hydrochlorothiazide 25 MG tabs. It is obvious from a cursory analysis of my BP readings in the chart below that it is lower when I arise, and goes up to marginally acceptable ranges by evening, falling back down during the night to rise the next day.

During all of this, I have not been feeling all that great. I’m ok when seated or lying down, but get slightly winded and have to rest after minimal exertion. I have not felt comfortable even attempting to walk our golden retriever during all of this. I have not been able to do any yard work or anything involving a minimum amount of exertion. I have been sleeping longer, still have an appetite, and have not had a temperature. My weight has fallen from the 155 range back down to the 144 range during all of this so we have been pulling water via dialysis.