4/16 Infusion
On Thursday, April 16th, I had a quick little jaunt up to Huntsman for an infusion. Unfortunately, due to visitor policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim was unable to go with me. Well, she could have come with me, but she would have had to spend the entire time in the vehicle (or driving around filling her time) without me. I understand to an extent the safety precautions involved with a policy like this, but I struggle when it comes to this policy being in force for individuals admitted to the hospital, especially for surgeries. I remember when I came out of my brain surgery, I was terrified and the only person I wanted to see was Kim. None of the nurses were answering my questions, I didn't know if I was alright or what was going on...it was scary. And to know that individuals are being put in the same situation I was in WITHOUT any familial support around is challenging for me. It makes me wonder what considerations were taken into account when a policy like this was made. I understand sitting through an infusion is different than surgery, but still, for someone to miserably sit around for 8+ hours (in some instances) alone is challenging for me to wrap my brain around. Alas, it is what it is...
So anyway...Kim stayed home and worked around the yard and the house with the kids. There were things that needed to be done and she was much more productive at home than she would have been sitting in the car. I did, however, miss having her with me and look forward to when she can come into my appointments with me!
This go around, the IV went much better. No issues at all. The only issue that arose was my kidney function levels... The nurse came and asked me if I was dehydrated. I told her I'd had about 80 ounces of water already and that I certainly wasn't dehydrated. She indicated that would be the likely cause of the large drop in kidney function levels. Normally, my kidney function sits right around 120, which is excellent. This time, however, it was at 62! That is a large drop! Fortunately, I was still in "good" status, but it was still alarming. The only thing I could think of was what I had for breakfast... Prior to the vast majority of my labs and infusions, I drink water and maybe have some fruit. This time, however, I had two egg and bacon sandwiches, extra bacon on the side, a protein shake, and other items BEFORE my labs. So...when you throw a bunch of salt into the equation, I could understand the appearance of dehydration. But, the nurse didn't seem to think that was the case. For some reason, this delayed me getting my drugs going, but we eventually got around to the infusion.
Just as my infusion was ending, the nurse came over with a VERY large bag of saline solution to run through my kidneys. She said she wished she'd have been told earlier about it so it could have been running, but it would take an extra hour of me sitting there to run the fluid through. My kidney function was still good and there wasn't anything else in my labs or in my treatments that would have caused the drop, so, after already a long day, I declined the flush. I was to get my labs checked in a week to see where my kidney function was. If it was still low, we would address it. Fortunately (err...unfortunately), my labs were drawn a couple days later after being admitted to the ER for seizures. My kidney function was up to 85, which is headed in the right direction! So...no real concerns about kidney function. My next set of labs will be on the 30th and we will see what they say then!
All in all it was a fine day, with a weird little oddity, but I'm grateful I got through it and my kidneys are still lookin' good!
So anyway...Kim stayed home and worked around the yard and the house with the kids. There were things that needed to be done and she was much more productive at home than she would have been sitting in the car. I did, however, miss having her with me and look forward to when she can come into my appointments with me!
This go around, the IV went much better. No issues at all. The only issue that arose was my kidney function levels... The nurse came and asked me if I was dehydrated. I told her I'd had about 80 ounces of water already and that I certainly wasn't dehydrated. She indicated that would be the likely cause of the large drop in kidney function levels. Normally, my kidney function sits right around 120, which is excellent. This time, however, it was at 62! That is a large drop! Fortunately, I was still in "good" status, but it was still alarming. The only thing I could think of was what I had for breakfast... Prior to the vast majority of my labs and infusions, I drink water and maybe have some fruit. This time, however, I had two egg and bacon sandwiches, extra bacon on the side, a protein shake, and other items BEFORE my labs. So...when you throw a bunch of salt into the equation, I could understand the appearance of dehydration. But, the nurse didn't seem to think that was the case. For some reason, this delayed me getting my drugs going, but we eventually got around to the infusion.
Just as my infusion was ending, the nurse came over with a VERY large bag of saline solution to run through my kidneys. She said she wished she'd have been told earlier about it so it could have been running, but it would take an extra hour of me sitting there to run the fluid through. My kidney function was still good and there wasn't anything else in my labs or in my treatments that would have caused the drop, so, after already a long day, I declined the flush. I was to get my labs checked in a week to see where my kidney function was. If it was still low, we would address it. Fortunately (err...unfortunately), my labs were drawn a couple days later after being admitted to the ER for seizures. My kidney function was up to 85, which is headed in the right direction! So...no real concerns about kidney function. My next set of labs will be on the 30th and we will see what they say then!
All in all it was a fine day, with a weird little oddity, but I'm grateful I got through it and my kidneys are still lookin' good!
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