For the past 3 or 4 days Jim hasn't been feeling well. It started Saturday while at the lake. He was on the riding mower cutting grass and the next thing I know he is sitting in his truck with the air conditioning running. He had gotten really light headed and sweaty. Sitting in the cool helped and after a few minutes he was better.
It happened again on Sunday and Monday and again today, He called his dialysis nurse at the clinic and she told him to check his blood pressure. It was very low....75/60. She wanted to see him right away but that he shouldn't drive. He call Bill G. and asked him to take him to the clinic. It turns out by the time he had gotten there he was experiencing shortness of breath and was hyperventilating.. They determined that he was dehydrated. After taking his weight, he had dropped 7 lbs (fluid) over the last few days. Apparently his cycler has been taking too much fluid off together with the increase in his water pill was a sure cause for dehydration.
After giving him some IV fluids, his blood pressure was steadily going up. His fluids tonight on the cycler will be 1.5% not the 4.5% dextrose he normally uses. No more blood pressure meds until his BP is back to normal. No more dark colored soda (too much phosphorus), No more Gatorade. No more orange juice.
This is what we learned today in Dehydration 101.
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