Rant and complain

I’am very careful with my p.d. going beyond what is expected in cleanliness!! So I went in for my monthly
check-up. I feel so good on my cycler I’am very active ( work 40+, cu firewood) I got a flu shot and a hepatius b vacine a 2 shot deal within 2 hours I was violently ill with flu like symptoms. The next morning I saw a glob of fibrin in my drain bag fluid was clear. I felt horrible but no fever! So I went to the dialysis center and got antibiotics to put in my dextrose bags also they took a culture that grew NOTHING 4 days later still can’t hold anything down! Rushed to E.R. bowl obsruction was what they said HMM I sillam having bowl movements! I said I’am dehydrated they would not listen!! After 2 full days of no fluids or food they thought barrium would be great so they could see whats happening IT turned as solid as concrete.and wold not move. Oh boy suction tube down the nose 2 days later still had problems removing the barrium! still nothing to drink just iv fluids. Now I 'am terribly constipated no laxatives of any typeam I allowed. I must have surgery ASAP to find a blockage. Every one knows how this can ruin your ability for P.D. The surgeon agreed to do it orthscopicly so 3 small holes they found nothing!!! I laid there4 more days on clear fluids finally anew nurse came in and said OH you were supposed to be on laxatives for the last 5 days 1 suppoitry and 3 hours and we were movin like normal!!! Next problem is now my platelet count is very very high !! all the rest of my numbers are very good I had been given 3 heparin shots a dayfor 5 days also, Don’t platelet levels increase after surgury? Now I have to go thru more testing & screening for cancer! The platelet numbers are coming down GREG IN Mn

Hi Greg,

Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about your misadventure and hope you’re starting to feel better. Nausea & vomiting are not common side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine, but both are listed. There are two hepatitis B vaccines. One is “recombivax” (you can find this one on http://www.rxlist.com) and the other is “engerix-B” (you can find this one here: http://www.drugs.com/engerix-b.html). Whichever one you had, try the OTHER one for the next shot in the series. Nausea & vomiting are not listed as side effects from the flu shot. Of course, who knows what can happen when you have two vaccines at the same time–that could also be the problem.

If you haven’t seen our article about how to protect yourself in the hospital, please do read it. It has special precautions for folks who do PD. In most cases, the ER staff don’t know anything about PD. This may have been why they didn’t listen to you when you said you were dehydrated. The article is here: http://www.homedialysis.org/resources/tom/200707/

We are not doctors or nurses here, and I’m afraid I don’t know about your platelet question. Please do ask your doctor about that.