This is John on the first day of the program. He has in front of him the Slippery Elm Gruel. He wasn't really as "happy" as he looked eating it. He was a good boy and ate it like I asked.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
John just starting out
This is John on the first day of the program. He has in front of him the Slippery Elm Gruel. He wasn't really as "happy" as he looked eating it. He was a good boy and ate it like I asked.
Over the edge
Well, it was too much. Too much liquid, too much heat. Combination did it in for John. Luckily not permanently, but enough to put him into the hospital in the intensive care unit. Tuesday morning was not too bad. He slept in till 10 am. Bowel movements were still frequent, but they were not pure liquid. It has never really been that way. He took his pills with water, then he drank some juice. I then did his massage with Wheat Germ oil. He tolerated the sunbathing for about 21 minutes. Even the cold shower. By the way, he has been walking in grass every time he sunbathes. But throughout the day he just seemed to be getting worse. Usually driving in the car with the air conditioning would help, but this evening it didn't. I gave him some extra heart medication to see if that would help, but it didn't, so that was when I took him in.
He was showing signs of improvement in his sugars and he was continuing to slowly increase his urine output. Mentally, it seemed he was acting more of adult in his speech and his attention span. Just listening to him speak, I could hear differences in how he presented himself. It was really exciting.
He was also continuing to have problems breathing. With the hot weather on Sunday and scorching weather Monday and Tuesday, was just too much. Tuesday night, John was in panic mode as he felt he could not breathe. His oxygen saturation was at 97%, which surprised the admitting nurse. They admitted him with Congested Heart Failure and scheduled him for a dialysis treatment. While he was waiting for that to take place John still had problems breathing even though he was on as much oxygen as possible. He was still panicking. He just couldn't calm down. They gave him morphine and adapan (don't know if I spelled or said it right). It finally started working by 1:30 am when they started his treatment. They pulled off 4 1/2 kilos.
Wednesday, John was out. He slept till about 3:30 pm. He slept through Doctors poking and prodding. He had blood taken, an echo cardiogram and another dialysis treatment which pulled another 4 kilos of liquid off. Amazingly enough his injection fraction of his heart is at almost 40%. That is really good for him having CHF for over 15 years. When he first was diagnosed, his injection fraction was 10%. But the bottom line is that all the fluid he has had took a toll on him. If it wasn't for the heat, he may have been able to pull through it. 8 1/2 Kilos equals to about 17 lbs of liquid.
The downside to him going to the hospital, is that he is eating the foods we have been trying to get away from. So we just have to deal with it and when he comes home tomorrow, we will resume. It was working in so many ways, that it is worth the risk to keep going. Now he will have a little more playing room. His kidneys are starting to get rid of some of the liquid. If we keep going it will only get better.
He was showing signs of improvement in his sugars and he was continuing to slowly increase his urine output. Mentally, it seemed he was acting more of adult in his speech and his attention span. Just listening to him speak, I could hear differences in how he presented himself. It was really exciting.
He was also continuing to have problems breathing. With the hot weather on Sunday and scorching weather Monday and Tuesday, was just too much. Tuesday night, John was in panic mode as he felt he could not breathe. His oxygen saturation was at 97%, which surprised the admitting nurse. They admitted him with Congested Heart Failure and scheduled him for a dialysis treatment. While he was waiting for that to take place John still had problems breathing even though he was on as much oxygen as possible. He was still panicking. He just couldn't calm down. They gave him morphine and adapan (don't know if I spelled or said it right). It finally started working by 1:30 am when they started his treatment. They pulled off 4 1/2 kilos.
Wednesday, John was out. He slept till about 3:30 pm. He slept through Doctors poking and prodding. He had blood taken, an echo cardiogram and another dialysis treatment which pulled another 4 kilos of liquid off. Amazingly enough his injection fraction of his heart is at almost 40%. That is really good for him having CHF for over 15 years. When he first was diagnosed, his injection fraction was 10%. But the bottom line is that all the fluid he has had took a toll on him. If it wasn't for the heat, he may have been able to pull through it. 8 1/2 Kilos equals to about 17 lbs of liquid.
The downside to him going to the hospital, is that he is eating the foods we have been trying to get away from. So we just have to deal with it and when he comes home tomorrow, we will resume. It was working in so many ways, that it is worth the risk to keep going. Now he will have a little more playing room. His kidneys are starting to get rid of some of the liquid. If we keep going it will only get better.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Is it getting any easier?
I didn't have time to write Sunday. John had a really hard time with the heat and mentally he was still very restless and acting so much like a child. He was up and down so many times he could have wore a path through our carpet if I didn't have extra runners down. He still isn't getting much sleep. I did manage to get away for a little while and that helped me. I didn't get his oil massage in. He was happy.
Sunday night wasn't much different than the last few nights. Up and down and still very restless and heavy breathing. He finally got to sleep around 3. Then we got up late for dialysis. He had diarrhea there so he didn't get a full treatment. He weighed in at 133 kg.
I got him his Wheat germ oil massage around 12:30. It was going to be way too hot to do it any later even though they suggest not sunbathing during that time. He actually sat out there for the longest time yet. He got his shower-even the cold part. Only for 2 seconds. His butt was sore, I didn't put a diaper on so he could get some air. He slept for about an hour. I didn't have to cuddle with him this time.
The rest of the day was a much better day for him.. He dealt with the heat well. I had lots of fans on him. He wasn't restless or up and down. Mentally he was so much better too. It was nice. Even late into the evening as it is, he can't sleep, but he is calm. Breathing well. His urine output is increasing as well. He keeps asking me if I am sure about all this, I keep telling him I am.
Sunday night wasn't much different than the last few nights. Up and down and still very restless and heavy breathing. He finally got to sleep around 3. Then we got up late for dialysis. He had diarrhea there so he didn't get a full treatment. He weighed in at 133 kg.
I got him his Wheat germ oil massage around 12:30. It was going to be way too hot to do it any later even though they suggest not sunbathing during that time. He actually sat out there for the longest time yet. He got his shower-even the cold part. Only for 2 seconds. His butt was sore, I didn't put a diaper on so he could get some air. He slept for about an hour. I didn't have to cuddle with him this time.
The rest of the day was a much better day for him.. He dealt with the heat well. I had lots of fans on him. He wasn't restless or up and down. Mentally he was so much better too. It was nice. Even late into the evening as it is, he can't sleep, but he is calm. Breathing well. His urine output is increasing as well. He keeps asking me if I am sure about all this, I keep telling him I am.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
7th day-The hardest day so far
Friday has been the hardest day so far. Thursday night, John managed to get a total of 5 1/2 hours of sleep. That is the most he has slept thus far. His sugars went down to 89 so I gave him another glass of carrot juice. That was enough.
He did dialysis. Because of that he didn't get to drink water during that time. Then at 12:00, we had to go to the doctors for John to have his basal cell skin cancer removed from off of his cheek. He did not want to go but I told him that he scheduled it, so we need to get it done.
He was still antsy and breathing hard so it was very difficult him to sit still long enough to have it done. Thankfully, the doctor got it all the first time around.
We made it home so he could finally get some water in him. He was really wanting something to eat. I am sure it was very hard for him. He took an hour nap. It didn't help. He got quite a bit of water down though. He then took another nap in the evening. But that was it. He was then up until two in the morning pacing back and forth at least 100 times (maybe more). He was sweating and could have swore that his sugars were low. They weren't (146). But he convinced himself that they were so he got into my son's Chocolate Marshmallow Mateys. That was the only thing he could reach and get into. He also got into the sea salt. He tried to deny it, but he was the only one around. The other couple things he snuck during the week were the Oreo Cookies Nacho Doritos. Really not too bad considering his mentality and willpower right now.
I realized yesterday that 136 kg is 300 lb. That is how much John weighed in last Monday at Dialysis. Friday, he weighed 132.7 kg which is around 289 lb.
I gave up on the fomentations until he calms down. It just isn't worth the hassel to try to keep it on his back. Hopefully we can start it tonight.
Now it is Saturday. I let him sleep. He slept till almost 11 am. I gave him his pills, water and gruel. He went back to bed at 12 and slept till almost 2. I hope it helps.
The capsules I give him are:
Circualtion-Parsley, cayenne, ginger, ginkgo eleuthero and garlic
CoQ10
Heart-hawthorn, motherwort
Lower Bowel-Rhubarb, ginger, fennel, cascara sagrada, red raspberry, cayenne, goldenseal, barberry and lobelia
Calcium Formula-Horsetail, oat straw, comfrey and lobelia
Blood Cleanser-Red clover, burdock, buckthorn, licorice, goldenseal, sarsaparilla, chaparral and oregon grape
Kidney support- Marshmallow and parsley
Liver/gallbladder-Barberry, catnip, ginger, cramp bark, fennel, peppernint and wild yam
Tinctures:
Nervine-Hops, valerian, skullcap and lady slipper
Pancreas-Bean Pod, bilberry, blueberry, huckleberry, balsom pear, bitter melon, gymnema sylvestre and uva ursi
He did dialysis. Because of that he didn't get to drink water during that time. Then at 12:00, we had to go to the doctors for John to have his basal cell skin cancer removed from off of his cheek. He did not want to go but I told him that he scheduled it, so we need to get it done.
He was still antsy and breathing hard so it was very difficult him to sit still long enough to have it done. Thankfully, the doctor got it all the first time around.
We made it home so he could finally get some water in him. He was really wanting something to eat. I am sure it was very hard for him. He took an hour nap. It didn't help. He got quite a bit of water down though. He then took another nap in the evening. But that was it. He was then up until two in the morning pacing back and forth at least 100 times (maybe more). He was sweating and could have swore that his sugars were low. They weren't (146). But he convinced himself that they were so he got into my son's Chocolate Marshmallow Mateys. That was the only thing he could reach and get into. He also got into the sea salt. He tried to deny it, but he was the only one around. The other couple things he snuck during the week were the Oreo Cookies Nacho Doritos. Really not too bad considering his mentality and willpower right now.
I realized yesterday that 136 kg is 300 lb. That is how much John weighed in last Monday at Dialysis. Friday, he weighed 132.7 kg which is around 289 lb.
I gave up on the fomentations until he calms down. It just isn't worth the hassel to try to keep it on his back. Hopefully we can start it tonight.
Now it is Saturday. I let him sleep. He slept till almost 11 am. I gave him his pills, water and gruel. He went back to bed at 12 and slept till almost 2. I hope it helps.
The capsules I give him are:
Circualtion-Parsley, cayenne, ginger, ginkgo eleuthero and garlic
CoQ10
Heart-hawthorn, motherwort
Lower Bowel-Rhubarb, ginger, fennel, cascara sagrada, red raspberry, cayenne, goldenseal, barberry and lobelia
Calcium Formula-Horsetail, oat straw, comfrey and lobelia
Blood Cleanser-Red clover, burdock, buckthorn, licorice, goldenseal, sarsaparilla, chaparral and oregon grape
Kidney support- Marshmallow and parsley
Liver/gallbladder-Barberry, catnip, ginger, cramp bark, fennel, peppernint and wild yam
Tinctures:
Nervine-Hops, valerian, skullcap and lady slipper
Pancreas-Bean Pod, bilberry, blueberry, huckleberry, balsom pear, bitter melon, gymnema sylvestre and uva ursi
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The 6th day
John and I are glad in one way that this is the 6th day. One because this will be his last day on carrot juice. 2nd, because he won't have to sunbath nude tomorrow and feel greasy afterward. 3rd, he won't have to eat Slippery Elm Gruel-though he says it really doesn't taste bad. And 4th, I get a rest from doing all that.
See, on the 7th day, all John gets to have is water. He is not thrilled with that, but it will help his body heal. Saturday, it will start again, but with Apple juice. He is excited for that.
John is still doing his heavy, short breaths. He has not had much sleep. He was up all night again last night. This morning, he took 2 short naps. As soon as I cuddled up to him, his breathing calmed right down, and he was out like a light.
He still gets nauseous. His poor butt is raw and he really wants something else to eat. He asks me every 2 seconds (it seems) if he can have this or that. His memory is still bad. He can't remember what is going to happen next. He acts so much like a little kid riding in a car asking "Are we there yet?"
But it is working. John has urinated 5 times in the last 24 hours. That is really exciting. He is going to have his urine output measured next week. They will be soooo shocked when they get the results. Last time they measured, they got nothing. Also, his blood sugars are coming down. They were averaging 200, now it is averaging 140.
See, on the 7th day, all John gets to have is water. He is not thrilled with that, but it will help his body heal. Saturday, it will start again, but with Apple juice. He is excited for that.
John is still doing his heavy, short breaths. He has not had much sleep. He was up all night again last night. This morning, he took 2 short naps. As soon as I cuddled up to him, his breathing calmed right down, and he was out like a light.
He still gets nauseous. His poor butt is raw and he really wants something else to eat. He asks me every 2 seconds (it seems) if he can have this or that. His memory is still bad. He can't remember what is going to happen next. He acts so much like a little kid riding in a car asking "Are we there yet?"
But it is working. John has urinated 5 times in the last 24 hours. That is really exciting. He is going to have his urine output measured next week. They will be soooo shocked when they get the results. Last time they measured, they got nothing. Also, his blood sugars are coming down. They were averaging 200, now it is averaging 140.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Major Milestone!
John has made a major milestone! He has urinated twice since dialysis ending at 11:30am! Once at 2:30 and again at 6 pm. That has been unheard of since his kidneys failed 5 yrs ago.
He has had a hard time today until about 3pm. His breathing has been short and he has been antsy. He didn't sleep at all to speak of last night. He can't stay out in the sun for as long as it says he needs to be out. He just couldn't handle the cold shower today. He still did the dry brushing, Olive oil massage and warm shower.
I have found that if I arrange to stay in the same room with him, then he is calmer and not demanding so much of me.
So we are making headway. John has been so unsure of it all. Question after question after question. I haven't gotten much sleep. I know it will all be worth it. Hopefully by the weekend I will post the schedule and supplements that John is currently on.
In the meantime-He is showing signs of improvement!
He has had a hard time today until about 3pm. His breathing has been short and he has been antsy. He didn't sleep at all to speak of last night. He can't stay out in the sun for as long as it says he needs to be out. He just couldn't handle the cold shower today. He still did the dry brushing, Olive oil massage and warm shower.
I have found that if I arrange to stay in the same room with him, then he is calmer and not demanding so much of me.
So we are making headway. John has been so unsure of it all. Question after question after question. I haven't gotten much sleep. I know it will all be worth it. Hopefully by the weekend I will post the schedule and supplements that John is currently on.
In the meantime-He is showing signs of improvement!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
4 days done already
John has done 4 days already. It has been tough. He has been weak. He has pooped his brains out. Though he has plenty more to go. I will eventually write down day to day exactness. But for now I want to say that this is not easy. I knew it wouldn't be. John has said quite a few times that he doesn't know if he can do this. He has been weak, out of breath, hot, cold, nauseous, afraid, anxious, sweaty, and more. I have been frustrated, tired, irritable, and also sure of myself that I am doing the right thing. So far the thing he hates the most is the cold shower. Dang, I would too. He has been really good about resisting foods that has been offered to him. Though he keeps asking me if he can have this food or that food. He also is asking me for this or that every 2 seconds. "Help me" is probably the 2 words I hate the most. He says that more times than I can count. What I don't mind is giving him pep talks. I have been kind of hard on him when he starts whining and complaining but he has to know that it will all turn out. Any improvements will be better than what he is going through now. He can't do anything for himself. So I just keep reminding him that he will be in much better health than he is now.
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