need sleep

[rascal01]

one mth. into dialysis. many issues to deal with. not eating, nausea. constipation. very miserable! DRS. don't seem too concerned, very upsetting. Is melatonin a good choice for sleep? Don,t understand why so afarid to give me anything for these issues. They don,t get it. If you don,t feel well you can,t take care of yourself! Any info. or help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Your friend Rascal.

[Hidden]

Doctors being insensitive? What a surprise! Welcome to reality. Unless you are in a position to find a new doctor all you can do is grin and bear it and come here often for support. As to the melatonin, I use it nightly. However, check with your doctors before you take any supplements. While not on dialysis (yet) I've done a lot of reading on it to determine the best modality for me to go with one of the biggest concerns and causes for your complaints is not enough or too much fluid is removed. Have you asked other dialysis patients about this? What about the folks who trained you or take care of you if you do in-center?

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Rascal,

I used melatonin for a while when I was really stressed. It is best to use the smallest amount. I did find I had weird dreams and I woke up cranky.... ok, more cranky than usual.

Doctors don't get what you are going through. NO one really does because each one of us has our own journey. However, you must become you best advocate and fight for what you need. Just saying, and I truly am just suggesting, they may be waiting to see how your body adjusts to the dialysis before prescribing anything else. A month may be a lifetime to you, but not to them. Keep asking for help.

You might try to find some alternative ways to deal with your issues. They won't make them go away, but it will help with the stress. I find meditation is a wonder. Anyone can do it. Even if you just take 10 minutes a day a go sit somewhere quiet and peaceful, it can help. It will calm your systems down which will help with the nausea and not eating. And it is a gift you give yourself which reminds you how important you are and need to take care of yourself first.

Let us know how things go for you.

[KelliC_NKF]

Sorry to hear you are struggling so much. Talk with the nurse or doctor at your clinic, you should not be feeling this poorly. There may be things they can do to help alleviate your symptoms. Melatonin may be an option but you should discuss with your doctor before taking any over the counter medication. I'd also encourage you to post this on our dialysis community to get more responses from people on dialysis: healthunlocked.com/nkf-dial...

[Ladybug_05]

Hi rascal01!

I'm personally in my 9th month on dialysis (I did hemodialysis for 2 months and switched to Perotineal Dialysis and am in my 7th month for that). Unfortunately, what you are experiencing is normal and part of transitioning into dialysis treatment. It's only been one month, and transitioning can take 2-5 months for the body to accept treatment. It could also come ro that your body rejects your specific type of treatment and you'll need to see about doing something else. When I first went on hemo, my treatment caused chest pain that left me in tears and the crash team was called since they thought I was having a heart attack (I went into body shut down since my blood was basically brown sludge...) You will adjust in your own time- you just have to be patient.

Now, given that whole scenario, there are medications that can be taken for nausea and what not. Just be a big advocate for yourself and don't let things go. Be annoying! It's pretty benefitial to be naggy, since you are the only expert on you! I personally take odensetron for nausea and melatonin for sleep and it worked wonders! Also, it is a good idea to time when you eat. You won't want to and it sucks at first, but getting your body into a routine will allow your body to slowly begin to have an appetite again. I personally eat something every two hours ( small meals) and it helped a lot in getting my appetite back. Hope this helps! If you need someone to talk to, just shoot me a message!