It has been a hell of a week and it is just barely half over.
I got my first outpatient dialysis session on Tuesday. These sessions require me to leave work early. Soooooo I have to work extra hours on the days that I am here all day to make up the lost hours.
So Monday was a 13 hour day. Tuesday was 7 hours followed by 4 hours in a chair at the dialysis center. Oh, and for some strange reason (I think the dialysis machine sucked my brains out) I decided I could stay up way past my bedtime and put a desk together for my daughters room.
Now let us be clear about something. Some men are good at doing things with their hands. Some men. Just not this men. You can give me a two pieces of wood, a hammer and 5 nails and tell me to nail the wood together. What you will get is one lost nail, four bent nails and two pieces of wood that are not nailed together. The quickest way to have a problem with a screw is to give me the screw driver.
It was a heck of a match. I would win a round then the desk would win a round. In the end I arose victorious. Never mind the fact that there were pieces left over it was moved into her room and was together and standing when I left it. Anything else is on her.
Wednesday was the home inspection (home study) for our attempt at trying to get our grandson down here with us. He is in foster care in his home state and we want to keep him with family. So for over 2 hours yesterday afternoon I got an anal probing from the state of Mississippi. They always talk about us in the south being beamed up to some alien ship and anally probed. Nope. It is just our state government doing its job. There are are aliens to it. Results of this little inspection are likely not due for about two months so back to the waiting game we go.
Today is round two this week in the dialysis chair.
At least they do have comfortable chairs. The staff is also very nice (not to mention very nice looking) and very helpful. They will do anything to make the whole process easier. Now to be truthful I did get told that there were limits on that one when I tried to talk one of them out of her shirt (no I really didn't do that).
The real pain in the butt about the dialysis is the sitting in that chair for four long hours. I still have to go pottie every so often (kidneys must be doing something) and four hours is a looooonnnngggg time.
I am tolerating the treatments well. I am still loosing weight so I went into the center on Tuesday about 2 Kilograms BELOW my dry weight. That is how they determine how much fluid they have to take off during the session. The difference between your current weight and your dry weight is fluid weight that has to be removed. They also look at your blood pressure and if you are having any problems with shortness of breath. I have been told the less fluid they have to take off the better.
So that is my update. Actually I guess that is a couple of updates in one. The situation with my grandson and my dialysis so y'all got a double dose.
Sparky u stillgot that sense of humor going! GOOD FOR U!! Keep it!! I kinda know the feeling about the desk there. I'm pretty much the same way when it comes to stuff like that. Since I was an only child the men in my life tried to make sure I knew how to do things like that. Not that they didn't try I just didn't get it! LOL! The state is a pain in the A** can say that b/c I've had to deal with the state here in TN over g-kids. Thank u for ur update. Here's wishing u the best!
Hi Sparky. Thanks for the update. First of all, a kind staff makes a huge difference. I'm so glad you've got some good people taking care of you. How many stations are in the unit? I had just one mean lady but turns out she was mad at the head nurse and took it out on the patients. And yes, when they have to take off large amounts of fluid, say more than 4 kg, people sometimes feel ill and nauseous. There are also then problems with low blood pressure as the fluid in the body shifts. I think my dry weight shifted all the time, because I do not eat consistently. So It was hard to tell how much fluid I had on and they would, as you mentioned, ask if I was short of breath, listen to my lungs, check bp, and look at my ankles. Since I carry a lot of weight in my face it would sometimes look puffy and then they'd take off too much and that was not good. How is the catheter doing? I don't think I could keep track of all the steps involved when they take you off with the various flushing and clamping, etc. Is the adhesive any better? Wait 'til they go over the fire drill procedure. They said "do not walk away from the machine with the tubes connected". Duh. My facility was reviewed by the state every six months. A couple of somber people would come and sit around and observe and interview the patients. They asked me what I'd do if there was a fire and I made up a bunch of stuff and they said it was the best answer they'd gotten all day. Hah. Did you get to talk to the dietician? Mine was just an angel. She even brought me coupons from the paper for things she knew I liked. Sparky, I really enjoy your writing style. Hope today is a good run for you.
Hi Sparky, I hope you're having a good day today and feeling well.
Your story about putting the desk together made me chuckle. My husband *hates* putting pieces of furniture together...and hanging pictures too. I still remember a bookcase for my daughters room that he put together..and had pieces left over just like you. Amazingly she still has that bookcase in her apartment many years later.
I bet they assign you the best nurses at the center because you'll definitely keep them entertained! :)
Yes Kathy a kind staff does make a difference. I met a whole new set of folks today but htey wre just as nice. I got the fire drill and tornado speech today. It was comical mainly because they know it's as stupid as I do. Most of the people when I go in the afternoon could in no way get themselves out of the chair with the lines attached or unattached.
The story about the desk just kinda came out. I realized half way through it that I was rambling about nothing dealing with D & D. But I decided to just finish it.
Four hours is forever when you're anxious in the first place. Concentrating is probably not easy either so that would likely eliminate book-reading and puzzle-doing. Have you tried headphones? I find those book tapes engrossing. Anything Patrick Stewart reads is on my list... and Ellen DeGeneres tapes are fun too. Maybe take a laptop or something electronic that lets you get absorbed in 'play'? I still have my old Tetris game (requires 2 arms though) and cannot believe how fast the time just disappears when I'm 'busy' stacking those blocks. What about your fellow chair-mates? Anyone to talk to? Glad they haven't sucked out your sense of humour too.
Concentrating is tough there sometimes. There are 12 stations and at times a lot of them are alarming so at times it can be quite nosiy.
I did get my self an ipad and now I need to get some head phones. They do have individual tvs for each patient to watch. So I can watch movies on the ipad or tv. I find it hard to play games because there is no table to set everything on and I was never comforatble with stuff like that in my lap.
With the dialysis unit in the way you don't see much of your neighbors. Most that are in the center the same time I am are older and they just lay there and sleep.
Me? I just try and talk all the female staff out of they shirts...lol. Just don't tell my wife. We have a good time picking on each other. The staff at my center is great.
Hey Jon, I think this is fantastic, you writing your experience on here about dialysis. I am real anxious too folks about my husband, but he is doing really well. His humor has never left and its helpfull to keep us from getting depressed. We got a kick out of our Pastor calling the dialysis center the "waste treatment plant", it is a great way to describe it. We've been happy to see he can drive himmself there and drive himmself home. He doesn't have to leave his job as early to get to the center. Hey brokenpole, not surprised at all you are still trying to talk the female staff out of their shirts. The other folks in the chairs don't talk and the staff probably like you a lot already. All I can say is praise God because I believe all the folks praying for my husband, and our prayers, that prayer is working. Have a happy Memorial Day folks, and thanks to all on TU that have served in the military
I think it's really fantastic too, sharon. as I've said before, you don't know how many are out there reading Sparky's blog and are going through the same experience, or soon to be. That was fun yesterday with the chat, wasn't it? hope you have a nice day too.
