It was in the News while back (something like about four years ago.?) that Osama benLadin’s (sp?) health was bad and he had gotten a dialysis machine. Does anyone remember that? (Maybe it circled the dialysis folks..? ???) But, what is he going to do with a dialysis machine in the mountains? There’s no running water in the mountains.

Anyway, I was wondering what he did with that machine ... living up there in the mountains and all??? I keep wondering ... I haven’t heard any follow up on that.

And, apparently he survived the mud slides of Pakistan, too ..??

Any questons?

The nurse tried. The stick itself was good and didn’t really hurt. But, she had to try to get a good stick, so, that hurt!!! I didn’t want her to keep on trying which meant to keep on hurting. So, we’ll give it another try on Friday.

All is well!!

Any questons?

I went back to my surgeon yesterday and the graph is ready to be used. So, Wednesday (tomorrow) is THE day. OH S**T. Oh well ... it’s the name of the game.

I’ve had five graphs previously. Four lasted 18 months and the fifth one lasted seven years. My clinic started using a kind of ultrasound machine to recognize how good the flow is in the graph. Then, if it needs some help, they send you to the hospital for the doctor to .. I’ve always refered to it as rooter-rootered. Obviously, that’s not the real name! But . . .

There isn’t more to say at this time.

Any questons?

Here I am again! Being all the time tired is part of life on dialysis. Last week I could not sleep well ... my leg ached, a place on the ear that I sleep on kept hurting so I kept moving, a restless body .. just on and on. So, it seemed like Saturday I slept and slept really well. Tried to get in here and catch up. But, nooooo!!

So, I’m back at the bay (sittin’ on the dock of the bay ... don’t I wish!) ...

The eight of us ... we pay attention to those that we are used to ... we care ... we watch ... we seldom know anything about each other ... when one of us is not here ... we quietly ask ... hospital? ... then we pay attention to how long they are gone. Glad when they are back. Sometimes those things are spoken ... most time not. They (always refers to nurses in the bay) can’t speak to other patients about any patients ... confidentiality is state law.

Right now I’m waiting for my ear phones and remote control and I have today’s paper ... I also brought Sudoku and my writing tablet. It’s time to eat my chicken salad subs! ...two every day I’m here. I usually don’t continually eat the same thing over and over -> but they are so good and chicken is good for the dialysis diet —> protein.

It’s been about an hour (makes it 3:45). I’ve eaten, chomped on some ice, eaten a Reeces white chocolate and read the paper.

I’m the first of the third shift so now three more patients have come in. Mrs. C. is in the chair today that I am usually in ... she’s an older lady ... been on dialysis about two years ... had her L leg removed about the same time I had my R leg removed (diabetes); a regular patient ... but I don’t know his name; (now it’s 4:15p) MR, who has a lot of medical trouble ... spends time at the university ... his wife, L., carries him everywhere ... L. is an aid at an elementary school; and R. started dialysis about a year ago ... last fall she lost one son in a wreck ... he was driving ... her other son spent some months in rehab as a result of the wreck (a lot to handle).

Now there are a couple of 2nd shift patients left whom I don’t know and Doc (his name) is walking in ... he was in Bay D ... traveled a while ... and when he came back he is now in our bay.

5:05p Another patient is coming in ... don’t know her ... recognize her face; another is leaving ... I didn’t see her son or husband; another is leaving ... his wife comes and gets him ... he’s in a wheelchair ... he’s weak. Now there are seven in 3rd shift and an empty chair.

I have watched two episodes of Law & Order, Oprah is at it’s end, and the local News is soon to start. I “watch” most of that and by 6:45p I’m usually off or soon to be off.

There are things that the nurses need to do, then, I’m off and gone!!! I sit in the lobby with L. for a bit, then drive my chair up the street a couple of blocks and wait for the bus, soon to come!

That’s pretty much a day in the life of a dialysis patient. Some of us are far more ill than others. But chronically ill is chronically ill; it does different things to each patient; each patient handles it differently; IT IS ALL IN THE ATTITUDE, no matter what the event.


Any questions?

These are the things I tried to get written on Wednesday but sleep ruled.

Today I got to my bay, looked around, checked out where I was to sit. I am the first of the third shift and I am ready to start the run about 2:45. The machine is set up ready for me when I get there, I go get my weight, they hook me up to my blood pressure cuff, they take my temperature, listen to my lungs, connect my catheter and I am ready to run.

There has to be one RN as head of the bay and there are at least two others that are dialysis technicians. I am in Bay B.

I look around and take note: one chair is empty, and one regular patient is not there. She’s most likely in the hospital; she’s been on dialysis for 26 years. The clinic is coldish today and several are under blankets ... I wave or nod to a few who are looking my way.

They are getting S. ready to leave ... an ambulance has come to take her home ... she has lost both legs ... she is an exquisite 50ish ... her husband, a quiet man, comes and sits with her ... she’s been asleep under a blanket.

The cuff pumps up every thirty minutes and that’s happening now.

The next several patients are asleep, under a blanket, watching TV —> generally quiet. The bay as a whole is quiet.

The patient next to me is getting ready to leave ... he has quite a lot of good, spirited energy ... he is moving around, kinda dancing a bit here and there, speaking to a gentleman closer to the other end of the bay from me ... then he “danced” his way up to my chair ... and somehow we got to the facts fast that he had survived cancer twice, has lost part of his heart, has had a five-way bypass, half of his lung collasped (amoung other things) ... then, he finished up and left. We are usually on opposite sides of the bay and had never been close enough as we come and go to really speak to each other. And then, we are often “waiting” for days like this to take a moment to talk about what actually goes on with us.

I didn’t know this was going to be a two parter. But, here at 3:06a, I am deciding that I can’t write very well for another couple of hours. So, this is Part l and good night.