One thing a friend of mine doesn’t understand is that when you have been as ill as I have been for as long as I have been you KNOW who you are, you KNOW what you are and you KNOW why you are. Basically, you are ill because there are things you need to learn ... it is a God-thing. We are ill to teach us lessons and to help others learn things they need to understand. We don’t teach others by telling them anything, really. But, we teach them by being present, in the moment, aware, and they see that in us and then maybe they pick up something they need to figure out for them selves. It takes forever for us to get back to what we were born to be to begin with —> we make it all such a struggle.

Well, I’ve decided that this blog will be not only about dialysis itself, but, because everything in my life really does center around the fact that I am on dialysis that this blog will be not only about dialysis but about my life itself. Did you get that?!!

About dialysis: this graph is working well ... I do, however, need to run another week and then I can have the catheter taken out. Oh well, nothing is for sure within a medical life until you KNOW it’s being done NOW!!!

For those of you who are also diabetic: about a week and a half ago I noticed a knot on the shin of my leg ... have no idea where from. A few days later it was getting redder. So, the doc put me on antibiotics for four dialysis runs. The leg is better.

As a diabetic, you MUST take care of ALL those little anoying places that get knicked and knocked. They could easily turn into, before you know it, an amputated leg. I know, I watched it happen to my right leg. It really was an aweful site to see the top of my foot give way to dead skin ... it was ugly, soft, to touch it meant that a piece of skin was then loose ... the blood was kinda sitting there, kinda coagulated ... the rest of the skin was dark, not quite black. Once was enough to see that picture ... ugly.

One more piece about how fast things can happen. My surgeon told me that one of his patients dropped a plastic jar of mayo on his foot and two days later it was being amputated. If you are a diabetic and don’t believe it, go talk with a surgeon. They’ll paint you a picture you won’t ever forget.

any questions?
any statements?

thank you
Mandala

. . . thank you!

We do think that if all goes well this week, the catheter can come out sometime the following week. That will be a good deal and shower, here I come.

Otherwise, I woke up this morning ready to go —> I was ready to get things going on the move. I have always hated to move. But, we are starting the process ... finally.

gotta go
to bed!!!

any questions?
any statements?

Mandala

. . . on Monday. All went well with a good flow rate (450). So, maybe next week I can get the catheter out!!?

All is smooth sailing . . .

thank you
Mandala

. . . and my arm is ok to be stuck ... so, Monday we make that attempt once again. I want it to work well NOW ... we’ll stick it for a few weeks and THEN get the catheter taken out. YEAAAA ... shower time here I come!! Actually, I’m headed to take a shower Sunday evening —> it will be nice not to have to plan showers.

Dialysis usually stays pretty much the same ... and I’m grateful for that ... as we all are!!!

So, any questions? ... any statements?

Good Morning
Mandala

. . . two days off dialysis ... I’m gonna help get a friend’s resume done. And, hopefully, I’ll get a bit of my art work done ... done, as in finished!!! or, actually, started AND finished!!!

I’m working on, in my head, where to put things when I move. It’s in November (the move) ... finally ... but, it’ll be a good deal, 2BR, a great porch, and, of course, wheelchair accessible.

I’m on a Patient Advisory Committee which is part of the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition representing VA ... there are others from MD, WV, and DC ... we meet twice a year and have two conference calls per year ... we meet in Tyson’s Corner in the Washington D.C. area. So far, I’ve been on the committee for four years and I’m beginning to think that they are spending too much money to get me there and we’re not accomplishing all that much ... I also think the committee should go to different dialysis clinics for each meeting so we can see the differences in clinics. The clinic that I have always gone to is considered one of the best so there are things that I don’t know about that other patients have to live with.

The Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition is number 5 in the eighteen that represent the USA. In the early 1970s the nephrology doctors lobbied Congress for the dialysis expenses to be covered by Medicare which now pays 80% of the costs and in VA, Medicaid covers the remaining 20% ... Medicare covers doctors, dialysis(which now is costing from $16,000 to $20-some thousand a month which also includes some drugs given via the dialysis machine), and now part D pays for the drugs (my expenses so far have been from $34 to $56 which have covered <$1,100 of actual costs).

I’m looking for any input about meetings that might come to your mind. We are more of a marketing research group that anything else.

This is one of three blogs of which I am the author. The first one is “title? huumm?!!.” The second is this one and the third is QUESTIONS about older TV. In the process of thinking about what I’m doing, I think that because my life centers around being on dialysis, that I’m going to drop doing the “title?” and all “life” thoughts will also be part of this blog.

WELL!!! Hasn’t this been a barrel full!!!?

any questions?
any statements?

thank you
Mandala