New Kidney For Timmy

things i am quickly learning dialysis day 2

no matter how well you think you've shaved your arm, the tape will dutifully remind you that you missed a few strands
typing with 2 fingers on one hand is way harder than typng with 2 fingers on both hands
i may not look manly covered in a bright pink blanket with butterflies and flowers, but, i take great pride in knowing that it was a heart felt gift shared by a 6 year old angel
life's maladies are completely indiscriminate...i am joined by all races creeds colors and sexes.
medical personnel have the power to make someone's day significantly brighter or significantly darker.
i am surrounded by wonderful medical personnel.
3 hours goes by surprisingly fast.
finally, in spite of time flying, as mentoned above, i should not be left alone with my thoughts for 3 hours. they may have to switch me to a slightly more padded room!

Woke up early this morning feeling fresh. I didn't feel nervous, I simply went through my morning ritual of showering. Unsure of proper protocol, I didn't eat breakfast or have coffee.
As we arrived at the Dialysis Center, I felt no anxiety, we simply walked in and sat down. There were two patients in the lobby, I made a mental note that they both had blankets. There was no one at the reception desk, so we sat and we waited.
In a few minutes the first patient was called. He simply got up and walked into the center, a sequence repeated by the second patient.
Finally, Grace, a pleasant looking woman greeted us. She sat sweetly next to us with a stack of papers to sign, all of which suddenly sounded legaleze for "we are here to torture you and you cannot sue us".
Once complete, we followed Grace in to the center, where we found 12 very comfortable looking chairs, all with a patient in some form of a relaxed state with two tubes protruding from each. None of the patients seemed in any form of distress.
Grace asked me to step on the scale, which registered 178.5 (actually 81 kilograms). I then followed Grace to my chair, where she immediately fit my right arm for a blood pressure cuff. No sooner had she done that, then the room began to swoon. I didn't feel like I was stressed or anxious, maybe it was the suddenness of it all, I really can't explain it, but, it was the most uncomfortable feeling I have had for as long as I can remember. I quickly sat down, I nearly passed out, and I felt like I had to puke. I was sweating profusely and poor Angie was looking at me with very fearful eyes.
I was quickly met by a super nice nurse named Andrew, who, more laughing with me than at me, seemed to understand what I was going through. He got me a glass of water and waited patiently for me to regain some color.
After a few minutes, I felt fine again and he gently inserted 2 needles into my left arm. He connected the needles to the tubes leading into the machine, and the maching began to pump blood from my body, through a filter, and back into my body. There was absolutely no pain, there was nothing. I just sat and let it happen.
At one point, I did get cold. Andrew brought me a sheet, but, suggested that I find a favorite blanket to bring along. All of my blankets have dog hair on them, so, I'm not sure what I am going to do.
I got super hungry, so Angie went on a mission to find a bagel.
Andrew and Grace continually checked on me and advised me to let them know if I felt any cramps. Dialysis serves 2 functions, first, it cleans the minerals from your blood, second, it removes excess fluid from your body, which is exactly what your body does through urination. As my kidneys continue to fail, I will actually lose the ability to pee.
At one point I began to get crampy. They continued filtering the blood, but, returned the fluids to my body. They actually set a goal of fluids to remove each session.
When my time was up, they asked me to stand. Here is when everything went wrong. My blood pressure, a very comfortable 135/72 while sitting, dropped immediateely to 80/40. I felt very dizzy and that cold sweat returned. As I sat, it took a few minutes to recover for a second attempt, followed by a thrid and fourth. Finally, we all agreed that I would just sit tight for 15 minutes or so. It was fun watching Angie's face as she watched my blood pressure drop...it very much reminded me of when she was in labor and I was watching her contraction monitor fly off the charts, trying not to react to how intense it was.
To help overcome the problem, they put some saline back into my system. They were laughing, because their goal was to take fluids from me, but, they actually put more in than they took out. They weren't overly concerned, because I still urinate frequently.
While I was recovering, Joan, my social worker, stopped by to have me fill out some more paperwork.
I was finally OK to go home. I felt tired, but, otherwise OK. I got home, laid down on the couch at 12:30, and woke up at 6pm.
Now I can't wait to do it all again. I have 36 hours to find a blanket with no dog hair and shave my arm (they use a lot of tape).
Until we meet again!

Well my days of dodging the bullet have come to a crashing halt. I begin dialysis tomorrow morning from 7-10am. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7-10, as a matter of fact. I have no idea what to expect. I am told I won't feel too hot for the first month or so. Just means I can probably catch up on some well needed sleep.

I am tthinking about bring my laptop with me so I can do a live play by play post, but, I fear that either A. it will be too gory for some people to comprehend and they will want their donations back, or B it will be anticlimactic. I mean they are only going to stick a massive needle in, hook me to a machine, and spend 3 hours changing my oil. Probably not really alot to describe.

My sincerest hope is that I have some sort of magical hallucination American Indian spiritual dream with eagles, wolves, and prairie dogs.

None-the-less, I will update as soon as I feel up to it.

Until next time, please keep me and Angie (she has to get up way early to drive me and she does not like to get up early unless she absolutely has to) in your thoughts and prayers for the day.

TTFN