About two or three months ago, my kidney doctor said she thought it was time to have a catheter inserted for dialysis. We did that and it worked okay for a couple of weeks and then it got clogged. A couple of weeks ago they went back in and unclogged the blockage. Since then, DaVita (i.e., the Dialysis Center I use) has started training my wife and I on how to do peritoneal dialysis. I imagine that within a week or so the training will be over and we will be doing dialysis at home on a daily basis. Thus far, things have been going well and I haven't been experiencing any pain.
We have made some changes to our bed room in order to accommodate the machine that holds the dialysis solution and more or less automatically administers it to me while I sleep. Right now, the dialysis solution is given to me over a 2 to 3 hour period every other day at the DaVita Treatment Center. As I understand it, once everything is in place and the training is completed, I will hook up to the machine every night at home and be on dialysis for about eight to ten hours. Since I wake up at least once during the night to go to the bathroom, I assume the same sleep pattern will be evident when I am on the machine overnight. I guess they will explain how that is suppose to work. It is my understanding that you can disconnect from the machine but that hasn't been explained to me yet.
As I think about this situation, it isn't as bad as I anticipated. When I was the Executive Director for the Elkhart County Council on Aging, I used to transports patients to and from the dialysis center over in Elkhart. Man, those folks did not look good when they were going in for treatment and they looked even worse when they finished. That is why I was pretty much convinced that I wasn't going to do dialysis. However, when Margaret and I visited the grandchildren in March, I had a change of heart and said I'll give it a try. Right now, I am glad I decided to give it a try.
They (the doctors) tell me that my kidney disease (failure) is basically due to the diabetes. My dad had diabetes but he died in his mid fifties. I guess that was so early, the kidneys didn't have a chance to go bad. My mom died much earlier (1945) and my understanding that her death was due to incompatible blood types during an operation. No one has every really explained the situation to me and to be honest, I never really asked for an explanation. My attitude has always been that I'll be told what I need to now when I need to know it.
I am going to try and blog more because I need an outlet to express my thoughts of what is going on. I would put it on Facebook but I think people might misunderstand. I am not looking for compassion or sympathy, I just need to talk and get it out. I don't really want to bother anyone with what is on my mind, I just want to get it out. Perhaps if I put things in this blog, I'll feel better because I won't be complaining and people won't have to listen or read my thoughts unless they want to. I've always enjoyed the company of others and hearing about their experiences.
2 comments:
Bob,
Most people would throw a "woe is me" comment on public media expecting sympathy in return. Not a very beneficial method when you are trying to make sense of a difficult situation. You are so brave & thoughtful to target through this blog an audience who can listen & not judge. Glad I know you!
Barb
I appreciate the comment but I don't know that there is any bravery involved here. I am truly looking for answers and having difficulty finding them. I am hopeful that by doing this (maintaining this blog) things will become clearer. For those who read this, I'd appreciate a prayer that God will help me deal with this situation in an effective and efficient manner. Thank you!
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