Pat's Adventures in Dialysis, "The I'm Starting the New Access Point This Morning so I can Only Type With One Hand" edition. More like 1 finger. iPod shuffled to "Get on Up", The Esquires. I recall this maybe elementary school? Listening to Donnie Simpson, maybe? Yeah He was a soul teen reporter before he went to (early) BET. Lol. Typing so slow the songs keep on coming..."Stay in My Corner", The Dells. Close the car windows, crank up the volume, sing at your loudest and then attempt to hold that impossibly long note. ;-)
Thursday evening I get some decent food. I am hungry now. Hadn't been hungry for a few months. I can make it to the bathroom. I can get up off the stool without assistance. Let me tell ya, when the guy nurse came to help me up, he grabbed me under my left arm and heaved. I flew up. Lol. Heh, when you are weak and fairly helpless, you have no modesty. I have none. Later on when I thought I'd sleep, my RN came and made me walk the hall with my walker. She paid no heed to my whining. ;-< I thanked her lol
Friday morning comes, Ms Mattie's doctor comes, and a guy with a gurney for me comes. Off to dialysis I go. I have a different tech. I am in a different bed. She asks me what my dry weight is. I have no clue what she's talking about. She weighs me in kilograms on a portable scale that looks like a high tech dolly. I note the number to do the conversion to pounds. I realize that I have lost about 100 pounds in the past year. I have a story about when I realized I was losing weight for another time..
3 hours pass, I get back to my room around 9:30. I miss out on my bagel because of dialysis, but I got my dry turkey sausage patty and boiled egg. Mmmmmm mmmmm yummy (feel the sarcasm). I am now waiting to go home. I am ready. I still need to nail down my dialysis location and schedule. I also need to talk with a dietician. My meds have also been discontinued and/or changed so I need to get the new scripts. I am excited.
Shawn arrives to take me home. Brian had to work and he had taken off so many days already. <3. Shawn had to bring me clothes and a coat. We got what we needed and rode off in the Shawn-mobile. I was home exactly 1 week after almost dying. I can't thank the people who treated me enough. So many people involved. The EMS EMTs, the triage nurses, the ER nurses and doctors, the ICU nurses, the ICU doctors and residents, the dialysis techs, the physical therapist, my floor nurses and nursing staff, the assorted residents, my primary care physician, the nephrologist, and the orderlies and dietitians and the food service staff that helped me select my meals. I am certain I left someone out, but I thank and appreciate them, too. :)
And Ms Mattie? Her family said , "Stop". They arranged for her to go to hospice care. Ms Mattie and I both left Sinai-Grace Friday afternoon. Signing off with, "Be My Girl", The Dramatic. Excuse me while I try in vain to hit those Ron Banks notes. :-D
I'll say it again - I love reading these...keep 'em coming, Pat!
ReplyDeleteDitto!!! There are many others that fight their own private health wars and find comfort in reading your blog. It's not that misery loves company, but it's knowing that your not alone in the battle. Again, thank you Pat.
ReplyDeleteUnknown and Anonymous, you are most welcome. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour post are so upbeat and lively that it's very difficult to remember that you are recovering from a serious malady. That in itself makes me believe that you are going to be better sooner rather than later.
ReplyDelete-A