The "Yesterday Was a Wonderful Day", edition.

iPod shuffled Steely Dan,  "Babylon Sisters". I've been a Steely Dan fan a very long time. Unique style.  Unique sound. And no one wails a note like Donald Fagen. :)

Thanksgiving day, 2013. It was just Brian, Shawn and me. We hadn't had Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad for a while. When they first moved to Las Vegas, my family would go there for Thanksgiving and the parents would come here for Christmas.  That worked for a while, until the year Mom ended up with pneumonia. Took her about 3-4 months to recover. They never came back to Detroit in the winter after that.  We changed to going out there for Christmas.  We'd celebrate Thanksgiving with Brian's family. 

Last year changed even that. I was still using a walker and navigating the steps to Brian's mother's house was impossible. I fixed dinner with the help of my family. Looking back, I was pretty determined. I was trying to cook and I could barely stand for more than 5 minutes. Lol. I made stuffing, greens and jalapeño cornbread. Brian cooked a turkey!  We were extremely renal safe. Which was fine, my numbers were high across the board. 

Growing up, we'd alternate the holiday meals with us and my Aunt Imogene's family. Best memories ever!  :-)  I couldn't get enough of Aunt Imogene's sweet potatoes!  We chuckled because even when us cousins were married, we still sat at the kids table. Lol. We were still the young folks.  We even got militant about remaining there. Lol. The only new kid was Shawn, anyway.  The Spinners, "Could It Be Im Falling In Love?"  My favorite song by them. I knew a guy who'd play is bongos with this song. 

Anyway years go by and things change.  I learned how to make everything my mom made...except for the turkey. Have to check with my cousins to see if they've cooked a turkey. We were married, in our 30s and still hadn't tackled a holiday dinner ( and pretty proud of it-lol)  Our moms weren't about to give that up. Lol. I've duplicated an entire meal and have had my inlaws over. One day I'll tell you about the Christmas dinner I had for 20 people. I can do it and do it well, but it's a lot of work. Whew!!

So my problem now is cooking for 3 people. For Thanksgiving this year I fixed the dressing on Wednesday.  Brian peeled potatoes and the soaked overnight...(remember the potatoes are chock full of potassium.  Soaking the potatoes "leeches" the potassium and makes them renal safe). On Thursday morning I started the vegetarian greens.  The Brian made mac and cheese.  I then started the potatoes and gravy. We got a small ham and turkey breast from Honey Baked Ham. We got rolls from Reen's and a caramel cake from Mrs Maddox. Yep. Way too much food. The cake is untouched. It looks like we tacked 1/8 th of the dressing, about 1/4 of the greens and potatoes and mac. Someone ate 1 roll. Lol. 2 circles of cranberry sauce served. Lots of ham and turkey left over. Lol. We could have had 4-6 people over and would have still had leftovers.  Lol.  

The good news is the meal was renal safe!!!  And there was no salt shaker on the table.  Woot!!!  Now watch my math here. I'm allowed about a teaspoon of salt a day. I used the some salt while cooking. I used about a teaspoon in the greens and a teaspoon in the potatoes. BUT. Consider the portions. We're getting about 12 servings, at least out of each dish. So I'm getting 1/12 teaspoon of salt per serving. Now the mac and cheese has salt, but I'm not over salting because of portion contro!!  And yeah, I had this discussion with my dietician. :-)  "All Day Music", War. Is there a song that is more mellow than this?  Lol. Everyone stops what they're doing and sits down to chill for 2 minutes and 38 seconds. Lol lol lol. 

So now it's leftover time. Yay!!  Oh yeah, I get to do it all over again for Christmas for Dad, except he gets potato salad and corn. Or whatever he wants.  He'll have leftovers for a while!! <3.  And yep, he got invited out for Thanksgiving. He called me from wherever he was. Sounded like folks were having a good time. :)

Time to sign off. My dialysis chair is nice and toasty. And think about my breakfast of leftovers when I get home. Lol. My tummy perked up. Have a fabulous day. Signing off with Jamie Foxx, "I Don't Need It". Did you know he was trained in classical piano?  He can't be all bad. Lol. 

The "I Went to a Piano Store. I Liked It. A Lot", edition.

iPod shuffled to Young MC, "Bust A Move".  "Got no money, you got no car, then you got no women, and there you are". Head bobbing hip hop. :)  Dialyzing on Tuesday.  I'm so confused. Lol. At least there are some familiar faces. Came in looking for the remote control.  They upgraded the tvs to cable. So of course someone stole ALL of the remote controls. :-/  Really?  REALLY?  My tech gave us all remotes that worked before cable. Now all they do is control the tv, but not the cable box. So I can turn on the tv, but I'm stuck with whatever channel it's on.  And I'm having an infomercial/palooza. I've got Cindy Crawford telling me about Dr Sebaghs melons.  I can buy the skin care system for the low price of $119!!!  I better get on that!!!  Oh, too bad I can't get to my credit card. Darn <snicker>.

And on Sunday, a guy on the shift after mine had to be taken to the hospital. His blood pressure dropped to 50/23. WTF?  Again, how is that even possible? :-(  The Dramatics, "Fall in Love, Lady Love".  /swoon.  Anyway, I'm hoping he gets better and we see him back here soon. He was cognizant  when EMS arrived. I told him to take care and be strong. A new guy was sitting next to him quietly freaking out. Welcome to dialysis.  iPod on jam..."So In Love With You", Jill Scott with Anthony Hamilton. <whisper> I'd sing this to Brian <3.  

Ok, the piano store. Why was I there?  Well Brian has been taking piano lessons and his recital was yesterday!  When I entered the store, it felt like magic!!  All those pianos. I had piano lessons for 12 years and never played again after I graduated from high school.  And yes I have a grand piano in my living room. But seeing all the pianos was a thing of wonder. Lol. And the I passed the case holding all the music. OMG, the memories came rushing back. John Thompson books, Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics. JS Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Dvorak, Heller, Rachmaninoff and others. I was visibly excited.  Lol. Brian had to steer me to the recital area. But we passed pianos of all sizes and types and keyboards.  When it was time to go, I caressed pianos on the way out.  :)

The recital room was a nice size room with a stage. There were 6 different types of keyboards up there. Lol. They looked like 21st century organs. :)  Several people were practicing. So now I'm old school piano. The people had on their headphones while they were playing, so yeah, that's how 10 people can take "piano" lessons at the same time.  Lol lol. I think about 20 people performed for us. Brian asks me and Shawn if we're ok sitting through a recital for beginners. Well first of all, we're there to support him. But then, people, strangers, sat through my recitals for 12 years. Of course I'll stay and I'll enjoy it!!  Shawn had lessons as a child and she agreed.  I told him it had been payed forward and it was my turn. And let me tell you, it was a delightful treat!!

Stevie Wonder, "Do I Do".  The arrangement, the instruments, the vocals...a perfect song!!!  All of the students were retirees. They played from their books on these electric pianos.  So in my time, the left hand played an accompanying note or chord. These students played programmed chords. Lol. So the songs took on a jazz flavor, or country, or pop, or whatever was programmed in there. They played the same 5-6 songs. ..."Love Me Tender,", " When the Saints Go Marching In", "Music Music Music (Put Another Nickel in the Nickelodeon",  "Jingle Bells" and a few others.  The programmed chords gave each person a personalized song. :-)  There were flawless performances, there were jitters and stage fright. Most songs were recognizable. And no matter what, everyone completed their song.  And everyone received hearty applause. :-). And of course Brian was magnificent. He is now called Maestro. :-). And yeah, he signed up for the next class.  What makes him special is, he practiced on a traditional piano and had to transfer that to an electric keyboard with those chords. Well played, Brian. :)

Lol. That was long. But it had to done!!  I'll be back after Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day. I know I will. :-). Signing off with "Sexy Mama", The Moments ( who morphed into Ray, Goodman and Brown).  One of those songs from high school that made us blush. I wonder if it got played at any of our school dances?  I'll ask some of my classmates. ;)

Have a great holiday!!  

The, "Dialyzing on Sunday, But It's All Good", edition.

Ipod shuffled to Big Daddy Kane, "I Get The Job Done". "I work, baby". Hip hop.  Get the party started!    Brian introduced me to Big Daddy Kane. And yeah, my head is bobbing. Holiday dialysis schedule in effect. Several minor issues with the holiday schedule. And they are really minor.  First, my tech isn't here on these off days. We can get over that, but I didn't see any of my backup stickers this morning. My chair neighbor whose been having issues with his fistula for the last month was getting stuck by a stick team member I didn't recognize. After thinking about it for 30 seconds, I went looking through the clinic for someone I trusted.  I found one and asked her to come and stick me. By the way, my neighbor's stick didn't go. He gives it one time. He left with a "Cya Tuesday".  After my 5 stick day, I'm a 1-2 stick woman!

Run (I'm a Natural Distaster), Gnarls Barkley. This was my intro to CeeLo Green.  My other issue, and it's really a non-issue, is my TV schedule is off.  I watch the NBC station the entire time. Local news then seque into The Today Show, and finally about 10-15 minutes into Rachel Ray.  Today, I'd have way too much local news, and Today won't come on until 9:00. :-/  However, if this is one of my complaints, it really IS a nonissue. Lol. So what am I watching?  I'm having a Golden Girls marathon. 

:-)  Thank you, TVland. Although while typing, I'm listening to the iPod.....and typing.  I can multitask, but adding watching  TV while typing and listening is a bit too much for even me!  

Yesterday, I went to my see Wendell. He's doing so much better. He's eating and doing his physical therapy. That was a helluva infection.  He's ready to go home, which means he's over the hump and will be a willing participant in his recovery.  I so get being so sick that basic functioning is a huge effort.  He's coming back. He requested some more of my chicken salad. :)  "Sun Goddess" , Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind, and Fire. This is a signature song from my freshmen year at UM. <smile>. 

So you may be wondering how the City's bankruptcy is affecting us. Well, for sure it's been an adventure. I'm raging less, but I still do plenty of rage. Here's the thing. All of my dialysis care is covered.  Even my travel. We have reasonable copays. We're both covered by Brian's plan...until February 28, 2014. The City will give employees $125 / month (taxable) to purchase insurance on the healthcare marketplace.  If you've checked it out, the plans that would work for us, or are comparable to what we have know, cost more than what the City will give us....And with the possible cut in the pension checks (maybe around 25%), that means our "take home" pay is significantly cut.   We'll be ok, but here's the rub. This will happen to people who've been retired for 10 years or more, but their monthly pensions are small.  We're looking at people who get $1000 per month. So the $1000 / month gets knocked down to $750 /month.   But let's add in the $125 so were at $875. They will probably be eligible for the subsidy, but will be subject to the copays and deductibles. And you know, older people get sick. This sucks so much.  I'm stopping now because of the rage.  My blood pressure may spike.  I'll continue next time. 

Rick James, "Give It To Me Baby". The bass is strong in this one. Brian and I were trying to figure out our intro to bass. We discussed Parliament and Funkadelic. I decided I was hooked with Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone. I bought that first album around 1968. I heard funk, and I never looked back. :)

Have a great day and stay warm. Signing off with "Crazy on You", Heart. The guitar intro is nice.  I love their voices. :-)

The "I'm Enjoying My Music This Morning", edition.

iPod shuffled to "A Heart is a House For Love", The Five Heartbeats...aka The Dells. "Is there a heart in the house tonight?  Better listen to me, love doesn't come free". Still love the movie. :)  The clinic starts the Thanksgiving schedule on Sunday.  I usually go on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  The other schedule is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  The staff needs to have the holiday off.  And from what I understand other clinics disregard holidays.  Some clinics have moved the shifts to earlier hours.  So anyway, my schedule for next week is Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday.  Which means the blog will be published oh those days.  The Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday people will come on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I call it equal opportunity disruption. Lol.  I recall this last year, but the whole dialysis thing was new to me and I didn't dwell on it.

"Turn The Beat Around", Vicki Sue Robinson. Break out the Candies mules,  Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and the NikNik and Roland shirts. Hah. Took you back, didn't I?  Lol. Disco ball!!!   Someone on the dialysis facebook I frequent drew a fantasy dialysis chair. She gave me permission to use it. It's drawn from a female point of view.  I like the idea of having a pedicure while I'm imprisoned in this chair!   And a food and beverage cart would be cool. I have a heated chair.  In my travels, my center is the only one with heated chairs!  My center is the only one that uses pillows to support the access arm.  Lol. They give you as many pillows as you want. :).  Except I don't like all those pillows, but other patients go for it!   I'll put in the photo of me in the chair again. The chair also has trays attached to both sides of the chair. Of course one is to place your arm and the arm pillow.  The other holds our "stuff". 

Stuff?  What stuff?  Well for me, it holds my iPad and iPod when I'm not using them. Holds my phone, my bag of candy, and my hat (it gets cold..or I get cold and need to put on a hat). Others have their thermos, a remote control for the TV, or even extra blankets.  Aretha Franklin, "I Say A Little Prayer".  I had to grow into liking Aretha.  Once I heard her live, I wondered what the hell was wrong with me?  In my defense, recordings can not even come close to the greatness of that voice. Lol. I just stopped typing to listen to her......

Short boring entry today. Getting ready for the holiday. Shawn came in last night. Ordered the rolls from Reen's. Did you know I used to work with Reen?  She was a computer operator. She'd bake stuff and sell it to us. She left and opened the bakery.  We'd give orders and she'd deliver our goodies every other Friday. Lol. She knew our payday.  I'm still not baking a turkey.  Honey Baked has a nice size turkey breast.  I'll also get a little ham for my family.  I'll cook dressing and greens and gravy. Brian's got the mac n cheese. I'm salivating. :)  I'm saving the potato salad for Christmas with dad. It's so labor intensive, but so good. Lol. It's my moms recipe, and she got it from my grandfather. And yes, Shawn knows how to make it. Four generations!!!  Vanessa Williams, "Dreamin'". I still like this song. Her voice is lovely and well, she's just very talented.  And gorgeous. 

Ok I've reread this to try to catch errors. I'll probably catch them later. Ah well. I tried. :).  Signing off with "Got To Be There", Michael Jackson".  "Got to be there when she says hello to the world".  I'm a Michael fan and will always be. So there. :)

Have a great weekend.  I know I will. :-D

The "Tomorrow is Our 26th Wedding Anniversay".

iPod shuffled to The Whispers (swoon), "In The Mood".  "This is what I do to get you in the mood, baby I'll do it all to get you the mood". Little racy fir 6:30 AM, but it's my iPod and I'll listen to what it gives me. So there.   Heh. I turned on the iPod, then typed the title. Forehead slap.  Lol. Whispers.  Anniversary.  So yeah, The Whispers seemed to be intown around our anniversary or my birthday.  I told you, for about 6-7 years, we'd see them every time they came to town. I like to grab Brian and dance with him when The Whispers come on. <3

So November 21, we'll celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary.  WARNING - Long convoluted and tortured explanation ahead.  Dad found photos mom had squirreled away. He brought them to Detroit in May. I just looked at them about 2 weeks ago. They were my long lost wedding photos. She took them to Vegas so we hadn't seen them in almost 24 years. I'll go into mom and her "attitudes" another day, but suffice to say she claimed the photos were hers. ;-x   That's right.  I hadn't seen the photos in over 20 years.  That being said, it was a delight to see them.  I bet you'd like to see them too, am I right?  

Still in the convoluted and tortured explanation. I want to scan them in and post them. I know my bridesmaids want to reminesce over their dresses (in my defense, it was 1987). Lol.  But I've never used the scanner because my child did it. "Classic (Better Than I Ever Been DJ Premier Remix)", Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One, and Rakim". "I'm everywhere you never been, and better than I ever been". Try saying that fast 5 times. Lol.  Well you say , Pat, it's time you learned how to use the scanner.  And I agree, except Shawn will be back in town Thursday!!!!! Lol. So in a few days, I'll publish photos of my wedding. :-)  The way we were. 

Last year, we'd made some pretty nice plans for our 25th anniversary. They didn't pan out.  My kidneys had other plans. 3 weeks prior, I was in ICU.  On November 21, 2012, I was still pretty much stuck in the bed. Brian got me an anniversary ring. <3  And without further ado, iPod shuffles to The a Whispers, again.  "It Just Gets Better With Time". Indeed. :-)  "Your love is rare and like the finest of sines, it just gets better with time".  No one told me that the love would grow over time. What a fabulous surprise!   So this year, my kid arrives in town on our anniversay, and I'm here to be with my little family. Lol. Today Brian and I are going to the store to get our cards. Being with the two of them is all the gift I need.  

Enjoy your day. Signing off with, "Baby, I'm For Real", The Originals. Huh.  When I'm out of this chair andI get home, I'm gonna dance with Brian. My iPod apparently is set to go and love Brian.  Lol.

The "The School Near the Dialysis Center is Closed. Uh Oh", edition.

iPod shuffled to Common, "I Want You". Kerry Washington is in the video. The vocals are pretty good.  And as usual, Common tells a story in his music.  So windy last night. Lights blinked a few times. Cable reset a few times. Thankfully, we didn't lose power.  Watching the news this AM, I saw the school across the street from the dialysis clinic was closed. I didn't get a call, so off I go. We passed neighborhoods where there was no power. Clinic is open.  I believe that we'd have received a call if the clinic lost power.  Oh yeah, the neighborhood is lit up. Not sure why the school is closed.

"Last Night", Diddy, featuring Keyshia Cole. This song makes me chuckle. Keyshia sounds like she's singing a half note off. And well, I think Sean Combs is useless, but that's another story for another day.  Anyway, after it's all said and done, I like Keyshia Cole. :)   

It's so hard to limit my fluid intake.  40 ounces a day. ;-(  A Forty Ounce is all I get. Lol. Like only one Old English 800 is all I get for the day. (Put in perspective for ya!).  Five 8 ounce glasses a day. Here's the thing. Nothing is 8 ounces anymore. Most liquid serving sizes (glasses, bottles and cans) are 12, 16  or more ounces.  I asked a server about the glass size. You'd have thought I was speaking greek. Lol.  Think about the size of water bottles. The most common size is 16.9 ounces.  

Solange, "I Decided, Pt 1". Beyoncé's sister is talented also, but man, Beyoncé casts a huge shadow. Also remember that 40 ounce limit includes food. Soup, fruits, vegetables. Heh, melons and grapes are on the caution list. Actually melons are discouraged. But every once in a while some watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe is what you need!!  Lol. My Honeycrisp apples are juicy as hell. I will not be denied!  Yeah, ok, I talked with my dietician about it. Lol. As always, everything in moderation. :).  I love cider, and limeade is to die for.  Strawberry lemonade...sigh.  Well, the good news is I'm not a soda drinker. :)   But you do need a Vernors every now and then. And a small glass of white wine.....

Ok, back to reality.  Also, I need to avoid things that will make me thirsty. How do you avoid the warm weather. <pout>. This includes my beloved mexican food. Spicy stuff. Chinese food. Lol. Dialysis patients whine a lot. Sometimes I feel so parched. Sip water, suck on an ice cube. Snoop Dog, "Who Am I (What's My Name)". Yeah, it's the explicit version. Lol. The song would be nothing but beeps otherwise. Funkadelic and George Clinton are strong in this one.  On top of this, some of the meds we get makes us thirsty. Bah.

So we soldier on. Trying to control fluid intake. We do retain fluid. I've seen people coming to treatment with their faces quite swollen. Lol. Our bodies will tell on us. It screams "Fluid Retention", like the Lost in Space robot. Lol. "Danger, danger, warning, Will Robinson".  The nurses poke and squeeze us looking for excess fluid. Sometimes the retention isn't obviously visible. They listen to our insides, too. I'm cool with that. Remember, I was retaining fluid in my lungs. :(

So after all is said and done and whining, I'm making it work. I have to. Lol. So far today, I had a 6 ounce glass of water to take my 3 phosphorus binders (the monster pills) and my hypertension med and my vitamin. I had sip of coffee.  I've cut down the morning coffee and opt for it at breakfast after dialysis. :). And techs are not above fussing at us.  They're pretty good at.  Lol. Judgey McJudgers.  Lol. 

Have a great day. Hope you have power. Signing off with Teena Marie, "Potuguese Love". Love this song. Love her voice. Great arrangement.

The "Random Thoughts of Friday", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Pump It Up", MC Hammer. "Identify snakes".  A little sampling of James Brown.  I'm hot right now. After a little while, I'll probably get cold.  Life in the dialysis chair.  Ugh.  My machine has the beeps this morning. Not sure what the problem is. :-(  It's the venous needle this time. My nephrologists visits us EVERY Wednesday, except that time he was on vacation, but sent his associate instead...  We talked about what happened Monday.  I had to get a fistulagram and angioplasty.  He said  consider it maintenance on the fistula.  The good news is, the procedure was minor compared to others I've had.

"Poison", Bell, Biv, Devoe". Dance song. "That girl is poison.  Never trust a big butt and a smile". ;-)  

So what is a fistulagram?  What is angioplasty?  The fistulagram is having dye inserted into your fistula to see where or if, the narrowing or blockage of the fistula is occurring. Angioplasty is having a balloon inserted into the fistula to widen the area of narrowing or blockage.  The vascular surgeon actually saw the blockage on the ultrasound in his office.  The fistulagram specified the location.  I had mild sedation, so I was aware of everything. Doc had me watching the procedure on a monitor. And now, my dialysis machine has stopped beeping. My tech is here and all is well!

"Jam on It", Newcleus. Lol. Sounds like I'm having my own private Friday morning party here. Head bob. Join me lol. " Shake your booty and scream Oh Yeah". ;-)   We've spent that several weeks dealing with the City getting rid of our health coverage. 3 meetings so far, a visit to the Social Security office, and one more today.  I'm pretty sure there'll be more. Am I freaking out?  Well yes, but as I get more information, I'm freaking out less.  I've learned more about Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D in the past week than I've ever imagined.  Brian and I can now speak (sort of) intelligently about the Affordable Care Act.   We understand the role of navigators.  The best thing is we can make intelligent decisions. 

Steely Dan, "FM", Nothing beats Donald Fagen wailing to find a note. The instrumentals are always great. The bass is strong.  Meetings have been held by the City, the retirees association, Blue Cross, and our financial advisor. The most informative was with the financial advisor, but probably because there weren't 1000 people there. Lol. Plus he brought in representatives from Social Security / Medicare and an ACA navigator.  In addition, the advisor and his staff are informed. He had this session because we, his clients, have expressed concerns. We're pretty satisfied and know what our next steps are. Plus he fed us..at Sindbad's on the river.  Good times. :-)

The Tavares, "Check it Out". Lol. Must be close to the end of the party.  The music is slowing down. Lights are getting ready to come on. Erm...watching the news. A passenger on a small plane opened a door and fell out of the plane. Why are we opening doors in planes?!!??  

Dialysis fact and issue I have.  I need to find long sleeve tops that roll up easily and loosely on my arm so my fistula can be accessed....it seems most shirts have cuffs or bands at the wrist, or don't have enough stretch to roll up past the elbow. ;-(   Someone needs to design fashionable dialysis shirts.  :)  And finally Brian is growing a beard for Men's Health Month. I finding it quite sexy. Who knew.  Lol. <3

Photo of a fistula for reference for the fistulagram and angioplasty. Signing of the last song. Well just party out the door...  "Give Up the Funk (Tear the The Roof Off the Sucker),  Parliament. "We want the funk.  Get up off the funk!!"  "We gonna turn this mother out".  Have a fabulous weekend!!!

The "As Bad as Monday Was, I'm Back...and I'm Glad", edition.

iPod shuffled to Guns N' Roses, "Welcome to The Jungle". How can you not appreciate Slash?  "I wanna watch you bleed". Lol. How appropriate is that lyric for a hemodialysis patient?  <maniacal laugh>.  Lol.  I am so not trying to do my head banging chair dance.  I really like to crank the volume up on this song.  Ok ok. I've gone on too long about Guns N' Roses. :)

Monday was truly an "Adventure in Dialysis". I go into the treatment area.  Nod and smile and greet my fellow patients, nurses and techs. I run a gauntlet past 2 modules to get to mine. Everyone in my mod is hooked up.  We greet each other. I notice my tech isn't there. I ask the tech that's there where is "our tech". She's off. Well, if she is off, she really is not feeling well.  I feeling aces because I have the buttonholes. Even though no on has used my buttonholes since they started, they've matured enough that I felt comfortable with someone else to stick me.  The venous stick went fine. She did the stick (cannulation) on ther arterial. Nothing. What do I mean by nothing?  She stuck a needle in my arm and no blood came out.  I watched her adjust the needle, wiggle it around in the hole in my arm.  Up, down, left, right....nothing. She went and got a more experienced tech. 

He wiggled and adjusted the needle.  More nothing.  She got the charge nurse. Nurse took the needle out and started again..  More nothing. She took the needle out.  Got another needle and just passed on the buttonhole.  Got a good stick.  About 15 minutes later my machine started beeping. I was clotting.  No blood was glowing through the tube.  Pull the needle, call one of the stick team over.  Another stick.  Song break. "All Day a Music", War. For my class of '74 peeps, this came out our freshman year. Nice smooth and mellow, relaxing song.  Anyway, by 8 AM, I'd had 5 needles in me. The first successful stick was at 6:40. :-/   The head honcho nurse got in at 8. Asked how many times I'd been stuck. Apparently 5 was.....excessive.  Lol. I didn't know better, and the idea was to get me dialyzed and deal with the issue after treatment. Part of the problem was excessive clotting of my blood and that was gunking up the works.  Big ole clots just couldn't flow through the tubing. TMI?  Suck it up.  You're reading "Adventures in Dialysis". Lol. For the record, my buddy in the chair next to me told me not to let them go past 2 needles.  And chuckled because he was having issues, also 

Head honcho nurse said enough. Send her(me) to her vascular surgeon. The center called my doc. I called Brian to pick me up. I did my walk of shame through the treatment area (not really a walk of shame, bit I clearly left quite early- lol), said my goodbyes and went to the waiting area to wait for confirmation of an appointment with the vascular surgeon and Brian. I was in at 6:15 AM.  Out by 8:30AM. Only 1 kilo off after a weekend. :-(

Brian picked me up. We went straight to doc's office. For my Detroiters, my dialysis center is at Outer Drive and Southfield (NW Detroit). The docs office is at Hoover and 12 mile in Warren.   Doc says the acces vein has narrowed.  He needs to do an angioplasty to widen the veins. He sends me to a vascular surgical center in Dearborn, near Fairlane Mall, Southfield and Ford Road.  Lots  of driving, eh?  Anyway, procedure was done and over by 3:30 PM. And I'm all good and back to dialyzin' this morning. :-). Tavares, "Remember What I Told You to Forget". The album cover screams '80s. Lol. I'll just overlook that and concentrate on the song.  Heh. My arm was numbed and I got "mild" sedation.  What's that?  I was awake the entire time having a conversation with doc and the nurses...cracking jokes.   Lol.  Well, what did you expect I'd do?   Lol. 

My tech is back, the technical guy upgraded our flat screens, I got my labs (blood test results) back.  I'm good. Phosphorus, potassium, sodium and calcium numbers are good. :)  lol. Dietician gave me the labs as I had 3 people working on the arm.  So many people at my chair. I felt the love. ;-/   Roflmao.  Social worker in charge of the mentoring project gave me a questionaire. Lol. That was a busy hour and a half. 

Well that's quite enough. Have a great Wednesday.  Stay room. I broke out the serious winter coat. *sigh*. Signing off with, "I'll Be Around", The Spinners. Summer of '72.  Great memories. ;-)

The "Today is My Mom's Birthday", edition.

iPod shuffled to Isaac Hayes, "Never Can Say Goodbye". ...and why would you want to?  :)  Look, it must be something cosmic that aligns my songs with my thoughts. I don't know why, and I'm not going to question it. Anyway, this version is the grown up, sexy version versus Michael Jackson.  I like both versions.

Today my mom would have been 89. I had her for a long time and I'm more than grateful. I was her only child. Sometimes I felt smothered by her, but I didn't like sharing her either. Even with Dad. Lol. Her last 13 months were pretty rough. She was diagnosed with Dementia and Failure to Thrive. She stopped eating and was afraid of falling, so she never walked again.  That was pretty rough to take. I'd seen the dementia creeping in for about 5 years. Every now and then we'd have some odd behaviors. I'd seen it over time because I'd go months without seeing her.  Dad sees it in retrospect. 

Sideshow, "Blue Magic".  "So let the. sideshow begin..."   Another group with smooth harmonies.  Anyway, my mom. She was proud of her age. Even last year, she'd been bedridden for 11 months and was weak and could barely talk.  One of the last conversations I had with her, on her 88th birthday. She said, "Patsy, I'm 88 today!" .  I told her I wanted her to make it to 89. :)  

November 11, 2012, my mom was in a nursing home in Las Vegas, I was in Detroit, 2 days just out of the hospital, with chronic kidney failure. We're trying to comfort each other.  She stopped talking in December.  I didn't get a chance to see her before she died. She died 2 weeks before I was able to get to Las Vegas.  I tried. I was still using the walker. I still had the chest catheter.  I was still crashing after treatment. Sitting for extended periods wore me out. Everything wore me out. I was having issues with my fistula.  My doctors, nurses and techs worked with me. I was able to make reservations for February. She died January 30, 2013. 

I have great memories and am proud to be the daughter of Frances. I have no doubt she loved me. She'd tell me that her mother was a great woman. I always disagreed.  Lol. My mom was better than her mom!  Lol. Shawn's middle name is a combination of the names of my mother and grandmother. Oh yeah, my grandmother's birthday is November 12.  

I miss my mom, but I always smile when I think of her.  The strongest memory I have is how much she loved me. 

Enjoy your day and thank all the veterans you know :)   Signing off with ....nothing.  I clotted during my treatment. Got stuck 5 times. My blood pressure dropped so I crashed. I just got taken off and on my way the hospital for a sonogram. I got 1 kilo off instead of my 2.5 kilos. Let's see where this goes.  I'm sure all will be well. :-)

The "The Affordable Care Act Will Save My Life. Literally", edition.

iPad shuffled to Heatwave, "Always and Forever". 1977. Anyone remember the really long version?  So I'm one of those City of Detroit retirees whose health benefits are going away.  I'm not even going to address what may or may not happen to our pensions.  We'll have to wait and see what happens.  As far as the health benefits, the City is giving general city employees a (taxable) stipend of $125 a month. We can use it for whatever we wish.  Of course it's suggested that it is a stipend for health care, but whatever.  Retired police and fire get $200 a month. I won't into detail for spouses of retired employees who are deceased (rage rage rage).

We (retirees) got letters from the City in late October to attend meetings explaining what's going on. The meetings are within a week of receiving the letter. If you're out of town you're  screwed.  I actually get my letter after Brian (wtf???). He attends last Monday, we both attend the last of three sessions on Friday, the last day of the sessions. We arrived.  There were still a lot of people from the previous session. No one looked happy. These were retirees.  Recent retirees.  Retirees from 10, 20 years plus.  The consultants (aplenty) and one City employee went over mostly medicare enrollment. 

{Breathe}.  "Outkast featuring Scar", Morris Brown. It also features the Morris Brown College Brown marching band. Video also features Janelle Monae. Liked this the first time I heard it. :-)   Ok, back to the nonsense. Lol. Waiting for the blood pressure machine to indicate that pressure is rising. while I'm typing. Retirees over 65 seemed to be ok. Those of us not there are urged to go to Healthcare.com and purchase a policy..."here's $125(taxable) a month to help ya'".  The City even gave us a number of a navigator group to help us. What's a navigator?  Apparently there  are groups approved by the state to assist consumers yo navigate the healthcare site and marketplace.  Yeah..thanks. 

My concern.  How does this affect me and my ESRD?  We are on a fixed income. At least I can't be denied because of a pre-existing illness.  Well I find out that people with ESRD are officially disabled and I qualify for Medicare.  Of course now I have to navigate Medicare Parts A,B, and D..not sure if there is a C. Lol. Whee...iPod shuffled to the Whispers....wait for it..."Mind Blowing". Yes! Yes!  All this stuff is mind blowing.  We've got to have this all done by December 15.  To maintain dental and vision, that needs to be done by November 20.  Lol. I'm stressed as I type. 

Well I got my paperwork from the dialysis center proving I have ESRD and went to the (way closer than I realized) Social Security office. I was signed up on the spot. Medicare (Part B coverage) takes effect November 15. The entire thing was a whirlwind. The other parts take effect in February, but anything related to ESRD, and mostly everything does, is covered.  Huge relief.  

Now you may ask why is ESRD is categorized as a disability.  One word.  Dialysis. The cost of dialysis is pretty steep.  When it was first realized and used to treat kidney failure, there was basically a a lottery of who'd get the treatment if one could not afford it.  Otherwise failed kidneys equaled a death sentence.  It was treatment for the rich.  In 1973, via the legislature and Medicare, dialysis was available to all who needed it.   Of course the Republicans want to decrease coverage, but that's another story for another day, and I have enough rage for a while. ;(  

"Kiss From a Rose", Seal.  Such a pretty song. His vocals are perfect. But I don't know any more of his music. So we're navigating this process. It was unexpected, but we're doing what we need to do.  Our financial advisor has gathered navigators and will work with his clients on how this effects us and give us options. So last week we were fretting and stressed.  Today, it's looking a lot better. :-)  Of course I'll keep you updated.  

Signing off with a Jill Scott-palooza..   " So in Love", Jill with Anthony Hamilton. Two strong voices that just go so well together...plus I like to sing the song to Brian (blush).  The 2nd Jill song is "Shame", featuring Eve and the A Group. "I'm a queen on the throne.  I'm magnificent". Hey!!!  :-)

The "Embrace Change", edition.

iPod shuffled to The Temptations, "Just My Imagination".  Have you adjusted to Daylight Saving Time? Dialysis/ESRD has screwed with my sleep pattern. I'm having a little difficulty.  I'm lucky if I can pull 4-5 hours of solid sleep.  I'll usually wake up once every hour.  Add in the fact that sleeping on my left side is pretty much a no go because of the fistula. "Don't sleep or lay on that arm. "  "Don't let any one take blood pressure on that arm or insert an IV".  "Don't carry any weight on that arm". "No tight garments on that arm".  Lol. My gold standard fistula is rather fragile!  I went on a tangent.  Lol. Well more tangent ..

But first. Kem, "You're On My Mind". I wasn't a Kem fan until I heard this. Talk about a 180 degree turn. Lol. Listen to that piano...the entire arrangement. You know I seem to gravitate to songs with an abundance of minor chords.  I have no idea why. Lol. Any way. I was greeted with a minor emergency when I arrived for treatment.  I rounded the corner and my tech was walking briskly toward the "staff only" area.  The charge nurse tells me to careful.  I see blood on the floor. A lot of blood.  My buddy in the chair next to me...his fistula exploded...well ruptured is the correct term. He had to go to the hospital. He wasn't happy.  

I want to know what's back there in that "Restricted Area.  Staff Only" area. Lol. My imagination has me thinking that if I cross that threshold, an alarm will sound and the techs and nurses will come running and tackle me.  Then I'd have to make  a walk of shame back to my chair. Lol. I'm positive I had a topic for today, but I'm feeling like fun. 

It's time for the NEYIC..North End Youth Improvement Council..Adopt a Child program. We're assigned some kids and adopt them for a night for a  Christmas party. My family has been doing this for over 10 years.  Rahsaan Patterson, "Feels Good". "It's like making love on Egyptian cotton....It feels good". Woot!!  Ahem. Back to where I was going...Adopt a Child. My former administrative assistant, my brain (lol), my right and left hand, and great friend, is an executive of NEYIC. She'd organize the entire department to adopt almost an entire section.  I'm going to venture that this event serves almost 1000 children.  She also trained to us to be trouble shooters during the event and we have been doing this for almost ten years. :-).  We're "Angels". 

The past several years, I was not feeling well enought to participate fully. Shawn and Brian stepped up. Shawn did the shopping for our kids, and she and Brian were "Angels". This year I'm back!!!!!!!!!   I can shop for my kids, and I can work with the other "Angels" for the duration of the event.   The families come, get fed, get entertained, meet their gift givers.  I look forward to Adopt a Child. When I coached the middle school girls basketball team, I had them involved. :)

One final random note.  The daughter of my "adopted work daughter" and namesake has been accepted to Alabama State and has been offered the President's Scholarship  to Tiffin University!!  As proud as I am, I'm sure I nowhere near as proud as her mom and grand mom, both of whom are dear friends!! 

So there.  That was a rambling entry, but it does represent change.  :-)  Last year, on this day, I was in the hospital waiting for election returns.  Today I'm celebrating college admissions, preparing for Adopt a Child, planning holiday dinners. I'm pretty happy. :-D  Signing off with "Stay", The Temptations....different line up from "Just My Imagination", but still just as good.  :-)

The "November Is The Start of My Holidays", edition.

iPod shuffled to. "Get on Up", The Esquires, 1967.  And I still know all the words. :-D. "We gonna do shingaling". That dates it, doesn't it.  Who knows how to do the shingaling?  November starting the holidays?  Well it goes like this.  Election Day was a day off.  Moms birthday is November 11. Then my wedding anniversary is November 21 (poking Brian). Thanksgiving follows that. My kid's birthday is December 12. Mine is December 17. Parents anniversary is December 24.  Then Christmas and finally New Years.  One long season of celebration. If I include the birthdays of my nieces and nephews, it runs from late October through early January. Lol. My mother-in-law seemed to have little parties every weekend. :)

I will also to list the anniversary of me quitting smoking and starting dialysis.  Now why would I celebrate being on dialysis?  Because on November 1, 2012, I felt horrible and didn't know why.  On November 2, 2012, I felt even worse.  I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My husband had to call 911 to have me taken to the hospital. A simple blood test indicated that my kidneys had completely and utterly failed.  My body was filled with toxins and poison it could not get rid of. They toxins and fluid had finally reached my lungs. Pulmonary edema. I was drowning. 

I needed and received immediate dialysis.  I didn't know jack about any of that. I don't recall having a catheter inserted into my groin. Heh, I do recall the Foley catheter.  I tried to get to the bathroom to avoid it, but I could not move. Lol. No one wants a Foley catheter.  So I had the Foley inserted to catch and measure my urine output.  The emergency dialysis catheter was inserted on the right side of my groin.  I had an IV on one arm and was hooked up to a machine taking my blood pressure on the other arm.   I wasn't going anywhere on my own.  I was in the ICU for 3 days. 

But you know what?  After the first dialysis, that emergency treatment I have no memory of, I felt much better. After I woke up from the first death dream, I felt better.  I may have been weak, but I wasn't curled up in a fetal ball, moaning. I could have a conversation with people around me. I could joke and laugh. And now I knew why had been feeling so awful for so long. The things that made me feel bad all went away after that first dialysis treatment. 

I remember how bad I felt for so long.  I remember how much better I felt after dialysis. So yep, I celebrate being on dialysis. And of course the iPod shuffled to Rare Earth, "I Just to Celebrate". <eye roll> .  "I can't be bothered with sorrow.  I can't be bothered with hate". "I just want to celebrate another day of living, I just want to celebrate another day of life".  :-D

I know people who detest dialysis and are very unhappy with the situation.  I agree that it is life changing but it is life giving and life maintaining.  I'll take it.  I would have died before my mom. I would have missed Shawn's journey to Grad School and her graduation. I wouldn't have been able to go to Disney World. I'm enjoying and relishing life. Seeing the beauty everywhere. Appreciating my friends and family.  

So I'm sitting in this chair.  Getting cold, but I'm wearing a hat, and have my nice fleece throw over me.  The seat is heated. <3  My machine is beeping about something..my tech comes and adjusts the needles or tape, pushes buttons on the machine.  The machine takes my blood pressure every 15 minutes for 3 1/2 hours. I may experience cramps or low blood pressure after treatment. But I am not complaining. I am alive.  So November 2 is a day of celebration for me.  I got my life back!

Have a beautiful day. Will you join me in a toast to my celebration?   Signing off with "Amel Larrieux".  " You got your eyes on the prize".

The "I Was Two Hours Away From Death One a Year Ago Today", edition.

iPod shuffled to the Gap Band.   Wait for it......"Early in the Morning"!  Jackpot!  Lol. Party starter!!  Oklahoma two-step soul. :-D  November 1. Time flies. I look back on the past year and what an experience that was. I can't dwell on that, though. I have a lot to look toward and a lot of work and planning to do. My kid's pre Kindergarten teacher called it Plan-Do-Review.  I call it project management (lol. The kids learned it as part of curriculum. My employer paid tens of thousands to train me in the same thing. Lol?).  What's coming up?  Another trip to Vegas, a trip to Ohio.  The kid coming home for the holidays. More ridding the house of stuff - a visit from the Salvation Army truck. If you think you may want anything, let me know before we call the Salvation Army. Everything must go!!!

There's also my high school reunion, and all of the activities we've planned leading up to the reunion. Yeah, I'm on the planning committee. I missed the first meeting because I was out of town.  Made the last one. In Lake Orion. Lol. I was able to slough off Brian for a few hours. The drive is about an hour from my house.  I mentioned before, we passed through Lake Orion on the way to our cottage back in the day.  I enjoyed the drive.  We'd been going that way for over 50 years.  The change in scenery is impressive.  We were going there before the interstate was built!!  Before The Palace was built. That land was a giant swamp. A giant landfill has appeared. That sucker is huge!!!  There was farmland on Lapeer road leading up to the town. I remember when the Kmart didn't exist. There was a Gulf gas station.  The station was one of the first to have a store inside. People thought that was a bad idea. Lol. 

Phyllis Hyman, "When You Get Right Down to It".  What a loss. Mental illness and drug addiction.  Isn't it something. You think someone has it all...and they don't. We don't know what demons others have and they don't know ours.  Back to the drive to Lake Orion. That little lake before the big lake?  Was a big ole swampy lake.  Then one year there were apartments there!  I won't even go into how the north side of town or Oxford has changed. Lol. Mickey Lolich used to have a donut store near Indianwood Road. :)

Now that I've gone down memory lane (Lapeer Road / M-24), I can move on. I looked up the directions to the host's house. I still got turned around...not lost. I never did see the sign for the street I needed  to turn on. I passed it..checked my phone gps, turned back and made the turn at the golf course.  After about a mile of twisty turny road, it opened up to a little penninsula. Houses on both sides. :-)  I found my destination.  I was a little dismayed.  The house was set back real close to the lake......down a crapload of stairs!!!  Lol. A months ago I would have just turned around and gone back home.  I made it down the stairs, entered the house and saw the most magnificent view of the lake. Ducks, swans, pontoons rolling by.  People in wet suits on personal watercrafts.  We didn't get too distracted. Lol.  We all eventually arrived. There were 7 of us planning the reunion.  It was great seeing women I hadn't seen since graduation. :-)  Jackson 5, "I'll Be There".   Lol. We were J5 fans back then. Who remembers our classmate who's father got the invitation to Jermaine's wedding. And do you remember what the invitation looked like? 

So yeah. A year ago I was almost dead, curled up in a fetal ball unable to move, gasping for air trying to breath, more frightened than I had ever been. Today, I'm sitting in my life saving, life preserving dialysis chair making plans oft the future. :-)   Yay!!!

Side note that has nothing to do with the topic.  When I used my iPad, it would automatically connect to the guest network.  About a month ago I'd connect and then it would drop around 8 AM.  I asked the IT guy about it.  He thought Henry Ford Health Systems was doing an upgrade. Well as of 2 weeks ago, I am redirected to a guest login. :)

Have a great weekend.  Plan that Thanksgiving dinner...order the rolls now. :)  Signing off with Usher, "There Goes My Baby". "Loving everything you do".