The "A Couple of Things of Interest" edition.

Good Friday morning!  I swear I started writing an entry earlier today, but I guess I didn't save it. Which is fine as I didn't like where it was going. I do that sometimes. I have 11 unpublished entries because I wasn't satisfied with the content. That's life. Today I went to have 4 medical tests. 3 just because my HMO thinks I need them on a yearly basis. A mammogram, which wasn't so bad   And I have no modesty anyway.   An ultrasound to look at my non working kidneys. I'm pretty sure they're still shriveled up but whatever.  And ultrasound on my lower legs and feet to check my circulation. That's because a large percentage of dialysis patients are also diabetic....no I'm not.  But I have to get checked anyway. So I had an ultrasound on my lower legs and feet. That was a new one!  And finally an ultrasound to check on my liver. My nephrologist is concerned with some of my blood test numbers so that was checked out. That will go along with my upcoming colonoscopy. :-[  Yeah so. I haven't had a colonoscopy in almost 4 years. It's time. I've been able to get out of it this long so I shouldn't complain.  So yeah. When was your last colonoscopy?  24 hours of misery instead a lifetime of slow death. It's worth it. 

I'll also see a cardiologist and test to see if there is a problem for the low blood pressure or if it's just a side effect of dialysis. Oh. And I got a new gadget to take my blood pressure. It goes on my wrist like a bracelet. Winner!!!  Now I purchased this myself, but I can get a reimbursement through Medicare.  This is because of my ESRD.  All (most) of my medical equipment is covered by Medicare. And I have a lot. The dialysis machine (cycler) and Pureflow machine (dialysate mixer) are covered of course.  The dialysate kit, the dialysate bags for travel, the saline bags, the syringes ( 3 separate types - 2 different sizes with needles  ), the needles that go into my arm...we have to use the correct terminology..needles vs syringes!, sterile gloves ( 2 sizes.. 1 for me, 1 for Brian ), paper tape, plastic tape, gauze pads, sterile underpads, different medicines that we administer via the needles, sharps disposal containers, antibiotics, the blood pressure cuff,  Purel(!) test tube for taking blood samples, a centrifuge and even fedex boxes with postage paid to send out the blood. Whew. And I'm sure I leaving off stuff. Medicare would also pay for a treatment chair.  What we've purchased is a large trash can, a metal shelving rack to store supplies. We purchase anti bacterial soap, paper towel, bleach and black trash bags on a regular basis. 

As you can tell, Medicare is very important to me. Especially important since my health insurance was crapped on when the City of Detroit filed for bankruptcy. I was able to grandfather into a great Medicare advantage plan, but I lost it when I moved to Las Vegas. Ah well. Life happens. But here's the deal. Under normal circumstances Medicare advantage is not available to people with ESRD. We are left with regular Medicare..Part A, B and D. In a nutshell this means I am responsible for 20% of all my medical costs. And Part D is the medication component....and you're already familiar with me ranting about the dumbass donut hole. Anyway.  I end being responsible for almost $1,000 a month for my treat...not including my drugs. This could be a problem. Except. Humana in Nevada started a trial Special Neec Meficare Advantage Plan for ESRD in January 2015.  !! !!!!! !!!!!!!!  How flicking fortunate was that?  It's still nowhere as good as my Blue Cross Medicare Advantage, but he'll, it's better than straight up Meficare. Look. If someone says Meficare is an entitletlment. Tell them no sir. You tell them you responsible for 20% of all costs. And that can add up pretty quickly if you're ill. Or you do incenter dialysis at a cost of $17k a month. 

This a a bill I. The House to allow ESRD patients to be eligible for a normal Meficare Advantage plan. It's moving sloooooowly through congress. :-(  Anyway. My point is. Health insurance is something we all need. When you're looking for a candidate to vote for, look for one that understands that we all need affordable insurance. I am fortunate in many ways that I can literally afford to be sick. But there are many that can't. It's heartbreaking to read about people who are getting massive bills for treatment just to stay alive. You can feel the panic when people write about medical bills is excess of $250,000.   Or the cost of their medications are outrageous. You already know some of my meds cost from $400-$1800 a month if I'm in the donut hole. Just think about that. And think about what if you or someone you love has to go through this....and it's not just ESRD. It could be any illness or condition. 

Ok. Off my soapbox. Temps out here still in 110s out here.   Looking for a 10 degree temp drop. And we'll feel it!  And it's gonna rain next week!  Whee!!  Stay cool! And enjoy your weekend!  

The "Two Years in Las Vegas", edition.

Good Monday morning!  Two years ago today I flew out to Las Vegas on a one way ticket.  I'd say we've settled in quite nicely. We're kind of acclimating to the desert summers. We can discern the difference between 102 degrees and 112 degrees. And believe me, there is a difference!  No complaints. Shawn and I were talking about the weather and she chuckled at me. I told her she'd change her mind in February. <wicked evil grin>

Dad wanted to go to Zydecos for our Sunday brunch/lunch yesterday.  Zydecos did not disappoint. I usually get the shrimp po boy. This time I decided to try something else. And oh yeah. The last time we were there, Chef Brandon had us try boudin balls. OMG. So good. Anyway. This time I tried the red beans and rice. I ordered a small. Lol. Small my ass. If that bowl was small, I'm afraid to see what the large portion is!  So my mistake was ordering the boudin balls and the small red beans and rice. You get three boudin balls per order. I took 2 balls home. 

Anyway. The red beans and rice. Soo good. Big chunks of sausage. We're eating and Chef Brandon comes out to check on us. He chuckles as he commented that he manages to ask his customers about the food when they're mouths are full. We were no exception!  I commented that the red beans and rice were delicious. And that I couldn't make mine that good. And I like my red beans and rice!  Chef Brandon smiled and the said use the best sausage you can find.  And that he uses the left over bits and juices from his bone-in ham that he uses for other dishes in the red beans. I kinda felt honored that he shared his tip with us. But I guess he knew I wasn't  going to ever cook a bone in ham. lol. I don't even get that large a ham for the holidays from Honey Baked!  I'll fix my own red beans and rice and like them and when I want a treat, I'll get his red beans and rice. 

Dad opted out of the catfish po boy and got a catfish basket. Lol. Why bother with bread and vegetables?  Lol. He got so much catfish he couldn't finish it all. And believe it or not, I have no idea what Brian ordered. I know he got a po boy but I don't know which one!  We were pleased to see the place staying busy while we were there. I've seen more and more good reviews of the restaurant. For sure we like it. Oh. And he had banana pudding.  So yes. We got some to go. And yes. It was good also. 

I don't know if I mentioned that just before we left for Georgia, I hosted a meeting for an organization I belong to. I took a page from the cooking shows for my entertainment strategy. I made a fruit bowl. Lots of fruit, but then I ordered mini sandwiches and a Cajun salad from Zydecos. Best idea ever. All I had to do was pick up the order a few hours before the meeting.  And the members liked the sandwiches!  And chef Brandon gave me extra sandwiches.  Lol. I really didn't need extra, but thanks! Lol. 

My cousin is in town this week for the Omega Psi Phi conclave. Dad wants to take him out to lunch today. I see the rest of the week being very lean meals. I'm going to try a gazpacho with grilled shrimp later this week. I need to offset the eating frenzy of the past week.  

On the dialysis front .. Nothing special. Treatment early yesterday. We thought we were going to take cousin out to dinner tonight, but it will be for lunch.  But early treatment was fine. And we'll be ready for tonight. I was trying to get it out of the way because cousin will be spending the night and I didn't want to be in the back doing treatment while he was here...but that's life.  And. A few medical appointments this week. Let's hope some mysteries will be solved. 

That's it for today. So much smoke in the sky from the fires in LA that the sunrise was muted. I usually need to close the blinds when the sun comes up because it's so bright. Not so this morning. And The distance is almost 300 miles!!  "Now that's a fire". Stay cool wherever you are!  

Brian comtemplating his move to Las Vegas. Or Pimp Reflctions. (Complements of The Roots - lol) 

Boudin balls. 

Wall of hot sauce at Zydecos! 

"The Mexican Food Nirvana", edition.

Good Friday morning!  Feeling good today!  Felt great yesterday also. Visited the trainer. She made the workout harder..of course, but I hung. And more importantly, I didn't have that low blood pressure crash I'd been having the last several visits. Perhaps it's because I had 2 boiled eggs and took my "high blood pressure" pills before we left home. High blood pressure pills <eye roll>. And she worked the crap out of Brian. It's a pretty cool place. Yesterday there were 2 other trainers working with their clients also. All of us at different levels. 

Anyway. Afterwards, we needed to go cross town to get to the credit union. Then we wanted to get something to eat. We decided on Mexican. Now believe it or not, Las Vegas is Mexican food heaven. Lol. Yeah. I'm being funny. The catch is finding the places you like. And believe it or not, Taco Bell has a large presence here.  As does Del Taco and Pollo Loco (never tried it). But we have tried other places that have caught our interest. One place was Roberto's Tacos. It's a family owned chain that is very popular. And you know when you walk in and you're the only people who don't speak Spanish that food is pretty authentic. Alas, it didn't tickle my taste buds..and then I didn't feel to well after eating it. Scratch that off the list. 

Then there was this sit down restaurant not too far from us. We decided to try it. What we didn't realize..because we really dont speak Spanish..is that it was a Mexican seafood restaurant. Well, that was quite the pleasant surprise!  We went several times without ordering seafood. Shawn shamed us. So we took her and ordered seafood. I got some spicy as hell shrimp dish. Yum yum yum!  Shawn got a fish with its head intact!  But it was good also. Lol. We could also order octopus, squid or even lobster. The menu was quite extensive!  We took Dad and he ordered steak.  Lol. 

There have been several other restaurants we tried.  There was a new one we decided to try yesterday.  An independent fast food restaurant that we'd passed often. We stopped there. Los Tacos. We go inside. We get in line. The guy behind the counter switches flawlessly from the Spanish he was speaking to the customer in front of to English for us. I'm looking at the menu on the wall. And I announce its our first time there. The guy, Daniel, asks me what do I usually have. I say burrito. He says that's what he calls a taco. Huh?  Anyway. We go with the burrito. But then he has a cook bring us little cups of meats. Right then and there we are tasting carne asada, chicken, chorizo and pork!  Oh. My. Goodness. The carne asada and chicken were amazing!  The seasoning was so tasty. I ordered a carne asada burrito with pico, beans, avocado, cheese and whatever else was in there...no rice. Brian got the chicken burrito. 

Then Daniel asks what we want to drink. I say lemonade. He says hold on. I want you to taste something. He then brings us little cups of fresh juices. Pineapple, watermelon, mango and cantaloupe. Agua frescas. I'd seen these in other Mexican restaurants but I wasn't willing to try it. Well here was my opportunity. I ended up with a an order of pineapple Agua Fresca and Brian got the cantaloupe. 

We got our order, sat down and started eating. Best. Burrito. Ever. And there was a green sauce on the table. And of course I am a red sauce kind of gal. But I tried the green sauce. Yes yes. The green sauce was tasty, too. Just a poke of heat. I couldn't finish my burrito. It really was just that big. And yes there is a junior burrito on the menu. Next time. Anyway. Daniel wrapped my remaining burrito and gave me some extra green sauce to take home. Good food. Good service.  

Needless to say when we want a quick Mexican meal, we will be back. Oh yeah. Dad tasted my burrito with the sauce. He took a big bite. He liked it also!  

Dialysis news?  Started the day out ok. Went to deep water fitness. My body rebelled. I had to cut my time short. Ended up waiting in the car for Brian then almost passing out on the way home. Got home. Slept. Now I feel better. Sigh. I really had plans for other things today. Well. Have a great day and weekend. Stay cool. It's hot here, but you have the heat and humidity. Yuck. 

The "Surviving the Heat", edition.

Good Thursday morning!  Nothing special. We're still doing deep water fitness. Still going to the personal trainer. Surviving daily high temperatures running around 107-111 degrees. Summertime in Las Vegas. Taking a break from painting classes.  Took a one day smart phone photography class. Now I just need to practice. Lol. The Omega Psi Phi fraternity will be in town, so a few cousins will be visiting. The sorority is hosting a hospitality suite.  I opted not to participate. The conclave is at Caesars and Caesars is impossible huge. I'd be worn out just trying to get to the suite!  Or else I'd need a hotel room just to get to the suite!  Lol. 

Well. It's time to go to a crapload of doctors appointments. Some I have to get just because they are mandated by the HMO on a yearly basis...because of the ESRD. I didn't have this requirement under the Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plan in Michigan...but whatever. I have 4 radiology tests coming up including an ultrasound. Now some of the tests have been requested by nephrologist. I have been having some issues. You already know about the chronic low blood pressure. He's concerned and wants me to see a cardiologist. Now. Yeah well. I'm in an HMO and have to schedule an appointment with my primary care physician (PCP) to get a referral. Except I got a call in early June that my PCP has left the practice and the oh  yeah, the office moved. Please call in a month to reschedule your appointment. WTF?  

In addition, the nephrologist tells me my liver numbers are off, please see a gastroenterologist. I did get that referral and went. Of course that rolls me into a colonoscopy. Ugh ugh ugh. Lol. Gotta do what you gotta do and I am overdue. I successfully put it off as long as I could!  Lol. That'll be in August. And then the neph tells my the acid levels in my blood are off. Sigh. I have no clue what that means. I'll find out soon. I guess. 

So next Wednesday I'm going to my new PCP. And I had  a nice relationship with my previous one. Ah well. And I'm going to get the referral to the cardiologist. And next Friday Im going to Desert Radiologists and get 4 tests.  Yay. I also got a massive injection of iron at my monthly home hemo checkup. That happens about every other month. And my epogen started again. My protein numbers are still off, but just barely. 

I have good days and not so good days. I push some days and some days I just fall backwards on the bed. Today  looks like it's going to be a good day. And I fell bad for dragging Brian through this. Ugh. Oh and I got new glasses. At least this time I also got a pair of sunglasses. Bifocal sunglasses!  But. What a difference sunglasses make over transition glasses. Smart move. Thanks Brian!  

That's about it. Just waiting out the heat!  Stay cool. :-)

The "I'm Missing Out and It Makes Me Sad", edition.

Good Thursday morning!  My life sucks. I mean I'm alive and doing stuff, but it really sucks. I'm ( and Brian, bless his heart) are desperately trying to do stuff to make it seem seem my life is ok and normal, but in reality, my life sucks. I'm looking at photos of the AKA boule in Atlanta. I'd have loved to attend, but the logistics were insurmountable. I'd have to ship and lug my dialysis equipment with me. I'd have to do treatment almost every night. I'd probably be too tired or weak to move around much...and the number of activities and people moving here and there looked way to fomidible for someone like me who tires easily. Navigating the hotels and meeting locations would be overwhelming. My life sucks. 

We have a Perry family reunion at during Labor Day weekend. The logistics just don't allow me to attend. NxStage doesn't deliver the dialysis equipment for less than 3 days. And I wouldn't need 3 days worth of equipment for this trip.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Maybe Monday. I never go more than one day without treatment. Never. It's life threatening. Dad is going and Shawn will drive from Illinois to Ohio for the reunion. I can't go. My life sucks. 

I've been going to deep water fitness and a personal trainer to increase my strength and stamina and to lose weight. However, my blood pressure is so low that standing for long periods of time makes me light headed. Some of my routines with the personal trainer almost make me pass out. So right now I'm doing stuff on the floor. At least we're working my core. Then even yesterday during deep water fitness, I started cramping. Geez. My life sucks. 

I do treatment every day of the week except Wednesday and Saturday. No exceptions. No vacations. I've drug Brian into this treamptemnt hell. He gets no vacation from this either. So now, not only does my life suck, Brian gets to have a sucky life also. Ugh. And then.  And then!  Much too often I have the audacity to feel bad on those off days, so nothing gets done. My life sucks. 

Well. Look. Take care of yourselves. Enjoy your lives. Get your selves checked up periodically. Make sure your body parts are ok. Don't let your life suck. 

The "Law Enforcement....", edition.

Good Saturday morning!  Ok. I know the first question is how does the title if this edition gave anything to do with dialysis?  Well. I'll get to that. First of all, you should know, if you don't already know, that Brian is a retired member of the Detroit Police Department. He served over 25 years. In addition to that, I worked with the technology arm of the Detroit Police Department for about 10 years until I retired. I did special projects for DPD. Eventually I was responsible for technology for all public safety entities, including Fire, EMS and a touch of Homeland Security. The fun part was getting them all to play well together. That's a story for another day. This story is about being entrenched the culture of the police department. It's safe to say that DPD took up a majority of my time. 

 I'm going to start off with the great majority of police officers I encountered or worked with were nice, normal regular people. Folks just doing their jobs. Men and women who were invested in keeping all of the citizens of the City safe. And understand from my perspective as a technology manager, I was working with them to find technology solutions to assist with policing.  The list of projects included crime reporting, mobile crime reporting, computer aided dispatching, cameras in cars, body cameras, gunshot tracking software, GIS for vehicles, training, software to track use of force, project management, process review...the list goes on. Heck. At one point, an assistant chief had me sit in on a presentation for new badges (??? Lol. I have no idea why). I guess my point is, I knew and worked with members of DPD from the rank police officer up through the chief. 

When I first started working with DPD, I was informed of an "old boys network" within the department. In spite of the diversity of the department, an "old white boys network" did, in fact exist. I butted heads with it immediately.  Lol. My "problem" was I was a Black female burning heads into a male culture. Never mind the fact that the chief was also a Black female at the time. 

Now don't get me wrong, the great majority of the members of DPD, Black or White, were exemplary...but there were those bad apples. And they weren't overt in their bigotry, but it just oozed out of them. You could see they didn't respect their chain of command, let alone the citizens they were sworn to serve and protect. Fighting for their respect was a waste of time for me and I only worked with them if I had too.  I think they felt the same way. 

So where am I going with this?  Right now I'm so torn about the events for. The past few days. I'm outraged at the 2 Black men who were murdered by the police officers. I'm horrified by the actions of the man who hunted the white officers of the Dallas Police Department.  But I get it. How long must Black people be killed by white law enforcement before something is done?  And if nothing is done officially or the appearance of nothing, then this is only the beginning. Of course I don't condone this. My husband was a police officer. As a wife of a police officer, I didn't dwell on his job, but it always..ALWAYS was in the back of my mind. But this will escalate. Even I look at cops sideways now. At least I knew the good old boys in Detroit. But no where else. Remember how I told you how a cop car followed us in South Carolina?  The good news was that Brian, as a retired cop, knew how to handle it. 

My husband notes that these incidents usually occur in smaller jurisdictions where training is not as intense as it is in larger cities and that these smaller towns make stops primarily as revenue generators.  Seriously. When was the last time anyone in a large city was stopped for a defective taillight?  So random non life threatening stops plus bare minimum training can equal (and has resulted in) fatalities. So many unnecessary fatalities.  The other piece of the puzzle is open carry. Let's be frank. Open carry only applies to white people. A Black person with a gun is a threat. Heck. That's  why open carry has flourished. Anyway. I've digressed. 

So.  To tie this in with dialysis. My husband was a police officer. He was a good police officer. He is also,one of those people who don't panic. Which is a great skill for a law enforcement officer. Want the wrong approach?  Think about the officer pointing his gun at the mortally injured Mr Castile in Minnesota still screaming at the unresponsive man. So...last night my blood pressure dropped and it dropped fast. And I knew it. I wish I could accurately explain what that feels like, other than I feel my life slipping away. And I can't do a damn thing about it. Except let Brian know. 

Brian knows exactly what to do. He gets up, goes to the dialysis machine and immediately starts pushing saline through my blood. I need fluid and I need it now. As its being administered he continually  asks me how I'm doing. I'm flinging my blanket off, I'm tossing my blood pressure machine off. I feel my life slipping away. But Brian continues. Eventually I grasp onto that lifeline that he's offering and pull myself back to life. Brian never flinches. He's saved my life yet again.  This. This is how a police officer should respond. I know. Not everyone can do this, but remaining calm under pressure sure would ease a lot of issues. 

Well that's it for today. I get to live another day.  I hate that after working with so many good members of the Detroit Police Department, that I am now looking sideways at members of the many different law enforcement departments out here. But I don't know. And here we are.  I'm scared of them and they are scared of me. :-(. 

The "July 4, 2016", edition.

Good Tuesday morning!  I know the title is July 4, 2016, but this will be about the weekend. Sort of. I already wrote about Saturday and Addison's visit. I was beyond delighted to see him. We've been friends since we were 5-6 years old. He spent the night. Slept on the sofa bed. Did I mention he's 6'5"?  I checked on him. He said the bed was too short. Lol. I told him too bad, that's all I got!  He said it's alright, he'll sleep on the diagonal!  Lol lol. And yes, he gets along just great with Brian. As a matter of fact, Addison caught the garter at our wedding. I need to find the photograph.  He stood way over everyone and reached up and out to catch the garter. Lol. Anyway. We sat on the couch and caught up on life with each other..we reminisced over the passing of my Wendell. Addison and Wendell were best friends. Roommates at Eastern Michigan University. And Dad was delighted to see Addison. Addison is one of his kids. :-) 

A group of us grew up together, boys and girls and we have always been great friends. The issue came when we started dating (not each other...ewww - lol). Some of the significant others had problems with us being so close and being just friends. Well. It was more the girlfriends of the guys, more so than the our boyfriends. Why is that?  Each and every time, the guys had to prep and plan a meeting with me and their girlfriends. Ah well. The girlfriends eventually accepted me. Trust me. I love these guys...like brothers!  Anyway. Before Addison left, he wanted to stop at White Castle because there are none in Arizona. He was bummed that he had to get out and go inside the casino. Lol. He was looking for the drive through. A great visit. So Brian and I need to go visit him soon!  

Sunday is the day Dad, Brian and I go out for brunch. Dad selected PF Chang's. He likes it almost as much as Fogo de Chao. Since I made the potato salad on Saturday, I did treatment early on Sunday. Well Sunday afternoon after brunch. And I need to add that Brian helps me to make potato salad. He's right there with me doing that crazy fine dice of the vegetables. It helps a lot and dramatically decreases the time to make it. I also need him to mix everything. It's kinda heavy for me to stir now. The good news is, Shawn helps when she's around also. And for my family, here's this tidbit...Shawn can make the "family recipe" potato salad also!  Anyway. The potato salad was done and steeped its flavors in the refrigerator, just waiting for us to tear into it on Monday. Oh yeah. I was fretting over buying a 5 pound bag of potatoes because I knew it would be way too much for the 3 of us. I told Shawn I hoped I could find loose potatoes. She said just get the 5 pound bag. I didn't have to use all 5 pounds for the potato salad. "D'oh".  I like having a smart kid!  

Monday morning...early Monday morning, we went to hot tub. The temp was in the low 80s. Which is infinitely better than when its in the 100s. And it's before the sun comes up. So. A little backstory now. We have a few stray cats around. There is an empty lot across the street from us and people leave food water and boxes for the cats. However, when it gets hot the cats find their way over to the condo area. In the garage or under the trees. Or as Brian found out when one fell out of a tree when he passed by...in the trees. There are 2 that we see often. Boots is one. Yeah, he's a black cat with white feet. I call him Boots. 

Sunday on the way to the car we noticed another..newer cat. When we stepped off the elevator in the garage, he peeped around a column and started meowing at us. We didn't pay too much attention other than noticing he was talking. The other cats just glare at us. Lol. Fast forward to Monday morning as Brian and I head to the hot tub. We get to the pool area and see the talking cat. He comes toward us and starts meowing. We ignore him. The cat jumps on a lounge chair and watches us. We get into the hot tub and comes and sits on a chair close to us. He then goes to the nearby flowers and starts batting at bees. Then lays down right next to the hot tub...next to us. When we get out he follows us. Meowing. He follows us all the way back to the building. Meowing. He watches us get in the elevator. I think if the door hadn't closed when it did he'd have joined us in the elevator. Brian was trying to shoo him him back. Lol. I think the cat was trying to adopt Brian. ;-)

We concluded that the cat had to be someone's pet and was probably lost. He wanted some love and attention!  Lol. The cat followed us around like a dog would!  Maybe he got spooked by fireworks and ended up in the condo area. We are not supposed to have pets, but you know old people. Lol think of the Tweety, Sylvester and Granny cartoon episode about the "Spinster Arms".  I have no doubt that someone here will take care of the cat. 

For some reason I felt punky the rest of the day. I did get a chance to make the baked beans. Yes, they were delicious. We had dinner...ribs, chicken, potato salad, baked beans. It was just the 3 of us. Pauline and Herbert died earlier this year and Carl isn't well enough now. :-(  However Dad ate with a big old grin!  Lol. 

Did treatment a little earlier last night, watched the fireworks during treatment...on TV and the "neighborhood" fireworks out the window....that same vacant lot where the people leave the cat food is a prime spot to set off fire works!  And just so you don't think Detroit is special, the fireworks kept up through midnight and some were quite loud!  I can just imagine the seniors in the condo called the police a lot!  Lol. 

That's it for today. Back to grind. Today is trainer day. I look forward to it being over!  Lol. Dialysis was a nonissue..Which is great considering what we went through last week. Still hot out here. Hope you stay cool!  

The "Keeping Cool", edition.

Good Sunday morning!  My childhood friend, Addison, drove up from the Phoenix area yesterday to visit. We've been friends since we were 5-6 years old. We've had a great time reminiscing and telling stories. Some stories Dad didn't know!  Lol. And Addison was able to validate some of my more outrageous escapades to Brian. ;-D  I enjoyed looking at photos of his son...apparently his doppelgänger..and his grandsons...who he is crazy about!  

So what's been going on here?  Life and mundane stuff. We had issues with a component of the dialysis machine. Specifically the Pureflow unit. This sits under the cycler and creates the dialysate that runs through the machine. It's a surprisingly complex thing. At one point a technician came out to upgrade the software. Of course our unit wouldn't update so it had to be replaced. It's modular, meaning there are independent parts that work as a single unit when they're all put together.  The company had Brian swap out a part and sent him the new part. That didn't fix the problem. Eventually a new unit was sent...sans the controller that was sent earlier. The unit arrived Thursday. 

This didn't stop me from doing treatment, it just meant we did treatment like we do treatment when traveling. Using hanging dialysate bags instead of making the dialysate. But. We only had a 2 (recommended) day supply. We had to get a next day delivery of more bags of dialysate. The good thing was off days coincided during the week. Anyway. We're good now. Brian made a batch last night and I'll be good to go this evening. 

The other issue I had was getting my meds delivered. While waiting in the Atalanta airport I get a call from the pharmacy telling me my order, that I'd made before we left for Georgia couldn't be shipped because I needed to pay $600+. I immediately knew what this meant. Ok. I had applied for and was  approved for assistance for that particular drug in February. Remember when I was ecstatic when the cost went from $600+ down to $10?  What the heck happened here?  According to the billing department I was no longer in the plan. WTF?  I told them I was in the airport in Atlanta and they needed to call my social worker. An oh yeah I was down to my final 4 pills. >:-(

I didn't hear from anyone when I returned home, nor did I receive a shipment of pills. So I dig out my paperwork from the assistance fund and gave them a call. I was reassured strongly that I was indeed still on the plan and good through the end of the year...I need to reapply yearly. And that if the pharmacy is having a problem to give them a call. I call the pharmacy and we're all very pleasant.  Lol. I'm on a 3 way with the customer service rep and a billing rep. And I must say, the pharmacy documents every single conversation with everyone. They acknowledged they spoke with my social worker. But I guess they needed the kick in the butt to speak to the funding group. The billing lady said she'd make the call then would call me back. Of course I didn't receive the call back. 

I called the pharmacy the next day. I was told oh yes, the meds were sent. <eye roll>. This meant the issue had been resolved and sure enough. I received the meds yesterday. And the invoice reflected the correct cost of $10.00. But was this all really necessary?  Sheesh. 

Other mundane things. I am getting to be like the energizer bunny in deep water fitness. I have no idea where that is coming from, but i like it!  And out trainer is kicking our collective butts. We have different workouts but she keeps us near each other. (I like watching Brian workout) And she wants us to eat funny food.  Lol I can cut down and change a lot of things but some of that stuf?  Maybe not. 

Finally we went to Road Kill Grill to get our ribs and chicken for the holiday day dinner. I also got some hot sausages which came in handy when Addison showed up. Dinner!  So now I'm off. I need to get started with the potato salad. I'm making the grand attempt to make a small batch. Wish me luck!  Yeah I know. My trainer is gonna kick my butt for this menu. But it's the holiday <whine>. 

That's it. We're just chilling. And getting over a dialysis centric week!  Lol. And getting past the hottest June in Las Vegas ever. Ugh. Staying cool and hope you do also. Enjoy your day!  

System one is what happens when we travel

Pureflow is what we use at home

Pureflow component. 

That bag of fluid in the tub is the "homemade" dialysate. Yes, it's hooked up to our plumbing and the water has to be checked regularly. The contents of the bag are a prescription for me and it takes about 8 hours to make. And the. Brian has to check to make sure it's correct and contaminated. You can also see some of the various components.