The "TMI", edition.

Good Monday morning!  And it's Memorial Day. We did the holiday meal yesterday. Dad, Brian and I have brunch every Sunday. And Dad pays one week and we pay on the alternate weeks. This Sunday was Dad's day to pay, but we planned the meal. So, Dad paid for the meal. Lol. We had ribs and chicken prepared by Jiohn Mull's Meats. We also purchased hot sausages and bratwursts. They make for quick meals when we don't feel like cooking. I also made "the" potato salad. The potato salad is an old family recipe. I remember watching my grandfather make it. Then my mom. And I was able eventually make it just by having watched them for years. I call it learning by osmosis. Lol. And Shawn can make it now. Albertsons, a local supermarket had fresh sweet corn 8 for $1.00 so that got added. We also had baked beans and slaw. When it came time to eat Brian forgot to put out the slaw. He saw the potato salad and that's all she wrote!  Lol. Everything was delicious and as always, we have waaay too much food. 

So TMI. Life with End Stage Kidney Diseass and dialysis. I got thangs going on. My life is a little different form yours!  In case you missed it, I don't urinate. That's right. No pee for me!  Makes a road trip easy. For me anyway. Lol. But!  Some of my meds give me some ugly digestive issues. And gas. Lots of gas. My special talent is now being able to walk and fart at the same time. Oh. And once I've started treatment (dialysis) I can't get off if I need to go to the bathroom. Not urinating comes in handy, but I still poop. And diarrhea is not uncommon for people on dialysis. So. Imodium is my friend. It is actually the friend of many people on dialysis. Early on, when I was incenter and my body was still trying to acclimate to the disease and dialysis and the new meds, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom. My nurse at the dialysis center started giving me Imodium. Now that's a wonder drug!  I have a supply at home. Never leave home without it! Or take it before you lave home!  Hahahaha!!!!  Ahem. 

My blood pressure is now chronically low. The first month I started home hemodialysis my baseline blood pressure dropped and I stopped taking the BP meds. And it's stayed low. So I periodically get light headed and dizzy. Sometimes when I stretch, I feel like I'm going to black out. It's fleeting, but it's a scary feeling. I just have to wait it out. I have to sit up slowly sometimes. And since I have fluid removed from my body on a regular basis, I get cramps periodically. My toes will splay every now and then. I'll feel the cramp coming on. Then watch my toes do their thing. It doesn't really hurt and it eventually goes away.  Always fun when it happens in the pool. 

My skin is fragile and tears very easily. And I'm sensitive to the sun. In the desert. Yay?  I have random scars and tears on my hands from bumping against things and scratching. And I'm sensitive to iron.  I'm not making much iron because of the lack of kidneys, I need iron injections. Oh yeah, the injections take about 20 minutes because it takes time to inject that dark green thick goo into my body. And I can taste it during the injection. Yuck. Anyway. So when my iron numbers are good...for my body, my body also reacts to the iron. I'll start getting blisters. It was an issue but livable when the blisters formed on my hands and fingers , but then the blisters decided that should form on my feet and toes. And even that was ok, but then one wanted to form between the my big toe and it's neighbor...on the bottom of my foot. And. Let's add another blister on the the joint of the big toe on the other foot. Walking that week was not fun. >:-(  

Normally you should leave blisters alone. Bursting them is an invitation to infection. But I needed to walk. The good news is we are the King and Queen of asceptic technique. We have more sterile equipment than you can ever imagine. And we have triple...TRIPLE antibiotic ointment!  With the blessing of my nurses and nephrologist, we attacked those blisters. Well that's enough of that!  It's not that dire and we all do what we need to do. 

That's it for today. It's time for a manicure and pedicure. I've discovered that keeping my nails done protects them when I swim. When I take the polish off..because, you know, after a few weeks it looks bad, my nails break. So a manicure and pedicure is In the works today.  Oh yeah. Saw Guardians of the Galaxy yesterday. In 3D. Enjoyed it. A lot! 

That's it for today.  Enjoy your Memorial Day. I celebrate my grandfather, Atty Odie Uddyback Sr., my uncle Dr Odie Uddyback, my great uncle Thomas Uddyback and my cousin Lee Edward (Butch) Perry.