Comments on: No more postponements; time for the Big D http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/ Thu, 03 May 2012 15:34:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Kevin http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8022 Kevin Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:33:34 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8022 Good luck today. Jenn goes to DaVita Durham West too. They had a leak in their water room about a year ago and have just renovated. Hopefully you will have control of your TV and not have to watch the movies they were playing in the temporary clinic. (Most dialysis centers have individual TV's, but in the temporary center they chose to put up a few big flat screens and play old movies all week.) You'll get to meet Jan the dietitian soon enough. She is nice, don't take all of her recommendations the wrong way. Somebody has to have the job of telling you to limit your dairy and bananas, etc. I don't know if they like buttonholes incenter or not, but learn about buttonholes for fistulas and how to stick your own. Buttonholes are using the same holes for every stick. They become like piercings and don't hurt as much when stuck. They flip flop on them incenter. Nocturnal daily hemodialysis is the best dialysis. The mortality rate is the same as with cadaveric kidney transplant. I have a feeling that if it is incenter, you will still only go 3 times a week. Good luck today. Jenn goes to DaVita Durham West too. They had a leak in their water room about a year ago and have just renovated. Hopefully you will have control of your TV and not have to watch the movies they were playing in the temporary clinic. (Most dialysis centers have individual TV’s, but in the temporary center they chose to put up a few big flat screens and play old movies all week.) You’ll get to meet Jan the dietitian soon enough. She is nice, don’t take all of her recommendations the wrong way. Somebody has to have the job of telling you to limit your dairy and bananas, etc.

I don’t know if they like buttonholes incenter or not, but learn about buttonholes for fistulas and how to stick your own. Buttonholes are using the same holes for every stick. They become like piercings and don’t hurt as much when stuck. They flip flop on them incenter.

Nocturnal daily hemodialysis is the best dialysis. The mortality rate is the same as with cadaveric kidney transplant. I have a feeling that if it is incenter, you will still only go 3 times a week.

]]> By: Toastie http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8021 Toastie Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:02 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8021 @Valerie - Thanks, and I know dialysis is not the worst thing in the world. If your little bean can handle all the pain and prodding, I can handle a little dialysis needle. @ACW - Thanks. I'm looking forward to the possibility of maybe feeling a little better. @Kevin - Thanks. I will be at the DaVita West clinic starting Tuesday. (There may be more than one DaVita in Durham...this is the one near Hillsborough Road). And, yes, I've got a fistula, which is already huge, and my neprologist always comments on what a great job the surgeon did (it take two attempts to get a good one). I don't have anyone with me at home for home dialysis, but I do plan to try out the overnight in-clinic service in about a month if all is going ok. @Valerie – Thanks, and I know dialysis is not the worst thing in the world. If your little bean can handle all the pain and prodding, I can handle a little dialysis needle.

@ACW – Thanks. I’m looking forward to the possibility of maybe feeling a little better.

@Kevin – Thanks. I will be at the DaVita West clinic starting Tuesday. (There may be more than one DaVita in Durham…this is the one near Hillsborough Road). And, yes, I’ve got a fistula, which is already huge, and my neprologist always comments on what a great job the surgeon did (it take two attempts to get a good one). I don’t have anyone with me at home for home dialysis, but I do plan to try out the overnight in-clinic service in about a month if all is going ok.

]]> By: Kevin http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8020 Kevin Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:36:58 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8020 Oh.... I see you have a fistula and Bill has you on his blog, well then you are all set. Your fistula is probably going to get bigger as they use it and you may loose weight as they try to establish your "dry weight". Be prepared for changes. My wife has been on dialysis off and on since she was 13. She is 28 now and went to college, has had 3 failed transplants, married me, and we had a baby last year while she was on home hemodialysis. She currently does dialysis for 2 hours at home 6 nights/week. Yes, there is life on dialysis. Oh…. I see you have a fistula and Bill has you on his blog, well then you are all set. Your fistula is probably going to get bigger as they use it and you may loose weight as they try to establish your “dry weight”. Be prepared for changes.
My wife has been on dialysis off and on since she was 13. She is 28 now and went to college, has had 3 failed transplants, married me, and we had a baby last year while she was on home hemodialysis. She currently does dialysis for 2 hours at home 6 nights/week. Yes, there is life on dialysis.

]]> By: Kevin http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8019 Kevin Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:16:55 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8019 Sorry to hear about your situation. If you go to DaVita in Durham like my wife, you have the option of doing home hemo or peritoneal dialysis. I would strongly recommend you consider home dialysis after you have adjusted (if one ever can) to life on dialysis. I'm guessing you have probably thought about transplants, well get on the waiting list. Get a fistula, catheters aren't fun and will become infected eventually. You can ask everyone you know to become your living kidney donor, but realize that you may not match to begin with or may reject their kidney after a few years. Read Bill Peckham's blog: http://www.billpeckham.com/from_the_sharp_end_of_the/ and go to ihatedialysis.com to hear from other CKD5 patients. Sorry to hear about your situation. If you go to DaVita in Durham like my wife, you have the option of doing home hemo or peritoneal dialysis. I would strongly recommend you consider home dialysis after you have adjusted (if one ever can) to life on dialysis. I’m guessing you have probably thought about transplants, well get on the waiting list. Get a fistula, catheters aren’t fun and will become infected eventually. You can ask everyone you know to become your living kidney donor, but realize that you may not match to begin with or may reject their kidney after a few years.

Read Bill Peckham’s blog: http://www.billpeckham.com/from_the_sharp_end_of_the/
and go to ihatedialysis.com to hear from other CKD5 patients.

]]> By: ACW http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8018 ACW Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:41:51 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8018 I think blogging it would be great for other folks who google what to expect or whether their experience is 'normal'. Starting dialysis has got to come with mixed emotions, but here's hoping that it drastically improves the way your body feels. Not to minimize the situation, but it's like when I had a cavity filled in that tooth that I didn't even know was bothering me... I had become so accustomed to feeling like crap that I didn't even realize I felt bad until they fixed it and I felt better. Oh, and let us know if you need reading material; there are plenty of books around here that you won't get fined for losing in a state of 'post-dialysis bliss' (unlike library books). :) My final thought is that appointments for the "Big D" would be greatly improved by the presence of "Heavy D". I think blogging it would be great for other folks who google what to expect or whether their experience is ‘normal’.
Starting dialysis has got to come with mixed emotions, but here’s hoping that it drastically improves the way your body feels. Not to minimize the situation, but it’s like when I had a cavity filled in that tooth that I didn’t even know was bothering me… I had become so accustomed to feeling like crap that I didn’t even realize I felt bad until they fixed it and I felt better.
Oh, and let us know if you need reading material; there are plenty of books around here that you won’t get fined for losing in a state of ‘post-dialysis bliss’ (unlike library books). :)
My final thought is that appointments for the “Big D” would be greatly improved by the presence of “Heavy D”.

]]> By: Valerie http://toastie.st/2009/08/23/no-more-postponements-time-for-the-big-d/#comment-8017 Valerie Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:39:24 +0000 http://toastie.st/?p=3130#comment-8017 I'll be wishing you the very best on Friday. (I'm glad you realize that "brief" is to be in quotes when discussing a hospital visit! Take a book.) I’ll be wishing you the very best on Friday. (I’m glad you realize that “brief” is to be in quotes when discussing a hospital visit! Take a book.)

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