My 2nd Dialysis Appointment – Part II

When I was told I had to come back for dialysis the next day, I was a little concerned about how busy my day would be. I had class in the morning, work right after class, and then had to get to the hospital by 5 for my treatment. I hadn’t planned to drive myself to dialysis this soon, but that was how it was going to have to be seeing as my schedule, and Bruce’s, were busy. Everything would be fine so long as I remembered to bring everything I needed for the whole day.

I really wish I handled surprises better than I do. I hate surprises. When I was younger I always wanted a surprise party. But the only time I ever had a surprise party thrown for me, I had a hard time enjoying it because I wasn’t prepared for it. I told a friend of mine that I worried about being a good lawyer because I don’t think fast on my feet. I need time to process things and like to be prepared. She said that was a great thing because the best lawyers are not surprised, but are actually well prepared. But I think there is still some value to being able to react well to surprises.

I was surprised when I got a call over lunch at work from the hospital saying there was some miscommunication and that the doctor had wanted me to come for a treatment in the day not the evening. Therefore, I was supposed to be at the hospital for 12 noon, and it was already 12:30. The reason was because the doctor wanted to look at my access in case it was not usable or if they couldn’t needle it, there would be other options available. Whereas if I went at 5 and my access couldn’t be needled, it would be the weekend, and nothing could be done over the weekend. She wanted to make sure I wouldn’t get too sick. But having to leave work was not good as there was unfinished work that had to be done. That meant someone else would have to do it, and that didn’t seem fair to me. Bruce tried to point out to me later that there was nothing I could do, but I still felt like I was at fault. Seeing as there really wasn’t much else I could do, however, I made arrangements at work and headed to the hospital.

This time everything went really well. My arm is still swollen and hurts, but I was taking Tylenol for the pain. One of the nurses from the first treatment was there and consulted with my nurse about needling my access. They decided to just use one needle again and went higher up my arm to leave the sore part alone. They also discussed how it appeared that it was better not to put a tourniquet on, but rather had one nurse just hold some pressure above the site to help the nurse who was needling. They actually discovered that if there was too much pressure, they would lose my pulse. This time the needle went in and everything was fine.

I was a little creeped out when the nurse had me hold my tubes of blood. They were warm. We had a discussion how she thought that was fascinating. I do not. I think it’s not going to be very long before all of them at the dialysis unit get tired of hearing me say, “There is a reason I went into law and not medicine.” I think I may stop saying it, as I’m getting tired of it! Then again, maybe I won’t.

There isn’t much more to say about the treatment. It was smooth sailing from there on in. The doctor came, and she was super nice. I talked with the social worker for a while, and she was interested in hearing about law stuff which was cool because I love talking about it. There was a very charismatic nurse, and he made me feel comfortable even when I was scared. I was on the machine for three hours, and it didn’t clot up at all. That was without the medication to prevent clotting. They didn’t want to give it to me because of the huge bruise on my arm. They want it to heal.

When everything was done, I packed up and headed home. I didn’t feel like passing out, but once I was home I was really tired. My son asked if I would always be tired when I got home from dialysis. I said I don’t know, as this is only my second time. But I most likely will be, anyway, because my treatments will normally be in the evenings, so by the time I get home, it will be bedtime.

I spent the evening resting with ice on my arm. The doctor said to keep icing it over the weekend. My treatments for the next week are also going to be one-needle treatments in the hopes that it will give my arm a chance to heal. But I still have to go for dialysis again today. Two days in a row. Lucky me.

There was a nice surprise for me when I got home - some beautiful flowers and a card from my co-workers. I really like everyone I work with. There are so many blessings in my life. And I am thankful for each one.

Thank you, for your thoughts and prayers. They are truly appreciated.