Dialysis is pleasant enough, but the port used till the dialysis fistula matures is a pain. Mine needs a “tune-up”, which I have to go to Scottsbluff, 57 miles away, this morning. The surgeon will give me a local block. I don’t think they will knock me completely out unless they replace it. I wanted to drive my new car down, but they told me they’d do the procedure without pain-killer if I did….! (A pretty effective way to getting me to do what they want!)
Could have been worse, though. If the port had failed to work at all, the hospital here would have sent me to Scottsbluff by ambulance since it would have been a medical emergency instead of just a pain in the butt slow drawing port.
On the kitty front, both Andy and Dougy woke me up hours before the crack of dawn. Andy stared at me. Dougy kneaded me and purred in great contentment. I skritched Andy’s chin like he likes it and pet Dougy from nose to tail the way he likes it. What else could I do? They held me captive in my own bed!
Peek-a-boo! Andy sees me!
Dougy will fill his boxes!
Cats even outrank doctors when they give orders (and they’re much cuter)
…and doctors get upset if you skritch them behind the ears or on the chin! Cats never do.
Good to hear the procedure went well, Doug!
Give the boys a scritch on their heads for me!
Will do, Lavinia!
Glad all went smoothly and you could uupdate the medical staff on your celebrity kitties. I understand the captive thing, Simba andher sister Misun like to sprawl on either side of me trapping me under the blankets. I feel like Gulliver in Lilliput.
LOL! Sounds like cats alright!
I am late, I see from the comments that everything went well- that is good.
Yes, it was a pleasant time, oddly enough!
I didn’t know about ports until I was a fairly regular person at the IV Clinic. There are several peeps that have these ports. Some look like a real inconvenience but they are optimistic about them.
Jean
They do require care to assure the site doesn’t become infected. People like me, with cats, also don’t want to let their kitties see the catheter ends hanging loose or they risk getting their kitties all excited for an unfortunate kitty game…! LOL!
Well, I hope the tune-up they did on your port does the trick and it works well for your next dialysis, and all the rest of them until your fistula matures.
Me, too. Though it isn’t a difficult trip this time of year (aside from a patch of road work toward the end of the trip), it is half a day spent getting it done. If my port failed completely (which it did back in March), I would be forced to take an ambulance ride over there because of a “medical emergency”. Ugh! That’s about $400 to ride 57 miles, one way.
Did you hear the one about the sailor who only dated women with renal failure?
A port in every girl.
Terrible! LOL!
I hope your drive to Scottsbluff went well !
I thought the fistula was done but not enough mature accordring what you say.
The cats are guardian angels for you,Doug
In friendship
Michel
It was uneventful, thank you! I have a few weeks to go before the fistula can be used. An ultrasound technician will make a record of how great the blood flow is and other critical details, and the surge=on will proclaim it ready or not to be used. That’ll be scheduled sometime in the middle of June. I am going to go from Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday AM dialysis to Monday-Wednesday-Friday PM because one of the nurses with the best level of skill using the fistula for dialysis works those days and hours. In wintertime, that will be a better time for me, too, because snow removal where I live isn’t complete (usually) until mid-morning.
Don’t worry! These sort of medical hiccups have a way of sorting themselves out!
I’m getting closer to having a mature fistula for dialysis. Though those can have issues, too – and I’m sure I will have them since it involves the vascular system and my primary health issue is a vascular disease called Wegener’s granulomatosis (if in remission) – the medical people assure me you can go years without any problems with them.
“I wanted to drive my new car down”
New car? New car?
Yes, I picked up an all-black 2016 Volkswagen Sportwagen S Monday. (It is about mid-level in features.) It’s a turbocharged (gasoline- not diesel) station wagon, with Tiptonic transmission and paddle shifters on the steering wheel if I want to burn lots of gas and pick up points on my driver’s license: It is zippy! It is easier to load than my Chevy, which had a high liftover for the trunk, and not much lower for the back seat, which is where I put the carrier I take the boys in to the groomer and veterinarian. They should like it better since it will take less time to load or unload them, with much less strain on me.
http://sp.dlron.us/photo/izmo_tlc/sscusa/2016/16volkswagen/16volkswagengolfsprtwns7t/volkswagen_16golfsprtwns7t_angularfront_black.png
That’s the one, alright!
I hope and wish everything to be fine dear Weggie, We all love you, and your lovely fur friends too 🙂 Love, nia
Thank you, Nia! It went well, and we (the medical staff and I) know each other so much that we had lots of laughs and friendly questions about how things went the past few weeks since we last saw each other. They know about my kitties, and I had to answer some questions about how Andy and Dougy reacted to me when I first got home after two months and a week away!
I am so glad to hear this, Andy and Dough are so lovely, Thank you dear Weggie, have a nice day, Love, nia
Thanks, Nia! You, too! I look forward to your unique and talented view of Istanbul and its denizens!
They probably know something is up. It’s their way of saying you are not going anywhere without them.
When they see me put on shoes, they know I’m leaving and become curious.
Either that or they are waiting for you to leave so they can get into trouble. :Dhttps://widgets.wp.com/notificationsbeta/2456758571#
That would explain why they tap their feet impatiently….!
Is everyone getting back into “normal”
Pretty much so, Susan, though this week was very hectic for all the changes in routine. (I will do dialysis in the afternoons of Monday-Wednesday-Friday in stead of mornings of Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, for example.)
They are all always changing stuff that way.
It should be a good move for me. Though the place where I live clears snow, I guarantee it never gets done by a quarter to 6 AM, the time I’d leave for dialysis. Leaving around 11 AM, though, as I will with the M-T-F schedule, the snow is more likely to be cleared. For that matter, when they are aware a resident needs to go to dialysis or something like that, they are pretty good about clearing snow for those people first.
Sounds like you have good neighbors.
I’d call them exceptional!
It is good to know there are still people like that. I have some in my life, too. Six friends of mine have conspired together to take me to my Chemo.
Good for you! Especially when it invoilves taking time out of their schedules to take and wait for you. If you have to go out of town for care, too, it’s great to have people willing to make the trip. There are things I have to have done in the next town over. If they use anesthesia or pain blocks on me, I have to have someone drive me there or they won’t do the procedure. I’d rather drive myself, but the alternative is to have the procedures down without pain block or anesthesia! I’m not that stout!
Ouch. And it is nice to talk to people you don’t see often.
Yes, how true!
Paws crossed that all goes smoothly! Keep us posted! Woof!
It did, Maggie! I know lots of the nurses and the doctor from other times for the same problem, so we chatted and had friendly banter among us before, during, and after the procedure. It was a bit surreal! LOL!
(sighs with relief) Oh, that’s good news!!! Woof!
I guess this is what happens when you live in a small town environment!
Oooh, isn’t Dougy a handsome boy?
I think so,too!
Good luck and be well!!
It was remarkably, um, fun! I know many of the nurses and the doctor by name, and we chatted back and forth throughout the set-up, procedure, and clean up. A good time was had by all! I hope the procedure was a success, of course, and will find out at dialysis tomorrow morning.
I never knew about ports (other than for ships) until my mum had one. She also had some tune-ups and I hope yours goes well.
Thanks, Peggy! So do I, though I had a fun time today chatting with the nurses (many of whom I know from earlier fixes) and the doctor, starting before the procedure, throughout the procedure, and after the procedure. They knew about my cats, of course, since I talked incessantly about them when I was away from them for two months and a week, and asked how they handled my homecoming, among other questions. I had a good time, oddly!