I'm baaaack - Dailysis Day 19

Ok so I haven't blogged in a while. Actually it's been nearly a year. Being a new dad takes most of my free time. I still get to do some stuff that I did before just not as often. Not that I am complaining you see. Being Will's dad is about the best thing that I can think of. Next to being Amy's partner. Nope not married yet. Coming soon!

Events lately have given me reason to pick up the digital pen again. Not sure if anyone will be reading these. Ifin' you do let me know.

As the title of this blog suggests I have started dialysis...@ days after father days I called the doc at the behest of Amy. Best is not really a strong enough word really, She nagged cried and sent pics of Will. I was not doing all that well. To say I was a tad under the weather is an understatement. I was often nauseous, getting nightly legs cramps that would have sitting bolt upright and howling; I was tired, dragged out and just plain "off my game...". So finally I relented and went to see the doc.

The doc gave several possible diagnosis, 1 Most likely an electrolyte imbalance, 2. Some type of kidney issue, and 3. A reaction to the antibiotic I have been taking for an ear infection (not likely but possible). Confirmation would be by giving them several tubes of blood for testing.

About 15 minutes of arriving home the docs office called, they could not wait for my doc to get in the mooring. The on call doc called with the results. I was in renal failure. I nearly threw up. As a diabetic for 35 years this is not an uprising diagnosis. Unexpected but not surprising.

The on call doc was quite insistent that I immediately get myself to the nearest hospital. I told him that I live but minutes from Frodert, He told me to, and that this was better than being in WB since St Joes did not have dialysis available in house.

I told Amy all of this. Within minutes she had me and Will in the car. She had called to get someone to watch will (thanks Dan!!). Now if you are going to get checked in for kidney issues Froedert is the place to be. The e=room staff took some more blood to confirm the diagnoses, they gave me stuff to help the symptoms, they tested and rested to validate the tests. It seemed that they were constantly taking more blood for several hours. The finally got me situated in the transplant floor at 200am.

I was hospitalized until the following Sunday. During that time I had a permcath insalled in my right shoulder. This is where I get hooked up to the dialysis machine. In the hospital they hooked mar up 4 times.

Dialysis is an exercise in boredom. You get to sit in a chair for (in my case) up to 3.5 hours. I have read quite a few magazines, watched a bit of TV. I got myself a new laptop and hope to make the time more productive.

Since my released from captivity I have a 3 times a week schedule that has settled in on MWF at 245. I hope to update this blog regularly during this time. I will keep you posted with how things are going; more detail on stuff that got m here, assorted randomness that occurs to and is of interest to me.

To answer the question most often asked. "How ya' doing...?" I am doing very well. I am feeling well; one of the side effects of dialysis is a nagging tiredness. That is getting better as well. I am getting more energy every day.

Feel free to give me a call. Please leave feedback with anything that that you want to know, or just let me know that you are checking in.

Thanks

mmg 7/8/09