I know people worry about what dialysis actually is, so i thought i would take a few moments and explain what is going on for 4 long ass hours.... I arrive about 345 and sit in a recliner and wait for a nurse to come and "hook" me up. What that means is they take my port from my chest, clean it with horrible bleach and then have me sit and "soak" for a few moments. At this time I have a mask on so that i don't pass germs into the port. So... for the next step, they put a tube on which will take the "bad blood" out of me and place it in the machine. The machine will then clean the blood by taking out the toxins that can't be broken down due to the lack of kidney function. The clean blood is then placed back in my body and after the entire process is done, i am done. While in treatment I watch TV, i play games on my IPOD and will take a few cat naps.
As you can see from the picture, they have me all tidy and neat. The red tube takes out the blood, and the blue one will put in the clean blood. I wear the mask for only a few moments so that I don't pass any germs. The nurses also wear a mask... they too have germs!! The "bib" is so the bleach doesn't get all over my expensive Old Navy 2 for 13 dollar t-shirts!! Lord knows i do not have enough Old Navy T-shirts! HA!!
I don't feel anything during the entire process, but once I am done, and stand up, i am totally light headed. Once i had to sit there for an hour so that my blood pressure would go up. For those that know me well, know that i have been on high blood pressure medication for more then ten years. Well, now with all the fluid off my body, my pressure isn't as high, and when completed with Dialysis it has gone as low as 90/45... that is fucking LOW!! i was seeing waffles and french toast sticks!
Anyway, dialysis isn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I guess as most of you know, i was just afraid to admit that i needed it because for the longest time i thought i was invincible... guess what, I'm not!! I am feeling the best I have in years, and although i wish dialysis wasn't 4x a week, the results are fasinating!
Anyway, dialysis isn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I guess as most of you know, i was just afraid to admit that i needed it because for the longest time i thought i was invincible... guess what, I'm not!! I am feeling the best I have in years, and although i wish dialysis wasn't 4x a week, the results are fasinating!
By the way... hair does thin when doing dialysis. Some level i need to have at 5 was at 2.3 and so my hair was thinning out because of that as well. I am NOT getting Chemotherapy. She swore it wasn't the wrong "juice". I guess i will have to trust what she tells me!!!
More to come!
Seriously you make me laugh:)
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