HI All,
So much drama in my dialysis life lately. Now, as you all now, i was recently hospitalized, and today is my set date for surgery. My neph didn't waste anytime squeezing me into the surgery schedule, but i am greatful, that i will soon have this dreadful umblicial hernia repaired, but for now, i am having a temp cath put in place for temporary hemodialysis treatment. It is about 9:00 AM and i just finished my PD nightly cycler treatment, all went well. All the protocol after disconnecting from the cycler has been done and i have taken care of the next best thing to Godliness. Now back to my bedroom, to take my usual abundance of meds, and i was instructed that i may eat a light breakfast, boy! has things changed since my last time with this bout, there was a time a decade ago, that you were told to not eat anything after midnite, yes, they have learned a great deal about this dialysis life, that truly helps to make things much easier for dialysis pts. Just sitting and waiting until it is time to go to the hospital for the procedure. Working out a plan for a family member to drive me to the hospital and stay with me until the procedure is over, this is truly conflicting my husband and daughter's schedule, but that's life, right! I usually don't burden them much, when it was PD, but now i am transitioning back to Hemo, but it is only temporary. My husband had to switch shifts with another co-worker, so that he can drive me to the hospital, but the co-worker was so gracious about all this, that he said he would stay and do a double shift and that my husband would have to work the evening shift, so that worked out OK. Now, my daughter is off the hook, as she would have an evening class that starts at 5:30 PM, well enough about that. I arrived 15 minutes early, and went to the front desk to get registered, and as i was registering one of the assistance to the surgeon, came out and escorted me to the room, ain't that something! i didn't even have to sit in the waiting room and wait to be called, they were actually waiting for me, i felt like a rock star, awaiting my turn to open the show (lol) Well, i went to the back to another room, and my husband joined us as well. It was another awaiting room outside the OR. About ten minutes later, the surgeon enters the room, and discusses the scenarios around the surgical procedure, and what he plans to do, the possible and the definite as well. You see i am a very difficult case for this procedure, or as the surgeon Dr. Kaplan puts it, i have never had a case like you before, so this is going to be a very difficult and challlenging procedure this time, though i have done hundreds of these procedures in the past. He was already familiar with me, as i am very well known in the vascular surgeon department of this hospital, so when he came into the room, i immediately recognized him, i don't know why i didn't promptly remember him from his name, i guess that is because i have had so many doctors from many sectors of professionalism, enter my life, since starting dialysis, that it is way too many to keep up with, yet alone remember their names. (lol) I was also visited by a Dr. Dajani, head of the neph department at the hospital, who came to see me personally, ain't that something! i was truly flattered and felt so special. He came to wish me luck, and hopes that everything works out with my catherer, and that i am able to do hemo the following day with much success, and he did share how very anxious he is to have my hernia repaired as soon as possible, and also to removed my left kidney as well, so that i can once again, be ready for my IVIG procedure, (which was put on hold, because of this hernia and kidney removal plight), but like i always say (something my mom taught me), God only knows. Finally i disrobed and of course, like i said, the dialysis world has changed so much in the last fifteen or so years, I was surprised that i could walk into the OR after disrobing, (in the past, i was wheeled in, after being sedated), but they sedate you in the OR now. I was scrubbed down thorougly and my top half was draped with a blue paper like covering, so i couldn't see a thing of course, and maybe they didn't want me to see anything, and knowing me, may freak out, if i were to see all this cutting going on, right! And then an IV was being put in place, but of course, if you have read my second book, you know i am not a good candidate for an IV, and this is because of my unfriendly veins, due to the torture of the needle sticks during my ten year run on hemo. It took two tries, and they finally got a successful IV in place, but this was such a touchy IV, that they put a little plank substance to keep it in place. I was first given a sedative, and then the surgeon did an ultrasound to see if my veins in the upper part of my body had maybe open up by chance, and he first checked my left side, and found that there could be a possibly, so he also did an ultrasound on the right side, and he was truly pleased with the results of this, it was as though (and i could hear it in his voice), oh wow! this will truly work, definitely, (and this is the possibly and definite that i mentioned early on), and he informed me (in my drowsy state), that he didn't have to put a temp cath in my left groin hallejah! i was so pleased with this, but because i was almost in la la land, i couldn't show much enthusiam, i just said hooray! real lazy like, because i truly dreaded having a cath in my groin back in 2006, so that was truly a blessing for me. So on with the procedure, Dr. Kaplan began to tell me what he is going to do step by step, first he said he will administer some lidocaine in several areas of my chest and neck area. The lidocaine stick only hurt for a minute or so, but i had to endure it several times, during the procedure, no Dr. Kaplan gets his cutting on. While he getting on their the cutting of the procedure, Dr. Kaplan and some of the nursing assistanting had nerve to be joking and talking about everyday life, i heard someone talking about they need to give their house a good cleaning, and one said her housekeeper does the most lousy job of cleaning, that she is considering firing her, then someone was talking about something that happen on a TV show, as they continue to talk, i began to drift off and i guess i went completely to sleep. While i was (i guess sleeping), i began to do some very deep thinking, and i guess when you are on the OR table, you have nothing but time to think about every and anything possible. First, i was thinking about how they were having difficulty getting an IV on me, they started on my right arm, and that failed, and then they had to remove my b/p cuff to try the other arm, and that is when i thought, maybe that is why God gave us two of each, two arms, two hands, two legs, two feets, two etc., and of course two of the most important parts two kidneys, (in which two kidneys didn't help me a bit, because i can't even fall back on the either one, right!) that is the main reason, why i am in this perdictament, right! because we all know that you can live a long and productive life with one good kidney. Thinking about all this, (while in my deep sleep), yes, two of each does make life so much easier in the world of health. If you can't get one arm to cooperate with an IV, then the other arm comes into play, and truly doesn't want to fail, it is like the other arm, has to show off, (like i am better than you right arm) (laugh). And i then i continued by thinking about bills, and of course, the progress of my two published books, and of course, thinking about my third book, and if this temp hemo, will interfere and i will have to put the completion of my 3rd book on hold, maybe. And thinking about all the beautiful, concerned and thoughtful facebook msgs, that i received from many of the people in the renal/dialysis world, who have purchased my books from all over the world, this help a great deal in my speedy recovery. also thinking about my daughter and her well being, on how things will be, when she enteres San Jose State in the fall, she has always been my top priority, and of course, like i have always stated in my books, she is the most important part of my existence. I love her and my husband so much, they are very much, a big part of what keeps me grounded and confident through whatever i have to endure through this very unique renal/dialysis life. Well, the procedure is finally over about two hours, and like i said things have changed a great deal since my first time having a temp cath, i no longer am admitted to the hospital overnigh. About an hour later, i am discharged and allowed to go home, but it is mandatory that i have a driver, (in which i already had my husband there). I was wheeled to the lobby of the front door of the hospital, and a nurse helped me into the car, and i was on my way home. i got home and sat in bed, and had lasanga and baked chicken for dinner. I had lasanga, because this was my last day for awhile having PD, so my diet was going to change, when i return to hemo real soon, my potassium will once again be in question, something i didn't really have an issue with high potassium levels, it was from time to time more like low potassium level issues, so i was allowed to eat as much potassium as i wanted, so now, back to monitoring my potassium levels, so tomato sauce had to be eaten once again in moderation (just a handful of lasagana, (i hope i spelled that right), but tonight i will eat as much lasagana as i want to (lol). That is why this renal diet can be so complex with hemo as well as PD, (in which i know all too well) and of course, my medication regiment will change as well temporary, like i won't have to take vitamin D, iron & potassium orally for awhile, the advantage of being on hemo and yes, there is an advantage to being on hemo, your vitamin D, iron & potassium can be administered through your tubing, oh and yeah! don't forget EPO, i don't have to have EPO shots orally for awhile, that too is administered through the tubing. Well, that is enough for blogging at this time, as my subclavian is starting to give me pain, i need to stop typing now and also get started on my last ten hour PD cycler treatment for awhile. I will keep you posted on my temp hemo saga. for now, all the best to my bloggers, until next blog. Stay well and compliant CKD/dialysis pts. Glo
No comments:
Post a Comment