I Am On My Way

I am sorry for not updating sooner but sitting up and typing was not a particularly comfortable thing to do. I had my peritoneal access surgically put in last Tuesday 1.11.11. I must say the night before I kept looking at my body thinking, "geez I am going to be like Bionic Man....wake up and my body really isn't mine anymore". Thanks to all my great PD nurses and new great friend Peggi Speers at Patients Pride I went in well informed. My nephrologist the great Jerry Dancik made sure I had the very experienced dream surgeon Dr McIntosh. Renal patients all these things are you responsibility. You have to talk talk talk to people and investigate who is the best and what you should do. Positioning of your peritoneal port is so very very very important....I am very active so this was super important.....did I say this was important???lololol Prior to seeing the surgeon who will do your PD access surgery make sure you go in and meet your PD nurse for a conference. Your first meeting you  learn A LOT of things so take your partner or person closest to you. Scott remembered a lot of things I didn't. As the patient no matter how many notes you take or closely you listen you miss things....I have a huge medical education and background so I focus on the technical however those wind up not being the crucial things you need when you are feeling like crap....you need to remember that Dr McIntosh said it would take well over two weeks for there to be no discomfort.....aka PAIN. I have that wonderful patient personality...I was crying 2 days after because I hurt considerably when I moved...in fact to be honest it hurt like a mother. I thought I should be all better....what an idiot. I thought I would run right out to the grocery hahahaha.In recent weeks I have come to be more realistic about expectations I have for myself...Thanks to my husband Scott and dear dear friend Jan I see myself more realistically......I no longer have to be super human I can a regular person and I must say it is freeing. As people with chronic illnesses we are always battling something...utmost our bodies. We get so tired of every time we run into someone the first thing they say is.....how are you feeling. UGH. We deal 24/7 with this issue lets talk about the weather, the kids, the pets anything else. However I digress, thanks to Scott having his listening ears on he was able to take me in hand, comfort me and give me information I needed to make sure I slowed it down and let my body heal itself. You just have to have that second set of ears .My procedure was outpatient at Unisource with amazing nurses and the first time I have ever had anesthesia and not been sick as a dog.  Everyone was so kind it just made you feel better. I went into surgery about 1:30 and was home at 5:00 with slow driving because of snow. Basically there are tiny incisions to the left of my belly button and in my belly button and the tube comes out about 4 inches below and 3 inches to the left of the bb. No muscles are cut, just eased apart. Bleeding was minimal. I didn't do anything to the surgical area until Friday when I went to see Barb my PD nurse and she cleaned the site, flushed my line for the first time and showed me the best way to take care of it..This consists of cleaning the sites once a day with soap and water and gauze and redressing the area making sure the tube is secured with tape.I got lovely parting gifts of a brand new IV pole and fancy schmancy scale which will probably be my enemy as eating is just not something I do anymore....that will change I am sure once I feel better and can eat something other than cardboard. Once the port was placed I was able to call Patients Pride and order my custom PD band which will hold the tubing in place and give me support. Additionally the people who run the Patients Pride are full of helpful and crucial imformation for successful PD. So that is where I am today.....healing correctly which is the most important thing. Wednesday is another visit Barb and have her flush out my lines, Thursday is visit my surgeon then next week is the big week.....I start my day long training for a week with Barb and all the PD people(Nutition, social work etc) and begin living on PD. I am feeling like an old dishrag so I am excited as heck to get going....I am going to try walking to day and hopefully hit Joann's for the red tag material sale.....I am making a ton of new clothes to accept my PD access. How exciting....gotta learn to use my fancy new embroidery/sewing machine.....I think a hear swearing in the future
Later
Bonnie