Tuesday, January 25, 2011

On my way

Well peritoneal dialysis training has started and I am already doing the exchanges myself. It is amazing I thought all those college degrees were history...I was a bit rusty but I got the touch back...I am not lying.... for a person with no medical experience the beginning could be a bit daunting. However I bet with an experienced PD nurse like my Barb every single one of you renal patients could do this like a pro. So if you are considering PD but are afraid of doing all the exchanges you can ask your dialysis nurse to show you the whole procedure and you can do hands on. It is very freeing to know you can cleanse your body of the build up of toxins everyday.
How this works is amazing...here are some valuable words with definitions...peritoneum or abdominal cavity- contains your stomach, spleen, liver and intestines.  Peritoneal membrane -the lining that surrounds the peritoneum. PD solution is  placed in the peritoneum through the permanent catheter. The peritoneal membrane filters waste and fluids from your blood into the solution. The solution containing the wastes is drained from your peritoneum after several hours and replaced with fresh solution. It displaces through the peritoneum so you don't look like a balloon...I really didn't believe this. I mean I have dissected more cadavers then I can remember but when it is YOUR peritoneum and you are looking at putting a 2 liter in there...well I thought I was going to be Hilda Hippo and sound like a washing machine when I walked...Not at all....Now I am pretty small so we started out with a smaller amount. But I have to tell you my body has taken to this like a fish to water. I am still not hungry but my nausea is gone. I do 4 exchanges a day for the first month then I go on a cycler that exchanges 3 bags while I sleep. I can expect to see my energy level return pretty quickly..which will make EVERYBODY happy because I am pretty grumpy not being the Energizer Bunny.....no not grumpy I believe we could use the B word here.
So that's what I have been doing...I encourage all renal patients not to be intimidated. I realize this isn't for everybody but investigate all options before deciding how you want to treat your renal failure....and my best most important advice is....BE COMPLIANT....let me say that again..BE COMPLIANT..do what your dietitian tells you...yes now you can eat protein that doesn't mean you go out and grab a tub of fried chicken and a beer. EXERCISE....get off your arse as soon as you can. You want your peritoneal catheter to heal correctly so for the first few months walking is great...I won't be weight training for 3 months when the weather breaks bicycling will be great and I am going to have to adjust my beloved Pilate's. I doubt I can develop much that doesn't stress the peritoneum...I am not very optimistic so we will see what I find that's doable for active PD'ers. Next don't miss your clinic and doc appointments and keep getting your labs pulled. Sticking your head in the sand only shortens your life....plus I found out something....if your team feels you are not following the instructions of your clinicians and abusing your care they can recommend you be taken off the transplant list.  It makes great sense...if you can't follow the PD parameters why should you get an organ...life after transplant is dependant on following a strict regime of medications.. so that is that.
Oh I know what I am going to do..golf. Scott almost passed out when I told him this. Honest I thought I needed the paddles. I mean I have had golf shoved down my throat my whole life. My mother would have been on the early Women's PGA tour had she not gotten preggers with me. My dad lived to golf....of course I hated it. Then God played a sick joke on me. Vowing never to get married I ran into a guy in a bar one snowy April Saturday...actually a blizzard. The beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs was on the TV. Ya think I would have noticed he had a golf shirt on...UGHHHHHH and then I gave birth to a.......scratch golfer..I knew I had problems when I saw him cutting teeth on the handle of his dad's putter. So I have finally given in....What the hell I think I will look sharp in a Hawaiian shirt and plaid pants. OOO and I am thinking Panama hat..

All my love to my team of backers and you know who you are.....I am working on a design for team caftans...Erin you are in..:o)

More later... the big question....what will be the first thing I eat when I get my appetite back????

Tootles
Bonnie

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