Ha, that rhymes!
Well, another week has flown by…
So, I met the Transplant Team last week– I met the Financial Coordinator where I learned how much I am responsible for that insurance doesn’t pay; I also learned how expensive the anti-rejection drugs are post surgery that I have to take the rest of my life. You’d be amazed at cost! Still holding strong and completely putting all of my trust in the Lord… I met the Social Worker; I met the Dietitian– looking forward to enjoying dairy products on a regular basis; not looking forward to being able to enjoy sushi. I met the Nephrologist- he was an interesting character…; and I met the surgeon. Apparently, they have 3 surgeons that work together- if one is on vacation, they’ll wait until all 3 schedules match up. I also got to chat further with the wonderful Nurse Coordinator and learn more how the whole donor process works. Very interesting. If they have lets say maybe 15 potential matches; they’ll only take the best one out of the 15 to pursue further testing; this is to be cost effective on running tests.
Thank you to some friends that have already contacted Terry about being a donor- unfortunately, some of you are very disappointed that you have been rejected for one reason or another…please pass the baton onto someone else…
After meeting with 6 people in 4 hours, I was ready to crash as my brain was on overload. But, I couldn’t- I had to have my blood drawn (you know how much I love that) and I had to have a chest X-ray. Hmmm…which should I choose first? I opted for the x-ray. After the X-ray, I wandered down to the lab. As I checked in, I overheard the gentleman next to me say something rather funny to the registrant. I glanced over at him and smiled. Little did I know what kind of effect that would lead… I forgot to mention I had my backpack I was carrying, my shoulder bag with my dialysis stuff, my purse,and my coat. I looked rather funny. I take my gear and walk into the waiting room. The sweet gentleman called out, hey there, I saved you a seat! I sat down and unloaded my stuff. He commented about wondering if I was moving in. He then shared that I reminded him of his daughter. I thanked him. He asked if I was going to school (since I had a back pack) and asked if I was about 21. I told him I was much older than I looked. He didn’t believe me and asked me to prove it. The other patients around us were intrigued by this and kinda laughed. They then began to be more in-tuned with our conversation. I got out my driver’s license and proved that I was really “that old.” The gentleman was beside himself! We began chatting and one thing led to another… (Not what you’re thinking!) I started sharing about how my diagnosis came about and pulled out my flier. The other listening patients eagerly held out their hands and wanted one. I handed out I believe 6 fliers in the waiting room of the lab. I just sat there a minute taking in these new lives I have now touched and inspired. I am still wondering why God has me in this situation and where is it leading?
The gal that took my blood was awesome! I asked her if she can be my personal blood taker and she can go with me to the clinic and wherever else I needed to go in the future to have my blood taken. The needle did not hurt- I don’t know how she does it, she was very quick and efficient. She was flattered and asked me to fill out a little survey. Of course I obliged!
After leaving the hospital, I was planning on heading home… needless to say, God had other plans…I had phone issues. I could not make any outgoing calls, nor send any text messages. Great! Now, I need to get a new phone… I drive to a store and come to find, they’re gone and a for lease sign is up. I then drive several miles to another location, they too are also gone and have a for lease sign. What the heck?! I turn the the good ol fashion yellow pages to try to find a store, then realize, i cannot call to ask them where they are nor call out to my phone company to ask. I am starting to lose patience… so I start praying. A friend calls and becomes a lifesaver! They work from home and gladly looked up a couple stores. I venture out to Oak Park Mall. I spent a couple hours in there because they are just about the only store around and there are 3 other customers ahead of me. The sales agents were extremely helpful and once again I managed to share my story about my kidney disease and gave out my face-book page name. The one agent that was assisting me does not have face-book and was teased by the other guy. “The other guy” was willing to consider being tested to be a donor. Does God work in mysterious ways or what?! Who knows? This phone agent may very well be the ideal match? I returned the next day to leave some of my fliers with them.
The company delivers my dialysis solution and machine Friday. To give you a little background on the machine– it’s called a cycler- it’s about a 20-30 pound machine that allows me to do my dialysis while I sleep. Sounds pretty cool. Well, my personal opinion, it’s not so cool. It’s alot more work to set up ,go through the process, and I have to be connected to this thing for 8 hours, no interruptions. Not sure I am going to like this. I decided to try it. Apparently, I discovered I am a light sleeper. Super! I already have problems getting to sleep at a decent hour and staying asleep. It’s a machine, it’s working, doing its thing… it makes noises. In addition to the noises, I have to hear myself “pee in a bucket” all throughout the night. Such a lovely sound, right? Yeah, not so much. Lastly, the wonderful feeling I get when I am all drained out is like a sucker punch to the stomach. I get to be woken up 4 times to this. I do not understand why “everyone loves the machine!” They’re either really heavy sleepers or they are on something. I am supposed to try this new process out for 30 days. I don’t think I can take it.
I tried it a second time over the weekend and decided to take my favorite drug, Tylenol PM so I could sleep peacefully. It helped a little bit. I still woke up a handful of times…
Well, that about sums up the latest and greatest dialysis adventures this past week…
