Hello friends,
Hope you enjoyed a nice holiday weekend… I did for the most part. I will admit this is my absolute least favorite holiday, I won’t get into any specifics.
From my title, yes, I went camping. I was a little nervous; however, my doctor gave me permission and encouraged me that several patients go camping. She also said to be smart. So, I packed a couple boxes of solution, some medical supplies, an outfit or two and had no expectations. The whole point is to live a “normal life” as much as possible. Plus, I wanted some “new material” to blog about- ha!
I had to drive separately due to “all my stuff” but I am actually glad I did. We stayed close to home (only about an hour or so away) and the fact we left late Sat afternoon, there probably wasn’t going to be much to choose from… I was praying the whole way that we would have a spot and not have to drive any further. I wasn’t sure how I’d do in the heat too. I tell you, this is definitely a new experience this summer. One of the key things is to stay hydrated, right? Its kinda tricky as I have to watch my fluid intake not get fluid overload.
I stopped at a restroom to do my dialysis as it had been a handful of hours, luckily I was the only person in the bathroom…I did have to close the outside door to prevent any air movement. I sweat-ed my but off and was hoping I wouldn’t pass out! We almost set up camp right across from these bathrooms so it would be convenient for me and it was an isolated spot. We drove around a little more and found a spot. So glad we did, because we made several new friends and it made the whole experience worthwhile!
Now, I have only been camping like maybe 2 other times…of course, having major health issues brings a whole new meaning to camping for everyone involved! I was with a very experienced camper- we’re talking pacific northwest, real mountains, kinda “Paul Bunyan” like camper! It was great- I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else! I witnessed chopping wood with an ax, cooking hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks, animals eating our bread we left out, rustling in the trees/woods at night, other strange noises…and yes, even a thunderstorm… Thank goodness for earplugs and Tylenol PM- I was able to sleep through the night in a tent.
It wasn’t so bad doing my dialysis in the car for 3 days…it was relaxing, although a little hot as I have to have the windows rolled up. I hung my bag on the dry cleaner hook behind me, layed my seat back all the way, turned the key to listen to some music or saved my battery and just meditated and prayed. I had to have my hand sanitizer close by and of course some water. Then after I was done, I just drained it into the ground and left my mark in various places
One of the biggest downfalls due to being on dialysis is the fact that I cannot submerge in water. Like I mentioned earlier, this summer will be a new and interesting experience, not sitting in hot tubs, not going in pools, lakes, heck, I cannot even take a bath! It was a little difficult just laying out watching everyone else enjoy going into the cool water on a hot day…at least I got to relax, lay out and get some color to me. One of the highlights, if not, the highlight of the camping trip was going on a boat ride. Our new friends kindly offered to take us on their boat- it was awesome! We even got to be targets for some partyers that had a balloon launcher!
We were also blessed with lots of leftover firewood as many folks had left due to a hailstorm that was suppose to happen…we decided to stay and tough it out. So glad we did! It was only a light thunderstorm for a couple hours… we made some new friends as we had moved to a nicer spot.
The last topic in the title of this blog is working on something life changing- I won’t share the specifics just yet as I have to do some more research… and I don’t want anyone stealing my idea. I will say that I do need a chemist, so, if you know of one, please share.
I’m feeling okay- should be getting my hemoglobin back up as I now get my shot once a week…Dr wants to see some levels of other things come down as well as others come up- to “get me back to normal”
I still continue to meet new people and share my story as well as have the honor to get back in touch with some folks of my past…
That’s about all for now…
Thank you as always to your devoted prayers and encouraging support!
