Into the New Year

 Still taking life one day at a time.

Still dealing with covid. Have had 2 shots and a booster and am doing ok so here's hoping covid doesn't get me!

I can't believe it's been going on for 2 years now!

I also can't believe we're into February already!! 

So still going along doing my thing but some days are a bit MORE.

The thing nowadays is that we are having to use trickier parts of my graft in order to USE more of it and make it last longer.

So there are parts on both sides that are now unusable and are avoided and we have to get the needles in shorter parts to access the graft. They go in each end of the curve around my cherry blossom and also on either side of the one blossom (to avoid the ink). They go into the short space above the curve (and it's tricky around the curve because...it curves!! Can't always fit the whole needle in there...and the last places they use are up closer to the scar on my inner elbow on both sides. I generally don't move my arm much once we start so it's ok and I'm good with whatever they have to do. Grafts don't last as long as fistulas because they are made of plastic but my nurse explained that the graft is like layers so that's why you can use it for so long before it gets compromised. (3 years before the two spots became unusable)...when you see it on the sonosite (ultrasound machine-which makes everything easier) you can see that both sides are no longer shiny and look used up. So here's hoping the tricky spots take another 3 years before we have to figure out what next!!

In the meantime,

I am feeling tired and sometimes stressed and sometimes antsy.

It will pass but in the lows I'm just TIRED. More than one way.

Take a deep breath and carry on!

Fistulagram and Angioplasty

 So March 23 I went to Orillia (in the midst of this Covid world so it was a very stressful day for me because I ONLY go to dialysis and home right now) to have my graft looked at with dye so they could see if it had any problems. I don't know because I didn't see because I was just laying on the table covered in towels but they checked it out, saw what problems there were and then put little balloons inside it to expand it and make it better. So then I went to dialysis because it was my usual dialysis day. So for the WHOLE treatment my BP was 230/115 or something else...they did give me a pill at the end of it to help bring it down a bit but I just basically got home had something to eat and went straight to bed. It was NOT my best day but I must say that it was an improvement over all because my numbers are better now, my clearances are better and there is no more whistle in my graft. HOPEFULLY, my graft will be good for awhile now and I don't have to repeat this day again any time soon!! 

Checking In

 Going along doing my thing, One Day At A Time.

Took a pic to share in case anyone is curious about the dialysis:

Because I have a graft (a loop graft) the needle on the right goes in at the top. It takes the blood out and runs it through the machine. Then the clean blood comes back in through the bottom needle and while I DO feel much better doing hemodialysis than I did doing PD dialysis, I'm always tired on dialysis days and I usually nap or at least laze around because standing up sometimes gives me a headache. My body feels achy and sore and really it shouldn't be a surprise because dialysis is like making your heart run a marathon...do I look like a person who WANTS to run a marathon?

I am grateful anyways for every day, even the dialysis days.

Keep breathing and cherish the moments!

So...

From May until the 15th I waited for a surgery appointment On May 15 I had surgery to have a graft put in my arm. So I waited for the graft and my arm to heal for WEEKS! It was swollen a long time and sometimes even still my hand is full of fluid and swollen so I haven't put my rings back on :( but I found one that actually fits so my hand isn't naked! lol
I have since been to see Dr. Gowing twice for check ups and today I will do my first hemo treatment using my graft.
From now on I will be going to hemo 3 times a week again and I am now done with PD ...eventually I will get my pd catheter taken out so at least I can be somewhat back to normal again except for having to go 3 times a week for dialysis...however, I am STILL here!!
It has been a long couple of months but I have had time to breath and I'm still unsure about home hemo but for now I will get used to hemo 3 times a week and see how it goes.
I can tell you today that I have MUCH more energy right now than I have had on PD and I feel pretty good :) Keep on keeping on!!!