It's been awhile since I have posted any up dates on my health, so for those who have been following my decline...here goes.
I have been under the care of nurce Bennet, the kidney nurce at my VA clinic, several months agos she gave the class on "end stage kidney desiese", I learned alot! first was if you're attending the class you will need dialysis and second was that I might be able to do my own dialysis at home...ah, a glimmer of hope layed on the horizon!
Within the five months that followed my body was sending me signs that I was going down hill but it would seem looking back on it now...I was in denial. One night about 5 weeks ago I could not sleep, I spent 2 days and 2 night fighting to catch my breath, breathing was very difficult.
3 weeks ago it was desided by nurce Bennt and my kidney doctor that I should go ahead and have a catheder put into my belly so I would be able to do "parateneal" dialysis at home but I have to be evaluated by the surgons at the Tampa VA. They found a small hernia and concluded that I would not be a good candadate for parataneal dialysis.
2 weeks ago at my last teleconfrance between nurce Bennt, the kidny doctor and myself it was determine due to my simtoms that it was time for dialysis and there was no puting it off. The following day I was addmitted into the Tampa VA hospital, where I spent the week undergoing surgery to have a "main access line" put in. It streches all the way up to that bone that you can feel at the bottom of your neck and just to the right side. It exits just above my right nipple and has two port tubes that get connected to the dialysis machine, ont takes the blood out for filtering and the other reurnse it to my body. I hooked to it for 4 hours 3 times aweek.
I also had surgery on my left arm, they had to reconstrucked a vain but the short of it is that they connected a vain and an artery together creating a shunt or a fisculor. When it heals and matures it will be the permanent access for the dialysis machine and the tube in my chest can come out...about 6 weeks!
Mind you now, none of this was appealing to begin with but to have to go through all this at this time of year really sucks!!!!
And it was also durring this holiday season that the two people that ment the world to me had abanded me to my missery.
All I could think of as a layed there with my arm stiched up and a tube in my chest was the fun my dearest friend was having riding roller coaster at "ALL" the theme parks ar Disney Orlando, and why my other dear friend would not return my calls...it was very depressing and still is since the hollidays are not over and I have not herd from them yet, even now that I'm home.
I will be working durring the next 3 months to complete and meet all the requierments that wood make me a good candadate for a kidney transplant. I have to stop smoking, lower my blood pressure, have all my teeth pulled, and have good controle over my diabities.(the teeth thing could be a deal breaker) if they won't give me general annistetic!
I want to thank all that stood vitual over me with thier warm thoughts and prayers, your comments and shouts keep me going, I feel blessed to have friends such as you.
xxxooo rick
