I forgot to mention! ... if you're following my health progress which I sometimes mention .. I haven't done an update since I had minor surgery to bury a catheter just under the skin in my stomach, ready for when I need to start dialysis. (If you want to know more about this variety off dialysis, ask Wiki about peritoneal dialysis) .. when my kidneys have no useful function left the doc will make a small incision and pop out the catheter and I'll be good to go!
So I had my latest set of blood tests last week, and the kidney doc called yesterday and said that since I'm not experience any symptoms (which can include lethargy, nausea and excessive itching from high phosphate levels) then there's no need to rush into the dialysis yet.
My kidney function has slowed from 12 in September to 8 and now 6.5, so my simple linear regression suggests they'll stop working effectively in January or February next year! ... not complicated mathematics that one!
In the meantime the only noticeable side effect is that my feet swell a bit, which is making it tricky to put my shoes on ... but apart from maybe a bit of extra shoe shopping (and how bad is that?!) it's not a bad problem!
So there you have it. to be honest I'd rather get hooked up to the dialysis system and in to the new routine of being connected to the system overnight ... rather than wondering when I'm going to have to fit in the training sessions and whatever else is involved! ... but the doc said I can just increase my diuretic pill to reduce the swelling in my feet / ankles, and if that's the only symptom I won't complain!
It can be very odd feeling sometimes having the catheter under the skin ... some times it's barely noticeable and others you can feel it through a thick sweater! Magpie Mimisuggested it probably reflected how much chocolate pudding I had in my tummy, and I suspect she is very correct on that!
How to sew a straight line when you're blind or have low vision, and other adventures. Follow me as I try my hand at sewing after 25 years, beginning with quilting class .
Hehehe, Yup, I'd definitely suspect the wee magpie had hit the nail on the head. Glad to hear anyway that you're not feeling too terrible about it all. Best of luck. (with the health and the menory!)
ReplyDeleteHehe! I think most things can be blamed on chocolate pudding! And solved with for that matter!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that chocolate pudding will get you every time that way... (says she with what has become an embarrassingly expanding waistline in the last few months!)
ReplyDeleteHope the docs can sort you out quickly and the swelling goes down (shoe shopping just makes me shudder, absolutely hate it!)
my step dad had diabetes and was on dialysis before he passed away. it was so hard to see him go through that and it was sooo tiring for him. i hope that your docs are able to get everything sorted out. so, how can you do chocolate pudding and be diabetic...??? small mouthfulls?
ReplyDeleteLove the chocolate pudding comment! A lady at sewing is on the same sort of dialysis (I think) and her function was down at about 10% when she started dialysis...the difference it's made to her is incredible, before a three minute walk exhausted her, now there's no stopping her! Good luck with it all!
ReplyDeleteHard choice to give up something as good as chocolate pudding! Whenever it happens, I'm sure you're prepared with books on tape (or iPod or something) and perhaps you can find something to read a book to you - a quilt book, of course! I know some of the Kindle books can be read aloud - even on a computer, I think.
ReplyDelete