Rho has been on dialysis now for almost 5 months. And it's been a fit-throwing hell ride at times. Infections, catheter issues, almost a dozen hospitalizations, then a small island of calm for most of April.
But still...traveling by bus down to the dialysis center (about 6 miles or so away) 3 days a week...sitting in a chair for 3 1/2 hours while your blood is cycled through a machine...you're the youngest person there...your travel is restricted...and you're unable to work a full-time job.
But thanks to modern technology, Rho can emulate this process from the comfort of our home over the course of an 8-hour evening. A 40-lb machine allows Rho to do this at home, using a dextrose solution as opposed to draining blood. The only drawbacks so far are that Rho carries an extra 4 lbs. of fluid weight (as the solution sits inside of her for 16 hours a day), she has to be careful of how she sleeps at night, and we have about 40 medium-sized boxes lining a wall of our bedroom--this is one month's worth of supplies.
Well worth it though. Rho is doing fine (although she hates the extra weight), and can finally go back to work. Good thing b/c we need the money.
As much as the Commonwealth of PA irritates me at times, I must give them mad props at the moment. They have a special renal patient program, which helped to make this home dialysis machine possible. Therefore, I thank myself and the other PA residents on here who pay taxes.
05-31-2002, 06:37 PM
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