Dialysis or Bust...

            

Well, it had to happen sometime, and that day was May 29, 2013. Oddly enough, the reason I went to the hospital was not even related to my kidneys..they just got caught up in the fun. Let me explain...
               I was cooking supper when I suddenly felt a small, quick pain in my left hip. I sat down at the kitchen table to see if that would make it go away, but when I stood up to walk, I was unable to even lift my left leg. I was then overwhelmed by excruciating, paralyzing pain. I couldn't walk as I could not lift my own leg. Cliff tried to pick it up by my pant leg to help me move, but it was so painful I could not stand it.
              Cameron, Liam and Cliff helped me drag myself ever so slowly into the living room, arguing with me to go to the hospital. I didn't want to go, and felt that if I could only get to the couch and lay down, that I would be fine. We made it to the couch, but when I got into a sitting position, I was unable to even lay down. Then I realized I didn't even know if I could get back up. I knew that I needed to go to the hospital and it had to be soon.
             With help from 5 people, I managed to get out onto the porch and sat in the computer chair while I pondered trying to get off the porch into the car. Again, everyone said call an ambulance, but I didn't want to do that. I told Cliffy to get the bucket of the tractor and let me sit on that and be lowered to the ground. With me groaning, crying and screaming, they managed to get me back down on terra firma with the bucket of the Mahindra. I ever so slowly made my way into the car, and with one last lurch, got into the passenger seat.
              It was a slow painful trip to the hospital, with every bounce and bump causing me terrible agony. Once I made it into the hospital, I begged for pain killers from a doctor that was probably as old as my eldest child. Of course, when someone comes in requesting painkillers, the hospital personnel want to make sure you just aren't looking for drugs.
So, off to x-ray I went.
             Once I was back from x-ray, the doctor came in with the startling diagnosis of a badly fractured hip, and said I would need surgery for it at another hospital. They gave me lots of pain medicine at that point, and made arrangements for me to go to another hospital by ambulance.
            The GOOD news was this diagnosis made it possible for me to receive lots of blissful pain relief, and I don't really remember much after that visit to x-ray. The BAD news was...they were wrong. I did NOT have a broken hip, but DID have a pocket of fluid in my hip joint that they aspirated out with a needle the next day.
           The rest of the BAD news...My kidney doctor that was assigned to my case said that it was way past time for dialysis to start, and that she believed that the hip fluid was the result of what they call a "brown tumor", something that can happen in patients with chronic kidney disease, and thyroid disorders, which I also have due to my chronic kidney disease. In short, bad kidneys can lead to bad thyroid, which can lead to bad bones..all of which I have. My kidney doctor also said that it has probably played a part in my badly working knees, thumb joints and ankles.
        A bit of good news...bone can regrow once you get the kidneys working, or if you can't get them working, once you start DIALYSIS. Once I heard that, and once I realized all that horrendous, mind blowing pain could happen again, if I didn't start trying to filter my blood, I knew it was time to stop being stubborn, and start trying to get health-ier.
        My first dialysis treatment was two days after I was admitted into the hospital. I woke up dreading it, not because of the painful needles, but because of the fact that my life is now held hostage by the fact that I have to be hooked up to a machine three times a week for 4 hours at a time, in order to live. No more spontaneous outings, or vacations away. No more having my life be on my terms and doing things by my choice. I now have to schedule everything around my dialysis appointments.

My first visit to the ELECTRIC CHAIR

         Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I have to report over at my local dialysis center, which is about 45 minutes from my house. I have to be hooked up and sit there for 4 hours while all my blood flows out of my arm through a tube, and filters over and over through an artificial kidney, which removes all the impurities and toxins that my kidneys would ordinarily take out.

Fistula BEFORE dialysis

          I learned all this from the nurse that did my dialysis at the hospital for the last two days of my stay. He filled me in on all the details and answered the questions that I had. As for the actual dialysis..was it fun? No..the needles are big and hurt going in. The actual dialysis itself doesn't hurt at all. You just have to sit still and not move your arm. After seeing the size of the needles, I knew you probably didn't want to have one poke through the vein, which is a big no-no.

Needles in..left side blood going out, rt "clean" blood going in

My new "best friend" - a fake kidney

         I go tomorrow over to the center for my second appointment, and will write a blog and share pictures after that visit.

Me having fun

         I was released from the hospital after a 4 day stay, and was darn glad to be out. My right arm bore the brunt of all my additional lab tests which were many, as they can not do anything at all to my left arm. No lab work, blood pressure readings or iv's. So my poor right arm took all the abuse and is as colorful as my left arm. Almost.

Bruises two days after the last dialysis treatment

         Tune in next time while I show you around the Dialysis Center, my new home away from home!