Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours!

So much to do, so little time! It seems this year (2005) I've gone from one trip to another LOL. We leave for Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday (Christmas Eve) to spend the holidays with my parents and my brother and his wife. Alek is looking forward to Santa visiting at Grandma's house!

I'm feeling good, even though I got a tad anemic during my last trip over Thanksgiving. I'm hoping being above 7,000 feet again in Colorado won't contribute to my becoming anemic once again. Bring on the EPO...

I will be doing dialysis at Pikes Peak Dialysis in the Springs. This will be the third time this year I've been there (Jan, May and now Dec). Its a great unit - big, lots of staff, friendly patients. I'm looking forward to being there again.

If I don't have time to update again before the holidays, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dialysis was such a zoo today. I really do love when its crazy in there, though. Steven C. was back for his first in-center treatment (after being in the hospital for surgery on his leg) and I was so glad to see him. Brenda (one of our nurses) put on reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose and danced around singing. Melanie (another nurse) was being her ususal crazy self, except for crazier than usual :P A couple of the patients were being silly and Dottie (who sits next to me, opposite Steven) said "its nuts in here!" which pretty much summed it up. I was so glad to see everyone and be back "home" after vacation... I really miss that place when I'm traveling. Oh, and there was a brand new patient (her very first treatment in-center) today, too... I'm sure she probably thought all of us should be on sedatives, poor gal.

I think I have the weirdest "family" on planet earth. Dialysis is like a crazy and twisted family reunion three times a week hehehehe :)

Oh boy. I am really in a "uremic fog". No dialysis since Monday afternoon will do that do a person, I suppose. Gawd I've been lazy this week but it has been soooooooo nice to take a break (from dialysis). I've not absent-mindedly taken a break from dialysis ever... not once in two years. So, ha, sue me. Yes, yes I know its not good for my health, but damn was it good for... my mental state? Something.

Although, it does make me darn sleepy (from all the toxins floating around in there) and somewhat spaced-out, and sort of puffy-feeling (I'm only 2 kilos over my weight, though, so not bad...) but over all I feel OK. Not too hungry, but then again, when am I ever hungry?

Back to the dialysis grind tomorrow. *sigh*

I'm. So. Tired.

I was supposed to get up early and have dialysis yesterday... after getting home at 2 AM? Um. I don't think so. Soooooooo I scheduled it for today... problem is, I'm too tired to go today too, plus I really kinda need to go to class, since I haven't been in two weeks.

I'm going back to bed. I'll do dialysis tomorrow... My fluid gain is not too bad and I'll just watch what I eat today (so as to keep my potassium level low). I do have to go to class, however. I think I'll go to the 2 PM class instead of my regular 11:10 AM class. I've already emailed the instructor and called my dialysis unit.

Dialysis tomorrow at my usual time and class today at a different time, but at least I'll be there.

Ugh. Back to bed. *SNORE*

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone from Flagstaff, AZ!

Today is an extra special Thanksgiving - it is not only a holiday to reflect upon the things I am thankful for, it is also the fifth anniversary of my beautiful son's adoption. Five years ago today his father and I were in a dark, cold court room in Ukraine standing before a judge who decided we would be a family.

We are thankful for so much, today and every day.

I don't know if this recipe is 'renal friendly' but it sure is yummy! Its probably better for you instead of pumpkin pie because there is less pumpkin in the mousse. The dairy (high K and phosphorous) in the whipped cream is questionable, too. Regardless, this is one of my favorite recipes and it was given to me by a friend a few years ago.

Pumpkin Mousse

1 small pack vanilla or butterscotch instant pudding
2 cups milk
1 16-oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 8-oz. container of Cool Whip

Make the pudding with the milk according to package directions. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix well and fold in the Cool Whip. Makes about 8 1-cup servings.

Variation (this is what I did)

If you cut the milk down to 1 cup and don't fold in the Cool Whip, the consistency comes out more like pumpkin pie filling. Top the mixture with the Cool Whip instead, and it's just like eating a pumpkin pie without the crust!!!

I had my first 'traveling' dialysis today and all went well. The staff and a couple of the patients remembered me from last year. I promised I would write a gossipy post all about the tech Richard in my blog (so here it is LOL).

Coming from a hellish day (which lasted from Monday until the early morning hours of yesterday) of travel I was pretty much exhausted just getting here. AND, coming from sea-level to 7,000+ feet I was even more exhausted. Soooooo I asked to have some O2 (Oxygen) during my treatment and can I tell you? It made ALL the difference. Seriously. I breezed through my treatment without so much as needing an extra shot of saline. I'm going to have to remember this for future trips 'up the mountain'.

Oh, and NOTE TO SELF FOR NEXT YEAR: They have really horrible television channels and no cable! Bring a book!

I just finished my treatment for today and now we (Ken, Alek and I) are getting ready to board a plane to Flagstaff, AZ for Thanksgiving. I have my treatments all set up at the same dialysis facility as last year - Flagstaff Dialysis (catchy name, eh?) - and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there... I wonder if they'll remember me?

As for Thanksgiving, there will be pleanty to do and many people to see :) Ken's brother, sis-in-law and new baby nephew will be flying in from Hawaii where they live. Ken's childhood friend (who is like another brother to him) and his friend's girlfriend and two daughters will be driving down from Las Vegas. Everyone is staying at Ken's parents' house in Flagstaff. Alek is excited to have other kids around to play with and I'm excited to be somewhere OTHER than Florida where its COLD and feels 'seasonal'.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, for the very first time, I put in my own needles before my dialysis treatment! Yay me! Everyone in the room cheered for me after I did it, which made me feel special, but sort of silly. I should've been doing this long ago - it turns out it was really no big deal. In almost two years of dialysis I have not once watched someone insert the needles, until I watched myself do it today. I usually look away because it for some reason grosses me out. But not today. Today I just sat down, picked up the needle and announced I was going to put it in myself. I put the blunt needle in the bottom buttonhole and a regular sharp in the new top buttonhole... so I didn't chicken out for either. I think I surprised Brenda (my tech) but she was a great coach... I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to help me do it the first time. She was so impressed! Heck, I was impressed! Now I've just got to figure out how to pull them out myself, which is a bit trickier because it involes a little more coordination.

This is just one step closer to me doing home hemo. OH and I can't WAIT to be doing this at home, on my own time!!!