The pain in my arm has dimished and I seem to be back to 'status quo'. Treatment went really good today, no problems. I have been having a bit of very low BP at the end, as of late, which could be due to a lot of things. I upped my dry weight by a half-kilo, which hasn't seemed to make a difference with the BP so I might need to adjust my BP meds again.

At least its Friday!

Sunday is my son's SIXTH birthday! I can't believe he's already six!! He starts First Grade on August 8th, right after my THIRTITH birthday on August 6th. I can't believe I'm so old!!! THIRTY!!! At least I've made it this far :)

Happy Weekend, everyone...

My doctors, Dr. Dewberry and Dr. Campbell, had their "open house" today for their new dialysis facility in Clearwater. The doctors invited all of their patients to come and see the new building and to meet the staff who will be working in dialysis. We also got to meet the new nephrologist, Dr. Ham, who just joined the team. He seems like a nice doctor, too. The unit is AMAZING and in all honesty the most beautiful dialysis center I've ever been in. Everything is new and "state of the art" and it doesn't have much of a clinical feel to it like so many units do. The three things I liked best (if I must choose only three) were the heated chairs with massage, the beautiful artwork on the walls and the WINDOWS (Bay Breeze, where I get my treatments now, doesn't have windows).

I'm really looking forward to getting my treatments there, just as soon as Medicare approves them. Dr. Dewberry said it should be any day, now, and they will be officially open. After I start hemo at Dr. D's unit, then I'm going to start working on getting home hemo... at the same time I'm working on getting approved for a transplant at LifeLink. So, I'm busy these days!

Today my dialysis went just fine, nothing of interest to report... however, all afternoon and this evening I've had the WORST nerve pain in my fistula arm. It feels like when your arm falls asleep or you bump your elbow... except it feels like that all over my whole arm. I've taken a double dose of pain killers (yes I know, not a smart thing to do, but I was feeling a bit desperate) and its still only mildly keeping the pain at bay. It was hurting me so bad this afternoon when I was trying to rest that I was actually dreaming about how badly my arm hurt. Its the strangest pain, like nothing really I've experienced before. My fistula seems to be working fine with a good strong flow so I don't think its clotted or the like. I just hope that by tomrrow it goes away. I have stuff to do tomorrow and I'd like to feel at least semi-normal :P

Today at dialysis something rather strange happened to my graft/fistula. I can't describe it exactly, other than for the first time in awhile my arm feels bruised and painful. It swelled up similar to when a needle infiltrates, but I don't think that can happen in a graft (maybe it can and I don't know?!) I iced it, which did no good and medicated myself, which also did no good. My standing prescription for Darvocet doesn't even touch the pain anymore so I'm thinking I need to ask my doctor for a new/different drug for times like this. I've probably gotten too used to Darvocet for it to work. Bleck.

So my arm hurts *whine* and Ken left today on a trip *double whine* and I should go to bed but I don't wanna *triple whine*

Anyway, I'm gonna go watch some TV until I'm sleepy.