This morning Dr. Thomason gave the green light for Woody to return to peritoneal dialysis. I came home and called Fresenius Kidney center and talked to one of Woody's nurses. He said that he would have to get approval from Dr. O, Woody's nephrologist. We also discussed getting back on the supply ordering and delivery schedule. It wasn't long after I hung up from talking to the nurse that a Fresenius supply representative phoned me and I got our first order made in over three months. They will be delivering the supplies next week. We still have supplies left from the last order...we are never left with no supplies...always have enough to get us through a reason that a delivery might not get made (snow, ice, etc.). After the supply rep called, I got a return call from the nurse with our start-back schedule. Woody will finish this week of hemodialysis and then on Monday we will go into the PD part of the kidney center and do necessary paperwork to get him back into the schedule. He has been off PD long enough that he has turned into a full-time hemo patient so we have to get him back on record as a peritoneal patient. Even the protein supplements that I use as the basis for his shakes that he qualified for prior too this, have to be reapplied for...red tape! The plan is that he will begin peritoneal dialysis at home that evening, if all goes according to plan! Interesting that today is the day that we are getting the ball rolling to get him back on PD, as it was one year abo this date that we began our PD training at the center and the day that Woody had his first PD treatment. The day he had the last surgery to correct the positioning of his PD catheter was 1 year and six days after he had the PD catheter placed for the first time. So we are starting to experience anniversaries for PD...Woody is very glad that he will be able to go back on it and be able to count more days on PD. I imagine that he is a bit disappointed that he has to wait till Monday as he was hoping to be able to begin right away, but at least he can see the last day, for the moment, of hemodialysis. He is ready to not have to spend those 4+ hours three days a week at the dialysis center and ready to not feel so wiped out after each of his treatments. So if all goes as we see it now, he will have hemodialysis tomorrow and then again Saturday and then be able to put that experience behind him till it becomes necessary on down the road. Dr. Thomason was very pleased to hear how well the flushes have been going. The transport chair worked well. Today all we used it for was to get him to and from the car here at the house. He used his walker at the doctor's office. I do like having the handbrakes when going down the ramp. There is still a little problem with thresholds and other like bumps...but in time I will probably learn how to transverse them more easily. Tomorrow I have a cushion arriving to place in the seat of the chair to give him an even more comfortable ride. I also really like being able to control the brakes on the back wheels with my hands. I spread the "grips" and they lock the wheels and then just have to push them back together to get rolling again. I am still learnig where the buttons are to move parts of the chair...again time and repetition will get the "how" fixed into my brain. At the moment my brain feels muddled...all the changing over and keeping things straight has me a bit befuddled..but given time...maybe brain activity will settle in and I won't be so confused...or is this "my age?!" Oh, well...we will muddle on one way or another! I cleaned up the kitchen before blogging tonight and got things ready to set up for Woody's PD line flushing. We will flush the line every night untul he gets back to his regular routine of home dialysis and it begins...then that will flush the line nightly! I hope that we are ready to get back into the routine of nightly PD routine. It will be good to free up our days. Now I'm heading back downstairs to do tonight's line flushing and also the nightly dressing change where the PD catheter enters his abdoman. The latter we have been doing even when he hasn't been on PD...something that has to be done as long as he has that catheter. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!
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