Day Off…Too Short!

Isn't that the way it is...something that you enjoy goes by too fast!?! Today, one of our days off this week, seems to have gone by in a blink. I have accomplished almost all that I planned...at least all but one thing on my list of things that I wanted to get done today. The thing not done is to wash MY clothes. That still may happen...at least get a load washed and then put them in to dry in the morning. The one thing that I definitely wanted to do was change the front porch from Fall to Winter which I did manage to do. I also brought in all the Fall items and put them all away with my other Fall decorations...so they arr in storage bins and back in the closet till next Fall. Good jobs accomplished. A guest could now sleep on the guest bed once again. Inside Fall decorations had been resting on the guest bed till I brought in what was on the porch. We did do two dialysis tasks today. It was time to change the dressing on the dialysis catheter that he is no longer using. The other task was to flush both the arterial and venous lines. That should be the last time that job will need to be done. That catheter is to be taken out on Friday. Friday will be a busy day...catheter taken out in the morning here in Tullahoma at the surgeon's officr...Keytruda at Oncology in Tullahoma in the early afternoon...and, dialysis once he gets home from Keytruda! Head spinning already! Woody has felt better today...he is beginning to think that it may be a stomach virus. He made it fine all day up until just a little while ago and he got sick again. Hopefully it has about run its course and hopefully I won't get it! I have washed quite a few loads of clothes today...reason that my clothes haven't made it downstairs yet. It has bren a busy day and I must say I have enjoyed the time off. Woody enjoyed not having to be connected to any machines today. All in all it has been a pleasant day...no storms...lots of sunshine after lots of rain yesterday and on into the night. Temperatures are once again going to drop down into the 20s. We're all closed in for tonight and plan to keep warm. I washed lots of throws today so Woody has lots of clean snuggly covers for tonight! And, now I guess we bid good-bye to November and see what the turning of the calendar page has in store for us in the coming month. 'Tis the Season! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Tuesday…Almost Behind Us!

In some aspects it has been a good Tuesday...smooth going for the dialysis treatment always makes for a good day...and, we had that today! But Woody hasn't felt the greatest. He had a first today...throwing up during dialysis...probably not recommended! We were about five minutes from the finish when he asked for a towel...and, I pretty much know that is a signal that he is about to lose whatever meal was last! We both survived that and were able to do the rinse back and disconnecting per usual. He felt better at that point and thought that he was ready for lunch, but his stomach thought otherwise. He has had a light supper and so far he is okay! We're trying to figure out what is going on...a bug?, or just what? We are both wondering if it is the fact that he has been eating bigger meals...including more desserts after he eats amount that he usually does...and his stomach has shrunk enough that it isn't liking the extra amount. He hasn't felt bad after any of the times that he has been sick. For the moment he is just going to cut back on amounts and see if he can get back to the way he had been pretty much since starting hemodialysis...no thowing up! We have had a stormy afternoon and evening...rain and lightning and thunder. A couple of claps of thunder seemed right overhead and rattled the house a bit. Between one and two I declared that our day off had officially started...want to tack as many extra hours onto tomorrow's 24 hours as possible! Today, during dialysis, we took care of some Christmas decisions and did the shopping...so we are a little closer than we were to being ready for Christmas. I decided to come upstairs to do a little stitching this afternoon, but that stitching time turned into naptime! I'm hoping that naptime will allow me to stay awake a little longer tonight and get some of that planned stitching time in! I haven't been able to work on any of my sewing projects because of the storms...I don't plug my machine in during a storm...since it is a computerized sewing machine. I really need to take advantage of my day off tomorrow and get things done...esoecially since it is the last day of November! Once that calendar page is turned up on Thursday, I know that the days will just fly! I'm so glad that I am finished with my decorating! I did enjoy sitting quietly in the living room looking at the tree. After Woody finished with dialysis today I wheeled him through the downstairs into the living room so he could see the tree and other decorations. 'Tis the season! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Finished!

I finished with the Christmas tree yesterday afternoon! Hooray! And, I have pretty much declared that I am also finished with other Christmas decorating. There are a few other things that I "could" get out, but I am pretty satisfied with the way the house looks so think that I will call it quits! I am very glad that I have put up our big tree. I have been missing it over the last few years. Lots of memories were brought to mind as I hung each ornament. Today, dialysis, once again, went very well. There was not one alarm even during the priming time. Got to get through tomorrow then it will be another day off. I had the dialysate batch to make today. But before I did that, there was a new maintenance task to do. I did have to make two calls to the tech folk to get me through that and then back on track to make "the batch." But the batch is being made as se speak so got over those hurdles. It has a little more than an hour to go to be finished. We went to prayer meeting this evening. Neither of us ate supper before we went so we have just finished eating. I hit the road running as soon as soon as I got dialysis tasks behind me. The first thing that I did was head to the sewing room to get busy on completing Christmas sewing projects! I still feel good as to where I am in preparations, since it isn't December...yet! But give it two more days and I will be feeling the time crunch! At the moment I am concentrating on getting gifts ready for out%of-state family and friends...then I will refocus on those nearby that don't have to be mailed. I wondered if I would remember how my sewing machine and its software work since it has been so long since I have used either! But it is sort of like riding a bike, I guess...once you learn you don't forget. Though, I would hate to be handed a bike and told to ride away on it...don't think that would happen. But at this point, I don't seem to have forgotten how to do what I got started on this afternoon. I also got out all the ornaments that I have stitched for this Christmas...spread them out on the sewing cutting table. I have started gathering things to use in finishing them. 'Tis the season! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

‘Tis the Season!

First, we had a fairly smooth dialysis treatment today. I did make one call to the 24-hour nurse just before connecting Woody to all the tubing that attaches him to his dialysis machine...just to to make sure that set up was correct so treatment would run smoothly. I pretty much figured out what to do while we talked. She just gave her approval! And, on we went and everything did run very smoothly. I try to do a task during his treatment so I accomplish a little something during the three hours that his treatment runs. I can't move away from Woody, the dialysis machine, or the iPad that is dedicated to his treatments. If I leave the room I carry the iPad with me so I can keep an eye on the arterial and venous pressures and get the iPad alerts if any alarms go off, So I mainly stay in the family room/dialysis room or the kitchen. Today I decided was the day to work on deleting emails! I try to keep up with deleting them daily, but inevitably I end up neglecting that task and they mount up exponentially!!! So at thr moment my emails are relatively cleaned up...and so far today I have been deleting them when I check in on email...for how long I will continue to do that is the question! I also made one of our traditional Thanksgiving recipes...Autumn Salad...a gelatin salad with pineapple, dark red cherries, whole berry cranberry sauce, and black cherry and raspberry Jello. It was good to have that taste of Thanksgiving. I still have our sweet potato casserole on my to-make list. The best thing about today's treatment was when he was totally disconnected, which meant that we are free of dialysis till Monday! My only other wish...that it was a longer time than it is till Monday! The whole thing wears me out...so today I rested in my chair for a couple of hours after we had lunch and I got the tear down done for the machine and everything wiped off with disinfectant wipes and all the records/flowsheet finalized and submitted. I probably dozed more than I realized, but I did talk to my sister, Cheryl, for a while. We had a "'tis the season" call. She had been hanging lights outside...a task that I leave to her...no lights for us...even on our tree! Our ornaments are our lights! By the time that I came downstairs it was supper time. After supper, I came in to the living room to continue to work on the tree. I finished up with a box full of ornaments and have started on another...at the bottom of tonight's photo. Across the room, next to the tree are the last two boxes...so I am closing in on getting them all on the tree! Then I can sit back and enjoy being surrounded by the decorations that I have out out. I have enjoyed decorating this tree after not doing it for several years...so many memories with each ornament as I hang them...memories of family, friends, trips, etc. I think of our tree as a "Memory Tree!" During the busy time of Christmas preparation, I enjoy pausing at our Precious Moments Manger scene and reflecting on the reason for the season and then taking a walk around the Christmas and think about individuals and events, etc. that are brought to mind when I see the ornaments. A good way to focus during this busy time of the year. 'Tis the season! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Closer

Lots of things are closer...Christmas for one! One month from today! Say it isn't so! I'm closer to finishing the tree! I just emptied another box of ornaments. 3 or 4 more boxes to go! I know it looks full to most looking... ut I can see lots of empty spots and branches that still need an ornament or two! We had another good day of dialysis...hoping that I can give the same report tomorrow...the last of Woody's five treatments this week. I'm ready for another day off! i made a pot of chili during his treatment today. Woody enjoyed the chili and also gettng pie for dessert with two meals today. And, I had pumpkin pie for breakfast! Today was "make-another-dialysate-batch day"...it is still being made as I type this...but my part is finished until the morning when I have to test it to make sure that there are no cloromines/clorine in it. After Woody's dialysis treatment was finished and we had lunch, I ran a couple of errands. I made quite a mess in the kitchen. That is all cleaned up now and I will run the dishwasher after I go upstairs and retrieve a mug from next to my chair. I will probably hang a few more ornaments before heading upstairs from the night. Woody is getting ready to settle on his couch for the night. I hope that I can stay awake a little longer tonight than I did last night...I would like to put a few more stitches in the ornament that I am stitching at the moment. But at the moment I'm feeling pretty tired. I don't know if I'll last much longer! 'Tis the season! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Thanksgiving at Goosey & Grammy's aka Pie Day

We began "Pie Day" at Grammy's and Goosey's by helping out with the decorating. Nathan took it upon himself to put decorations up on the part of the tree that I can't reach easily. The younger children (17 and down) got out the Fisher Price Nativity and arranged it in very creative ways! They did this while we waited on Abigail and Payton, Abigail's boyfriend, to arrive. They put animals in trees and stqcked thrm creatively! Provably not many manger scenes look quite like this oneM They had fun. Graham watched...but one time he went over to the them and straightened them out on how they were arranging something...adding in his own creatie touch! So even almost 21 year olds got in on a little of the fun! Do you think the fact that they are jugglers has anything to do with this balancing act in the manger scene?!?

Once Payton and Abigail arrived we got down to the serious business! I wish that I had had Isaac take his mask off for the picture! He was feeling much better today and hadn't run a fever so he came and he and Goosey (Woody) wore masks except when they were eating.

They did have fun when I called it Pie Day...they started singing a Pi Day song. I'll try to post the part that I managed to record.

We took our pie into the family room and ate with Goosey. I think that fun was had by all...and the pies did disappear. We have a whole pecan pie left, a pumpkin pie with one piece missing left and a little more than half the apple pie. Of course more might have been gone if all hadn't had their Thanksgiving feasts prior to coming for pie. Abigail and Payton had already had dessert at Payton's family Thanksgiving dinner. The others had just had the feast...not dessert. For Woody and me...it was our supper...what else would you have for supper on Pie Day!

Woody and I wish you a good rest of the day. If you are in the vicinity...stop by and you just mught be offered a piece of pie! Dialysis went great today...planning for tomorrow's to go just as smoothly! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! (There's no telling what shape this blog is in...I tried to post pictures and then say something about them, but the way blogspot works I was sort of doing it blindly...so there is no telling where the pictures are or where the words are that relate to the pics! Also, I'm not going to try to go back to correct typing errors! Just realize that I am usually typing on the on-screen keyboard of my iPad and if my finger happens to be off just a little, I get the wrong letter! I often hit the "n" key when I am meaning to hit the spacebar. Anyway, that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

Pre Pie Day

It has been a busy day off! Things are coming along. Four pies done...one to go. I wanted to make the apple pie tomorrow, but am afraid that I won't have time if a debacle like yesterday happens! So I am trying to get as much as possible done today so can totally concentrate on dialysis if necessary. As you can see the tree has more ornaments on it. It's coming along. I've also concentrated on getting the dining room table cleared of "debris." There is a place on the couch to sit, too. About the time that the pumpkin pies were coming out, Kathy texted me that Isaac isn't feeling good...so our pie day may not be ae planned. We're not sure who is and who isn't coming or if any will come! I told her that someone has to come get some pie...at least! Woody said to make the decision tomorrow to see who is and isn't feeling well. Woody said that we could wear masks...all good and well...except...you can't eat pie wearing a mask! Speaking of pies...guess I need to get back to the apple pie...lots of apples await peelingM Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for! Oh, and, I did get my hair cut today...something I am thankful for! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

If At First You Don't Succeed..!

And, the title has nothing to do with tonight's photo...though, I did have to retake as Joseph, the shortest said that his face looked weird in the first one I took! These are our five yiungest of our nine grandchildren. Today they lined up in height order rather than age. Joseph, who is 8, is the shortest, Isaac, 10 is next, Esther (15) and Joy (17) are pretty close to the same. Elijah (13) is the tallest in this group. They stopped by this morning on the way to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM)building, where Nathan is the current director. Their building is on the campus of Motlow Community College, our local 2-year college. We made tentative plans for our part of Thanksgiving...Pie Day. Kathy has since checked back in...after she checked with Abigail to see when she and her boyfriend could come! As the grandchildren get older planning becomes more complicated! We will be having Pie Day Thanksgiving evening this year. Melany and family are away so it will just be the Tullahoma crew of our family getting together this Thanksgiving, Now on to the fiasco of a day we had with Woody's dialysis treatment...the real reason for tonight's blog title. Truthfully so much happened in about 8 hours that I can't even retell it! suffice it to say that the title could be "Practice Makes Perfect?" Because I got practice in sticking. The first stick went fine...or at that time we thought that it had. I had trouble with the second...and ended up doing that one twice before finally getting it where it was supposed to go...that is with two different needle in two different places. Once I finally got that done, it was time to get the treatment going...but had problems almost immediately. Via many phone calls to our nurse, who was home sick and the other was away on vacation, we finally came to the conclusion that the first needle (arterial) needle wasn't placed properly. So then we had a choice to abort today's treatment or redo the arterial needle and if I could get it placed then reset up thr treatment. Woody wanted to go on and try. I did and didn't! But I was counting on the day off tomorrow to make pies and finish up the decorating...and get my hair cut (the most important of all!). So that is what we did. We finally had this second treatment going by 12:20...I had originally started setting up around 7:30...so almost 5 hours after I started getting things set up we were underway for his 3-hour treatment. Things continued to be rather rocky as we kept getting warnings and alarms thoughout most of the treatment. I probably called our nurse a dozen or more times. But we persevered and got the treatment in and this we will have tomorrow off! My plan for the down time during dialysis was to get my pie crusts made to the point of rolling them out. I have learned that they are easier to handle if you put the pie dough into discs for each pie crust you are going to make and wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them till a little before you roll them out. Well, I did get the flour sifted and the shortening measured during the treatment. Just beforr I came upstairs to blog, I cut the shortening in and when I finish I will toss that sith ice cold water and form them in balls and then flatten them into discs and pop them in the fridge till tomorrow when I will roll them out. Obviously I haven't had much time to decorate or pack away much of the mess comes with decorating. I did put a few more ornaments on thr tree last night. I found the tree top angel and plopped her on top of the tree last night. Going back to the treatment, we were not done till a little after 4:30 and that didn't include me breaking down the machine and cleaning up. So more than nine hours dedicated pretty much to dialysis today! not my ideal way to spend a day! I also had to give him his anemia shot today. It arrived FedEx this afternoon and the nurse to give one on the day it arrived and the 2nd one two weeks later. I've lost my touch on giving those...but really I think it is that Woody has lost any fat that he ever had on his arm...not much to pinch to give the shot into! I'd best go back to my pie crusts! 'Tis the season...for something or other! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Busy, Busy Day!

Here's how the tree looked last night when I went to bed...and...it still looks like this. I haven't had time to even hang one ornament on the tree...maybe in a little while I will be able to hang a few more before I head upstairs for thr night. I haven't even had time yet to wipe down the dialysis machine with disinfectant wipes...another job before I go upstairs! Dialysis went very well today. We didn't get started as soon as I would have liked becausr it was thr day to change the dressing and flush the lines on the catheter that we no longer use, but need to keep it usable until it is removed by a doctor. Speaking about getting it out...our nurse made an appointment with Woody's surgeon here in town to have it removed on December 2. Woody will be glad to have that removed. By the time his treatment was over, it was past lunch time. So I got Woody his lunch, ate mine, and then ran errands. My first stop was to the Post Office to mail a package for Woody. Then I had to go to Tullahoma Utilities to turn in a paper from Woody's nephrologist that puts us on a top priority list of restoring power as quickly as possible and also let us know if they ever have to turn power for whatever reason. Then it was a quick stop at thr grocery store that is just down the street...needed a couple of things for pies and to get us through till my next Kroger shopping trip. One of the things that I did during Woody's dialysis today was to gather all the nonperishable ingredients for the pies that I'm going to be making for our part of Thanksgiving = Pie Day for us! I had everything, but needed more eggs so that Woody could have eggs for breakfast for the next week and I could have enough for my pumpkin and pecan pies. By the time I got home, I just had enough time to make a meatloaf before it was time to go to prayer meeting. We are home. Woody has had his sandwich and is settling on the couch for thr night. I will straighten up from today's dialysis treatment so I can begin again in thr morning! Then I will finish cleaning up the kitchen. After that, hopefully, I will have enough energy to do a little more on the tree or some other thing that has to do with the decorating fiasco! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

75 Branches Later

I was determined to have the tree put together before I blogged tonight...goal met...and, I am blogging early. I have stayed busy most of the day either decorating, cleaning or dealing with loads of wash. I'm about to go check on the last load of clothes of the day and get our supper. But I am so happy that the tree is up that I decided to sit down for a minute and regroup before I dothose things and decided it was a good time to write the blog. I'm feeling the need of a long sit-down in my recliner. I have a feeling that I am though with most things around here for today...tomorrow is another day! My chair and stitching are calling me! Woody has watched football this afternoon....attempting to keep warm. He's not quite as wrapped up as he was the other night! This day off has gone by too quickly...isn't that the way it always is!?! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

True Solo Day…No Nurse on the Premises!

I was able to do both needle sticks today...and, in a timely manner...and, Woody said there was only a tiny sting...so I passed today's test. Now, no nurse here didn't mean totally smooth sailing...I did have to call her, but a quick answer to my question sent us on our way. I made a couple of missteps, but remedied them fairly easily. The main problem came at the end when we were taking the needles out. Woody is to press gauze down on the needle place as I pull the needle out...I count to three...I pull the needle out and he presses gauze down on the spot. I don't know if he just didn't press in the right spot or not, but he did bleed from his venous stick site and we used up quite a bit of gauze...and, I had some of his clothes to wash as soon as he was totally disconnected from dialysis. The arterial stick site stopped bleeding easily...and, that is the one that has the more forceful "pulse." The rule of thumb is that he puts pressure on these places for 5 minutes and thrn Incheck tonsee if the place has clotted. I really think that he just didn't press in thr right spot today. I grabbed larger gauze squares and he held them in place for closer to ten after the we got the bleeding under control. We are both relieved to have gotten through another day, which puts us through another week, which leads us into a weekend of NO dialysis! Yay!!! Lots to do or at least try to get done on these days off. I'm hoping to see our big Christmas tree, again, after not putting it up for quite a few years now. Today, I just put a few more small Christmas things out. During dialysis I retyped the directions for ending treatment and disconnecting. I had made many notes on the sheets that were given to me by the nurse, while the tech was here. Plus they werr given to me in portrait orientation and the notebook is set up for landscape. So I now have them in my notebook in the correct orientation with new notes added. Today was another day to give Woody iron...the trick that the nurse showed me worked even on this even smaller vial. At the moment Woody is only having to get one small "dose" of iron each week on Fridays...that happens for the next two weeks and then they will evaluate again after the next labs which are done the first of each month. They are also pleased with the way his blood is being cleaned. I guess we just keep on keeping on. I thought that I had finished an ornament earlier today, but realized that I still have one snowflake to stitch. I will go do that and then start another ornamrnt. Stitch! Stitch! Stitch! 'Tis the season for stitching and sewing...must get my machine revved up as I have a project in the wings that will end up being several Christmas presents. Not enough hours in the day at this time of the year! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

First "Solo" Day…Nurse to the Rescue!

Now...if this isn't a picture! He's cold! This is the first day that he has worn his toboggan during hemodialysis! Well, this has been a nerve wracking day. We went to the dialysis clinic late morning and then came home to get ready for our first solo home hemodialysis treatment. I had things set up before we went to the appointment. We came home and he weighed as we came in the door...from the car to the wheelchair to the scale and to his recliner. I got his sleeve rolled up and the numbing cream on his site. I finished the set up while he ate his lunch. We waited till he had the cream on his arm for about 45 minutes and then got ready for the first stick...the artereal line. I usually have trouble with putting that needle in, but today got it in without too much trouble. Proceded on to the veinous side, which I seem able to do more easily. So I was hoping that the hardest part was behind me...the stick and placement of arterial needle. Well, I chose my spot and started the stick...not sure what made it happen, but the needle came out...so had Woody hold gauze on that place and began choosing another place. I managed to get it in the graft, but could not get it to advance. At a point, I decided to call the nurse. She made several suggestions, which I attempted, but to no avail. So she said that she was on her way. I kept trying but still no luck. Once she got here we had to make a decision about whether we had to make another move of the needle, but we didn't have to. She got it to advance...she said that it was where I was standing and the angle of the needle. Oh, well...thought that I was standing where I have been standing and thought that I was holding it at angle that I had been told, also. I also had clamp problems...forgot to clamp one time...not a good idea on the arterial line! But that was quickly remedied! I then got venous pressure alarms at the beginning of treatment. Nurse via phone got that problem solved. Funny thing is that I had checked the line that was clamped to make sure that it was unclampped...not once, but twice...oh, well. At the moment things are running smoothly. He has about 45 minutes left for today's treatment. Hopefully the rest of the treatment and end treatment time will go as things are going now. The nurse texted me and asked that we start mid morning tomorrow...I think so that there will be two nurses at the clinic! Do you think she thinks that she might have to make another run to our house?!? I was glad that I had the foresight to leave the front door unlocked. I will end this report of our first solo treatment "adventure." Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!(Woody did give me permission to post this picture!)

We're Moving Right Along…But What Direction?

Today may have been the last day for guided in person direction for Woody's dialysis. But the tech said that she thought that the nurse was going to come tomorrow for part of it. So not sure. We won't get underway as early as usual since we have to go to the dialysis clinic late morning. I plan to get everything set up to a point and then finish after we get home and Woody has had some kunch. Today went much more smoothly than yesterday. Both of us survived...a good thing! Once I got the dialysate batch to making, I came upstairs to stitch...but instrad found myself waking up two hours later! I have continued to decorate a little at a time. Yesterday, I made the shadow box in the family room Christmasy during dialysis. Today, during dislysis, I unpacked a box of decorations that had some of the small trees that I had been looking for and placed them around in the kitchen. So little by little. I'm hoping to get to our BIG tree soon. I will let you know tomorrow night how our day goes...whether we have help...or whether we are on our own! Trying not to think about it tonight. Woody has turned in for the night. I'm going to start the dishwasher and then come up and stitch. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Surprise Nurse Visit

This morning the tech texted me that the rain was slowing her down and that she would be about ten minutes late. I was just about ready for her so I had a piece of toast and was drinking a sip of tea shen the door opened right when she she usually gets here. From the kitchen I asked her if the GPS wasn't telling the truth...then looked out in the dining room and it was one of our nurses. Her patient she was supposed to be helping today had problems and had to not do her treatment today. That meant that she was free to come observe me and do my check-off list. Oh, boy! (Read sarcasm into that last!) Anyway, I proceded to get him the rest of the way ready to be hooked up. Our tech arrived before I was ready to stick Woody for the first time. So we had a pretty good audience! The arterial line is done first. I got it in...not the easiest...but did get it in. Usually the venous line is easier for me, but today I had trouble...and the first attempt clotted off and I had to take that out and get another line and do it in another place. I finally got it in and working. And, did the rest of the hook up and treatment start without any problems. But not long after it got started the arterial pressure started going up too high so had to reposition the needle. Between the three of us, we finally got it positioned away from the wall of the graft. And, after that things went smoothly. I have been written off...passed...or whatever, but the tech will come again tomorrow and then I "think" we will be on our own. Gulp! At the moment I can't imagine it, but time will tell!!! I still see too many scenarios in my head which I have no idea how to deal with them...Woody sees the doctor on Thursday and then I'm afraid that we will come home and hopefully be able to get his treatment well underway before they leave the clinic for the day...I want them where I can call them if we run into problems. The nurse thought that we would take Friday off and I told her that at the start I wanted the treatments to be when they were in clinic! Of course, next week I'm sure they will be off the end of the week for Thanksgiving...and we won't be. I am planning to go back to our Sundays and Wednesdays off after this week...once no one is coming to the house. Oh, well, we'll get used to it eventually! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another Monday Closer to Thanksgiving!

I would say that both the weekend and today were pretty good days. I got underway with my decorating...slowly but surely everyday things are coming off tables, shelves, etc. and Christmas is taking their places. It is a slow process. I made some headway yesterday, but today I have only taken a couple of boxes of ornaments downstairs. Each box of ornaments that I take down gets me closer to the Christmas tree box! I hope to do a little more this evening before I stop for the day amd hopefully do a little stitching. Last night I put in a few stitches before I fell asleep and woke up this morning with my needlework still on my lap...after a long winter's nap! And, the temps last night did make for a winter's nap. It got down to the lower 20s over night. It's not supposed to get as cold tonight. We got home a little while ago from prayer meeting and are settling in for the night. I will report that today's dialysis set up went quite well. I can say that I did the two needle sticks all by myself and got them positioned correctly...so another step towards independence! We'll see what the nurse says on Thursday! I'm ready to not have someone coming into our house early every morning, but...then it is awfully nice to have a backup person here for guidance and troubleshooting...just in case! Today during Woody's dialysis, I did prep work for a soup that that I finished making this afternoon after dialysis duties were finished. Today was another day to make a dialysate batch. That should be finishing up shortly. It takes over six hours to complete making the batch. Think about 50 liters of water going down a fairly narrow tube unto the dialysate bag in the dialysate tub. That's a lot of water and it has to be heated to certain temperature, too. That is all done by the machine...I just have to connect the new bag up and push LOTS of buttons to get everything going! Everytime a new batch is made, I have to test it for water quality...sort of a litmus test...I'm a chemist in this process, too! That test I will do in the morning during set up. Well, I'm praying that tomorrow will go smoothly once again. Our tech has been so nice. Today she wrote up a sheet to help me trouble shoot during the needle sticks and positioning of the needles in the graft tubing. Everyone who has worked with us through Fresenius has been so helpful and supportive. Saturday I found a package of supplies on our front porch that I haven't been expecting...it contained special tape for people with sensitivity to tape. Our nurse had ordered it for us without us asking. We used it today and Woody didn't seem to have any problems with it. And, I liked it...easy to tear and it stuck well, not as likely to stick to itself, and came off fairly easily (without too much pain for Woody). We use a LOT of tape during the procedure...tape to stick down the needles and lines...tape to cover gauze over needles and over the stick places after needles are removed. All this tape stays on Woody's arm for many hours...three+ hours for treatment and then at least two hours after the treatment is over and he is disconnected. One more good thing that happened today...Woody decided to turn on the TV this morning just to check and lo and behold...it came on! We're guessing that it might be a wind situation with the antenna and that it blew it the wrong way and then it blew it back...but who really knows! At least the reception allows him to see a picture most of the time at the moment. Nathan is looking into replacing the antenna...but till then Woody really appreciates it when it cooperates and gives him a picture that he can see! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Zoomin' & Chillin' & Decoratin'

It has been a week for Zoom...Sunday a stitching Zoom and today a virtual reunion Zoom with some alums from Cottey College. It is always fun for me to reconnect with a childhood friend. She is on the Alumnae Board for Cottey so I can be assured that she will be in attendance. Today, she and I were the only representatives for our class of 1968. Cottey has a new president and she zoomed with us for a while so she spoke with us and also answered some questions. They always come up with a game for us...this time it was photos of random details of various things on campus and we were broken up into groups and we had to try to identify them. Since I had been on campus back in 2018 and had taken some of the same pictures, I recognized quite a few of them. Later we broke up into groups of classes. Randi and I joined in to the 50s and 60s. All who were in thwt group were from the 60s and Randi and I were the youngest in the group. We had a nice chat and then our little reunion was over. I am glad that they have continued virtual reunions like this since at the moment it would be pretty hard for me to go to one in person, though we are told that we can travel with him on dialysis...but I can't imagine going throuh it all. But they do work with the patient...we would take Woody's machine...and other supplies needed would be delivered to where we are going. Sounds like more work than vacation! I guess you can tell by the temperature that I posted that we are chillin' here in Tullahoma. That is the temperature just a fee minutes ago...I did anscreen shot of what Weatherbug recorded our temperature at the time that I snapped the shot. Brrrrrrrr! It's supposed to get down into the 20s tonight. So not ready to be cold! I decided thwt I need to take advantage of all days off at this point and need to get started on my Christmas decorating, if I a, going to do what I said I was going to do this year...put up our big tree. It has been quite a few years since I have had it up...all the boxes in the living room didn't really leave room for it...but this year with hemodialysis there are fewer boxes so Nathan, Kathy and part of the crew whisked them out of sight for me. So this morning I took a deep breath amd opened the Christmas close doors and took another deep breath and started getting some of the boxes out. The Precious Momemts Nativity is really thr only thing that is pretty much finished. I may find another individual box or two stuck in between bigger boxes. I have carried down a box or two of ornaments. Before I got into the Christmas closet, I did take all the Fall decorations upstairs...at the moment they are on the bed in the guest room. The bins that they are stored in are in the guest room closet. I will get those out and get them out of sight...eventually! I have the vacuum downstairs and the furniture polish and dust/polish cloth and the Swiffer duster...so I am cleaning as I decorate...a long process! But...it's underway! Woody's day could have been better. He missed all football games that were played on TV today as our TV and/or the antenna has decided that they won't give us a picture...there is a still pixelated picture and it tells at the bottom of the screen what we are supposedly seeing...but...that's all we know...what we "should" be seeing! Woody did finish reading a book due to his lack of TV. He also worked some more on the Sunday School lesson that he will be teaching to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys tomorrow. And, of course, worked his four crossword puzzles. I'm heading downstairs after I publish this and put the last dishes into the dishwasher and see if Woody needs anything else and then I'm going to come back upstairs...I might take a few more boxes downstairs...or I may just go back to either my Christmas sewing or needlework. And, for the first time today, I said "'Tis the season" to my sister, Cheryl, when we talked this evening. So I will end with 'tis the season to all of you! I will also say it is a loooong way down under many boxes that are full of Christmas till I get to our tree! One of these days, I will lay my eyes on it once again! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Veteran's Day 2022

I have known from the time that I took a photo of this headstone that this would be my Veteran's Day blog photo. Marie and Carolyn had found this small cemetary along the roadside on one of the barn trips that I wasn't able to go along. They told me that they would take me back on another of our excursions...and they did! It was a very quaint cemetary, but this stone of a Revolutionary War soldier stood out as the most unique. Our day has gone well once again. His dialysis treatment went very smoothly. I managed to do both sticks without much trouble...still had a little trouble getting the arterial needle in...the tech checked to make sure that it was positioned correctly and turned the pushing back over to me...and I did get it in. The venous needle gives me a lot less trouble and I got that one positioned totally on my own...on our way to independance from nurses and techs...could be good...could be bad! It is so nice to realize that we don't have to do another dialysis treatment until Monday! Two whole days off! I decided that today was the day that I would go to the grocery store. We were going to run out of a couple of essentials before Monday so I decided today was the day to replenish them...and since I was going, I just turned it into a regular shopping day. Boy! was Kroger packed with people. I don't usually go on Friday...and I now know that it is a good day to avoid! But I managed to get in and out with what we needed and probably a few items that we didn't REALLY need! The groceries are put away and a meatloaf for Woody's sandwiches just came out of the oven. During treatment today, I managed to do some sewing preparations for some Christmas gifts. i was happy to get those steps finished...next steps will take place in the sewing room. I'm ready to get the kitchen cleaned up and head upstairs...reading and/or stitching awaits me up there. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Thursday…One More Treatment…This Week

We had another good dialysis day. Again, I was able to do the two sticks fairly easily, but still had trouble getting the needle in "just the right place." I'm determined that tomorrow will be "the day!" As, I so often say, time will tell! Today was a no-alarm day. Another good thing about the day. The only problem of the day came when Woody took the gauze off and it started to bleed again...this time we were prepared about the possibility and popped new gauze on it and put pressure on it again and soon had it taped up again. He still has it on...guess we will test it again in a minute. He just took gauze and tape off and all us well! Phew! We were told today that it is probably a good idea to have gauze and tape in the car's glove compartment. Oh, boy! I'm trying to have gauze near Woody's chair and the couch so he will have some to put on thr place...just in case! I had two other dialysis duties after his treatment was finished. I had to do the once monthly maintenance job of bleaching the drain line. That isn't a difficult job...done fairly quickly. Once I got that done I had to make a dialysate batch...an every-other-treatment job. It is making as I type...it takes close to six hours to fill up the tub with approximatrly 50 liters of water...at least after getting it going the machine does the rest! I headed upstairs after those two jobs were done and it wasn't long before I had to put my needlework down so I could nap. When I woke up it was time to fix supper. And, here we are finished with a bit later than usual supper and now settling in for the night...so...we can get up and do another treatment all over again in the morning. The good thing about tomorrow's treatment...it's the last one this week! And, we have two days in a row off! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Over The Hump…For This Week!

Well, we have done more days of dialysis than we have left this week. I guess that is a good feeling!?! At least we are both still alive and I haven't hurt Woody too much! The sticking is getting easier, but getting it in the right position still isn't easy. Our tech, who is keeping an eye on us this week, really worked on getting the arterial needle positioned just so today and we had a very good treatment...NO alarms! A very good thing! Now to learn the technique! We did have a bit of a "moment" this afternoon after the tech left. I had gone upstairs to rest for a bit after we had eaten lunch and Woody messaged to me via Alexa that I needed to come down...that he was bleeding. Zoom, zoom! I "zoomed" such as I can these days! We're still not sure what happened. He had taken off the bandage over the arterial needle stick place...probably a bit before the two hour time (insert eye roll!). And, after a bit he realized that it was bleeding. He put his finger on it and called me. By the time I got down there, it was no longer bleeding...just had the evidence of blood on his shirt and on his arm. I got gauze pads and he held it on the spot while I cleaned up his arm and finger/hand. He is guessing that there was a small scab that got pulled off when he took the tape and gauze off. No major damage done...and, hopefully he is beginning to realize that these stick places need to really clot off before removing the gauze and tape after treatment. After that, I went upstairs and took a long nap! When I came down, it was supper time. Woody had his meatloaf sandwich and I decided that I had better take advantage of having rested and make our next pot of soup...Chicken Gumbo. It just finished simmerin a little bit ago...as well as the rice is cooked. So I am going to have a bowl for my supper after I blog and before I clean up the mess that I have made. Woody is settling in on his couch for the night. So our day is drawing to a close. Woody's hand did not hurt during treatment like it did yesterday, we are guessing that it is because the pressures were more controlled today. Our thoughtful tech did bring his some handwarmers to try...which he didn't need today...but will have the next time! I understand from the tech, that her last day with is will be next Wednesday. Then Thursday we have an appointment with Dr. O and team in the morning. In the afternoon one of our nurses will come and observe how I am doing amd decide if they can let us be on our own for treatment. Gulp! Once again...time will tell! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I…

Well, tonight's blog title is a reference to the child's book, The Little Engine that Could. I sort of want to add "maybe"...just maybe I am going to be able to do the sticks for Woody's dialysis treatments. I managed to do both sticks by myself this morning. During the treatment there did have to be some repositoning, but that could have been my placement...or...Woody moved a little bit too much...or...who knows! The tech couldn't figure out why we got several of the caution warnings that we did (these are not red alarms that stop the pump...but just cautions that something might be happening and to check) We fiddled with the placement and they went away. There is a point during the treatment when Woody's hand on his dialysis arm gets quite painful...we think that it is due to what is called "steal syndrome." The blood is being stolen away from the hand and directed up higher in his upper arm, where the graft is. The tech wants him to try hand warmers tomorrow to see if that will help. She's bringing us one of hers to try out before we buy some. But it gets very painful for him towards the end of treatment...that last hour really drags! Once the treatment ends, the pain goes away. We also think that perhaps the warnings went off when he was rubbing his hand and flexing his hand which in turn flexed muscles in his upper arm where the needles are placed. Maybe we will figure it out...maybe we won't! But at the end of the day, we can say that we have another treatment under our belts! Today we had lab blood draws, too. That adds to the tasks of the dialysis day. I get to use my "new toy," a centrifuge! I have to get the labs prepared and packed up with an ice pack to be picked up by FedEx Express. That automated call went fairly well. You get to tell when you will be ready for pick up. I chose 2pm or after because I knew that it would be close to 1pm before we were finished and I have to wait till after because one of the last things we do is to draw one tube after the treatment is over, but the pump is still running. Today's labs will show how well his blood is being cleansed...as they checked pre treatment and then post treatment. I'm fairly sure that the lab report will be good. I did do a cooking task during treatment. I made chicken stock...just dumped chicken bones, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic into a pot along with some water and let it cook during the whole treatment time and even beyond. It was a good day to do that as I could put all the "stuff" I cooked the goodness out of straight into the trash (bagged up) as it is garbage day tomorrow. I took a nap, them talked to Melany on the phone and then realized that I had better get going on getting the garbage and recycle stuff out to the road quickly before it got dark. I still haven't gotten used to the time change that has us dark around 5pm. I hustled and even got the boxes broken down and out to the road. And, now I can say that there are no boxes in the living room...not even empty ones! Of course, that doesn't tell where the boxes are now! The ones that contain things that we use rarely, are now stacked in Melany's old room aka office aka school room. Oh, well, they are out of sight to most! Now for me to find the energy to begin making a mess...as in...starting to decorate for Christmas! One of these days...hopefully sooner than later! It's just that by the time that dialysis is over...so am I!!! I hope that will change...soon...as I get used to the new normal! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another Monday…Another Stick…or Two

Tonight's photo is a "study" in types of oak leaves! We have multiple huge oaks in both our front and back yards. Along with having a lot of oaks...there are miltiple kinds of oaks...red, Spanish, pin,etc. Tonight's comparison is in the difference in the size of the leaves...some VERY BIG and some much smaller. The acorns also differ in size and in shape and in type of caps, etc. The leaves are really piling up around here. Our leaf crew plans to make the first "sweep" of them soon if the weather stays dry. Nathan, Kathy, Joy, Elijah, Isaac, Joseph and Saddle stopped by for a visit this afternoon and to do a couple of what I call Sonny-Do jobs. Saddle is the puppy that they kept from the latest litter. Nathan has an idea of how to use her for their shows "if" they can train her!!! The big "if!" There are now no more dialysis boxes of supplies in the living room thanks to Nathan, Kathy and crew! There have been boxes stacked along the walls for almost 3 years. They also moved the living room furniture around so I can start decorating for Christmas. I haven't put up our big Christmas tree for quite a few years and I want to enjoy it once again. Woody and I went to prayer meeting tonight. Woody came home pretty tired...of course it was really an hour later according to our bodies' clocks! I still have a little to do in the kitchen. Our new dialysis trainer seems very nice. She came for part of the time today. She comes from two hours away so we will start in the mornings a little later than we have been. She said that she can easily get into traffic problems on her way here. I told her we would be here and ready whenever she gets here! Today went...okay. I did do the sticks by myself...but...still not real sure about doing them. Once I get him stuck them I have to get the needle positioned...that's not all that easy either! Oh, well, we made it through another dialysis treatment! Tomorrow is pre and post blood work along with just the regular treatment. It will be interesting to see how well dialysis is doing using his graft. The tech said that we should see quite a bit of improvement over using his catheter. His hemoglobin is definitely improving. I did an iron infusion again today. And, definitely the nurse helped me be able to draw up the med more easily. So, I guess, all in all things are going fairly well. I will just be glad when the sticks are second nature...which at the moment I can't imagine that they ever will! The tech said today to give it a month and they would be ever so much easier! Time will tell! The plans at the moment are for the tech to be here to help me this week and next and then one of our nurses will come back and check on how I am doing and then turn us loose to do it by ourselves! I can't imagine being on our own any too soon...but also when it does happen it will be nice not to have someone coming to our house early every morning Monday through Friday! That is wearing too! Well, off to finish in the kitchen and thrn I'm heading upstairs. I hope to stitch some tonight...almost through stitching another ornament...but whether I can stay awake long is the question! Oh, I did have a good time chatting with 5 other stitchers on our zoom meeting last night...two from Ohio, two from TN and one from California. It was fun and there are plans for more of these zoom meetings which the leader indicated we, her first zoom group, would be included in. Fun to be with other stitchers, though separated by many miles. Technology has made our world shrink! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Fall Back Tonight

Fall back tonight...unless...you live in Arizona or Hawaii! Overnight I will move an hour closer to my sister, Cheryl. That is one reason that I like this time change...now on the other hand, I'm not fond of it getting dark so early! Oh, well...can't have everything! I have already confused myself by moving the clocks back that don't automatically update on their own. So now some clocks are still on today's time and some are on what time it will be tomorrow. We have had a day off today...sort of nice. My main problem is that I can't get the dialysis off my mind...mainly the sticking part! Woody has mainly watched sports today on TV. At the moment he is watching the World Series. I have done a little of this and a little of that and some napping...some how I lost most of the afternoon! I have Woody's breakfast cooking as I type...I make up a big batch of patties and then freeze them and have them for his breakfasts over the next month. We have had some rain today. I just got a drop down message to expect more rain tomorrow. I have a load of my clothes in the washer and another in the drier. I will tend to those after the sausage is finished and the blog is posted. I have a special treat tomorrow evening. I watch videos in a section of YouTube called "Flosstube." These are videos that cross stitchers post about their stitching...probably not of interest to most of you, but if you are a stitcher they are something good to watch while stitching! At times these flosstubers have drawings. A while back one flossuber was celebrating having 10,000 viewers for her channel and had a lot of giveaways. The last one that she offered that night was a special Zoom Meeting for six or so of her viewers. And, I got chosen as one to get to do that. And, she has set up the Zoom Meeting for tomorrow night. We are supposed to share some of the pieces that we are working on to share with the group. I have been deciding what to share. In the flosstube lingo each of these pieces that we are working on is called a WIP, which stands for "Works In Progress." Some people have many, many, many WIPs, while others not so many. I fall into the latter category...but do have several unfinished pieces. Sometimes those unfinished pieces are called UFOs, which stands for "Unfinished Objects." Anyway, I look forward to meeting some new fellow stitchers via a Zoom Meeting. Next weekend, I have a zoom college reunion. Lots of zooming these days! Zoom! Zoom! I'd better get back to my sausage and then on to putting dry clothes away and putting wet ones into the drier. Cheryl and I learned today that the last of our mother's generation of first cousins has passed away...so that leaves Cheryl's and my generation as the oldest of that side of the family. Of that group of cousins our mother was the oldest and the cousin who just died was the youngest. At the Brigham family reunion back in 1988 in Massachusetts, we often heard Mother say, "I'm the oldest! And, Joan would then say, "I'm the youngest!" Now there is no oldest or youngest in that generation. And, I don't know who is the oldest and youngest in our generation. I just know that I only lack 2 years of how old Mother was at the 1988 reunion! That's an eye opener! On that note...Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

One Week Under Our Belts!

Tonight's photo was a welcome sight about a half hour after we finished our week of dialysis training using Woody's graft. Of course, the reason that we were out and about was to take Woody to his oncology appointment...so he could sit in a chair for a while longer today...this time tonget his Keytruda infusion! I had hoped he would read during this time, but he said that he didn't read a word, that he was just too sleepy. I don't know if dozed at all during his treatment. But he said he was still very sleepy once he got home from that appointment. We did stop for a moment on our way home and I parked across the street from the Ginkgo tree and snapped a few pictures. This is just about the most beautiful tree in town...especially now as many trees have dropped their leaves and are beginning to take on their wintery look. In a few days this tree will probably have dropped all its leaves...thesr trees tend to be covered with beautiful yellow leaves one day and the next will have dropped them all...unlike our old stubborn oaks that continue dropping leaves until their spring growth pushed them off. Woody changed into a long sleeved shirt after he got home...he wears a short sleeved shirt on treatment days because I have to get to his upper arm, where his graft is positioned. He can wear long sleeves until Monday morning! I have made him two "sleeves" out of fleece that he can slide onto his lower arms when he has on his short sleeves. The nurse gave me credit for sticking Woody both times today...but it was still with some assistance...mainly with the nurse saying, "Push! Push! Push!" She said that I did it successfully...BUT...shortly after I got the dialysis underway, we got alarms that the pressures weren't right. The needles weren't apparently in just the right places in the graft tube...perhaps too close to the side of tube. The nurse repositioned them slightly and we got underway and things went smoothly up till the very end. We got another alarm towards the end. Woody shifted a little and the tubing moved and got pinched so once the tubing got repositioned all was okay. I did give him iron again today and the drawing up of the med from the vial went fine. You do have to fill the syringe with the amount of air that equals the med to draw up...you just can push it all in at one time. I have also learned to have the needle and the bottle straight up and down...I had been tipping it to keep the tip of the needle in the liquid. Anyway, I think that hurdle has been cleared! Now to get over the extreme dread of the two sticks per treatment. Monday we are transitioning over to a different care person for our training. Our nurse will be here, but so will the tech who will be with us this coming week. I dread having to get used to a different mentor! Oh, well...perhaps she will share a different tip or two that will make it easier! At the moment, I'm ready to forget about dialysis until Sunday when I have to make a new dialysate batch. Our nurse has to go help another new patient. I asked yesterday how many home hemodialysis patients they have and including us there are 11, but that number is about to grow to 13 when they add on somebody new to home hemodialysis and someone who is presently on home hemodialysis, but has moved into the area. Woody has already given in to his sleepiness and has moved over to the couch and gotten settled in for the long night ahead. I loaded up the dishwasher and bade Woody and the kitchen "good night" and am settling into my recliner for an evening of stitching and/or reading...or perhaps will do what I did last night...fall asleep in my chair with needlework in my lap (the other night I woke up with the needle in my hand...probably fell asleep in the middle of snstitch!)and several lights on...that's how I woke up this morning. At least in the morning all I have to do is fix breakfast...no dialysis duties! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Sticking Situation!

I've just gotten home from eating out with my Sunday School class at a Mexican restaurant here in town. We had a food turnout and enjoyed the food and fellowship. When I was explaining the latest with Woody. She said that it sounded like a "sticky situation." I told her that she had helped me with tonight's blog title. I decided to use "sticking" instrad of "sticky," but she got my brain working toward a title. I kept thinking last night that thrre must be a play on words somewhere out there to describe what we are attempting to do. If it weren't for the sticks, all goes pretty smoothly...seems more smooth than when we were using the catheter. It is still very nerve wracking for me to do the sticks. The nurse helped me with the first stick...I made the graft sort of roll the way I was holding next to the graft. But the 2nd stick, I guess I did on my own...she said I did at least...so guess I will believe her! At this point, I still dread the sticks! Two a day, five days a week for as long as we do this at home. I'm ready for the point when a stick is "no big deal." But for the moment it continues to be a big deal. "Just" two more sticks this week and we will have Saturday and Sunday off. I also gave Woody his anemia shot today. I guess I don't get as good a grade this time. As I was pushing the medicine in, he jumped and the needle popped out...well, he got most of the med! Hopefully I will do better with the next one! I'm pretty tired...ready for our training to come to an end for the week. After lunch today, I ran a couple of errands...Credit Union, voted, stopped at the grocery store down the street to get the ground pork for Woody's breakfast sausage, and stopped at our drugstore for prescriptions for each of us...then home. I did do a little cooking prep today during dialysis. I had bought red, yellow,orange, and green bell peppers. I chopped some and sliced some for upcoming recipes amd popped them in the freezer. Then I got the ingredients out to make Woody's Sweet Red Pepper sauce that he uses instead of catsup. I made that after I got home from errands. I didn't have the time to get the mess all cleaned up before I headed out to eat...so that faces me now. Woody is dozing on the couch...I don't know if he even knows that I am home. Well, tomorrow is another sticking day...oh, boy...Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Two Sticks Down…Many, Many to Go

Well, what I was dreading about doing home hemodialysis has become part of our dialysis routine...I did the two needle sticks for using his graft...with the nurses hand behind mine. So in truth I haven't really done the sticks yet. I did pull out one of needles by myself with Woody doing his job of holding the gauze on top of the place where the needle goes in. Our nurse showed me an easier way to remove the needle and I will be going with that method. After the needle is out, Woody holds the gauze on top of the place using pressure for at least five minutes and maybe more if he hasn't stopped bleeding. But he seems to clot off by the time the five minutes is up. The treatment seems to run very smoothly using the graft...not much to do during the three hours except for watching his arterial and venous pressures and taking blood pressure and doing iron infusions. We did another iron infusion today and drawing up the iron from thr visl did go much easier...of course our nurse was right there. But I think that I've got it now! Guess I will be tested on Friday, when I draw it up again. Tomorrow I also "get" to give him his subcutaneous injection for anemia. That injection no longer bothers me the way it did at first. That gives me the indication that these needle sticks for dialysis will eventually not bother me. His last blood work was showing improvement in all directions...so that is good. They continue to be impressed with how well his blood is being cleaned...a very good thing. Tomorrow we graduate up to larger needles for his dialysis...oh, boy! I do think that the numbing cream worked better today...I put more on it. He still jumped when we were putting in the first needle...not a good thing. Because his graft is a loop, I have to change the direction that I put the needles in. The arterial needle goes in how you would exoect it to go in, but the venous needle has to come downward from the top of the loop. Each day I have to stick in a different place so to not weaken the graft. So I move about a 1/4-inch away from the places he was stuck the day before. They call this using a ladder effect. Going up the ladder from the bottom for the artery and down the ladder for the vein. This allows those places to heal before I get back to them. The needles have to follow the flow of the blood. The surgeon "mapped" out the direction of the flow at our nurse's request. The way he mapped? He got a red sharpie and drew arrows on Woody's arm in the direction of blood flow! The red marks have worn off but we have the direction memorized. My first needle stick this morning did do what I feared I would do...went through the other side of the graft (tube that we are attempting to pierce and put the needle down the middle of...Woody's artificial artery/vein). I won't take all the responsibility for that since the nurse was pushing more than I! She said it was no problem...just pulled the needle back amd guided to where it was supposed to be. (Insert many eye rolls!) Oh, well, he survived another day of being stuck and I survived my first day of sticking! Tale to be continued tomorrow and the next day and... Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Christmas?

Halloween is over. What would you think if you went out your front door and found a big stack of boxes? Christmas? Nope...dialysis monthly supply delivery. Once again, they did not bring them in the house as they are requested to do. I know that it could be so much worse...PD supplies amounted to at least a pallet...thank goodness they brought them in! Those delivery folk were so good. They would separate out the kinds of boxes and stack them where I asked them. Today's boxes haven't made it past the living room or dining room...in other words, they are where I plopped them. I was in the process of taking out the trash when I discovered them so had to get them in and out of my way so could get down the front steps. Today went fine...but I still haven't had to do the sticking. I'm sure that job will be turned over to me tomorrow. I guess I didn't use enough numbing cream as Woody said that it hurt as if there wasn't any used. I will try to do better tomorrow! The treatment went smoothly using his graft so that is good. I feel like a mack truck ran over me...other than that we are fine! Tomorrow the nurse is going to give me hints on drawing up the iron. She is the more experienced of our nurses and has given me many hints over the last few months so I will really appreciate whatever she tells me that will help me draw up the iron! We will be doing the first labs using the graft next week. She wanted to wait till we are using bigger needles than we are starting out with. She said because she wants a good read for how the blood is being cleaned and the smaller needles might not do as good a job. Most everything is the same when connecting except that we are using the needles and the graft rather than the catheter. The connections are slightly different. Lots of steps are lef out in the pre since we don't have to deal with the catheter. I will clean that site and inject heparin in the two tubes once a week till it is removed. She felt like they could set up removal of the catheter in the next several weeks. I just finished making a pot of soup...now to attack the kitchen. Running later today since I didn't want to cook while the nurse was here. We're waiting on Nathan to stop by to adjust the position of the chair and/or the dialysis machine. They need to be moved to make it easier to get to his arm, Woody is watching the World Series...or he may be dozing. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious