Come On, Kidneys!

This last week has been a bit of a challenge.  I am still waiting for my kidneys to wake on up and do what they are supposed to do.  While we wait for that to happen, they are continuing me with dialysis every other day.  Sometimes it is 4 hours, sometimes 6, depending on how much fluid they want to take off of my body.  I am extremely fortunate in that I am still a patient in the hospital so when I need treatment it is just a bed ride away.  Some of the rooms I have been in are even able to bring the dialysis machines to me for treatment.   I can't imagine how difficult this would be if I were not already in the hospital and think about all the people out there that wait for years for kidney transplants and have to make the time for these long and exhausting treatments.  So I try not to complain too much...

They removed the port earlier this week to give me 'respite'  from it.  They let me have a couple of days off of treatment.  And then they wanted to place the port again.  For some reason this newer placement bleeds from the site of insertion, a LOT.  Like soaks through bandages and my gown in record time.  This went on for a couple of days but today they put in a few stitches where the port was inserted into my chest and this seems to have done the trick!  It is nice to not be dealing with the oozing or waking up crusty with blood.

I have also continued the difficult work of physical and occupational therapy.  The therapists are amazing!  Some sessions are just done in my room.  But right down the hallway is a pretty cool gym with equipment to help me get my strength back.  We are working really hard on reteaching my body how to stand up and even take a few steps.  It is really odd to not have control over my body the way I used to.  It mostly does its' own thing these days!  But I know with the hard work, blood sweat and tears I will be walking again and using my right hand.  I've been working on a lot of patience with myself and it isn't easy.