Welcome to my new normal. Catheter has been placed and I'm healing. I'm sore and it's hard to ignore the tube sticking out of me, I feel like a freak.
I'm following my diet - the upside is that once i'm started on dialysis I can up my protein intake each day. Right now, I'm only allowed 50-60 grams of protein a day and that's it. A 4 ounce lean steak is 35 grams so it's been tough. And there's also the restrictions on potassium, sodium, and phosphorous just to make things interesting. We've been trying some substitutions for foods I'm supposed to avoid. Vegan cheese isn't bad, not as good as the real thing but better than nothing. Now, if we could just find an alternative to tomatoes and guacamole... Anyone know if you can make these out of cauliflower? Lol.
I'm a week post-surgery and had my first appointment at the dialysis center. The first couple of weeks they do a bandage change and a small fluid exchange to verify the catheter is clear and ready for full-blown dialysis. Everyone there is friendly and helpful - even helping with getting my medical leave form for work completed. I go back next week for another bandage change and will hopefully get the green light to shower. Sponge baths just aren't the same.
Once I'm healed up I will doing what's called peritoneal dialysis every night as I sleep - fluid is pumped into my abdominal cavity and pumped back out and somehow this filters out the stuff the kidneys normally take care of. No idea how it works but it's supposed to be easier on my body than traditional dialysis.
Enough about this, I'm ready to talk about something fun.
How many of you get my email newsletter? My subscribers are getting to read a new novella as I write it! Each month I post a new chapter or two. Once it's complete it will be published and available to everyone. If you want to join in you can do that here.
That's it for now,
Love and dog kisses,
L.A.
Write a comment