Friday
El Milagro: As I sit in my window chair facing the rest of the room I notice that Amanda (the patient) is here with two of those big black splint boots on her feet that folks wear after foot surgery. The grape vine has it that Amanda has had a hard time over the last year… she got a kidney transplant that didn’t work out, her diabetes has worsened and she recently died on the operating table during an operation. She is alive today but looks a little worse for the wear. I want to talk to her but don’t know what to say. She does smile and say “Hi”. I thought I had several references to her in this blog but today can only find #4, April 2006 where we met.
My BP is a low 105 over 56 to start today. Carol the Tech and I decide to take off 3 pounds to prep me for 4 days away. She sets the machine and sticks me and we decide to stick 1/2” closer to my wrist so as to not overuse my dead spot. And it is PAINLESS too! WOW… I’m surprised! James the Nurse comes up and does my nursing evaluation.
When I come over here on my off days I notice how disfamiliar all the faces are, and I hallucinate they are looking at me the same way. “Who is this new guy walking in on our treatment?” they seem to say with their weary eyes. I smile bashfully and yet want to show that I too am now a veteran. I do recognize some of my PAC brothers and sisters and of course the staff is the same tonight. I'm here today so I don't hafta do dialysis on Ken's wedding day.
BTW, I forgot to blog my 2nd anniversary of dialysis back on April 11th! Two years and it is such a regular part of keeping this old body alive, like breathing, that I didn’t even notice the anniversary’s passing.
“So, lift one up for old Jack the two year old dialysis guy.” Where ever you are, I’d appreciate a toast next time your having your favorite drink.
I’m listening to Morgan Freeman being interviewed on ATC and he is very interesting to hear talk about his 50 years in acting. He reports loving the movies since he was a kid in Chicago, finding coke bottles to turn in for 2¢ each… six bottles = 12¢ and a movie ticket. About returning to the stage after 20 years in movies, he quoted, “Lush likes to drink; alchy has to drink”.
There is nothin
g about Arbor Day* and it makes me wonder if it is on my office calendar by mistake… well, I just checked Google and it IS today… why no news? Do trees care if they are in the news? I care. Arbor Day has always seemed so GREEN to me. Plant a Tree! There have been a number of years when I planted trees on Arbor Day, and I want to hear about others’ celebrations of this important day IN THE NEWS! I even once claimed that Arbor Day 
was my favorite holiday… in order to take the day off when I worked for the state and Arbor Day was one of the only days they didn’t recognize in their 'hundred days of holidays' for state workers. Really; it seems like state workers have a holiday every time you turn around. Boy those were the days... Anyway, if you care about trees, just go out and plant one as soon as practical. Or, if you're lazy, just hug one.After my regular chain of ATC, ABC, PBS… I surf around and find Oceans Twelve**, which I haven't seen, and settle in to watch it for the rest of the time (2 hours) until I’m done and yet it is still going. Will have to rent it cause I can’t hang out here and watch the ending.
So, Arbor Day… Celebrate! So it goes.
Notes: In at 75 and out at 72.8 Kgs. Starting BP 105/55 and ending at about 101/60
*Arbor Day online at http://www.arborday.org/arborday/
**Oceans Twelve on All Movie Guide: http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:289385~T00
New Readers: For an INDEX, click January 2008 on the Sidebar and page down to post # 207.
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