103) Katie’s Soccer Game

February 17, 2007
Saturday

Morning: Went to one of Katie’s Crockett HS varsity girl’s soccer games this morning and got there after she’d already scored twice. DARN! The score was already 5 – 0 when I got there with about 10 minutes left in the first half. It was cold with a brisk north wind coming down through House Field and Crockett had the wind at their backs, lending a good natural support to their score, I figured. In the second half they were fighting the wind and yet I was able to see Katie score again with about 12 minutes left in the game. She was playing right forward and dribbled the ball through two defenders, from just beyond midfield up the field to the north goal. There was no defense as Katie dribbled carefully up to about 12 feet out of the goal and then she shot a hard ball right into the chest of the goalie. The goalie stopped the ball but somehow let it bounce off her and back towards the still charging Katie, who adroitly blasted it back past the right side of the goalie, and into the goal for the score. That made it 6, zip. Travis High scored a goal or two with the assistance of the 15 to 20 mph winds pushing their shots. A few minutes later, Katie again dribbled the ball up the right side of the field to about 30 feet out and passed it to the left forward who deftly kicked it in for another score (see picture ~ Katie in center in black tights). The final score was Crockett 8, Travis 2. I talked to Katie afterwards and she was delighted that I made it to this game. I told her I’ll be at a few more that are at times I can make them.

El Milagro: I called in and found out I can come in at noon, and then had to call back to re-schedule for 2 so Liz can go visit a friend whose mom is on her deathbed. I arrive at 2 and the place is quietly humming along. Seems like there are a lot of patients absent. I’m in my favorite chair today; the one in the corner where I have an almost separate perspective of the whole place; plus the area behind the nurse’s counter where all the mission control decisions are made (I hallucinate). However, even though I’m scheduled in the corner chair it’s not set up for me… so Herman the Boss makes a command decision and tells the tech to set it up with a new dialyzer so I don’t have to wait for half an hour to start my session. They change out the dialyzer and Carol smoothly cannulates me. Then Herman fixes my TV clicker again so it clicks and I am off into another dialysis session. I’m watching Mizzou beat OSU 75-64 at home and that is an exciting game, and then the Nebraska – Kansas game comes on and I can’t watch after the first half cause it is so sad to see Nebraska get so smeared by the Jayhawks (92-39). So I’m cruising the channels, watching a show about the best hot dogs in the country. In Hawaii they featured the Puka Dog and I think maybe Johnny can bring home some famous Puka Dog Mango Relish. Then I click over to see the guys on Mythbusters trying to split an arrow like in the Robin Hood movie. And, of course, I doze a little.

At some point Matt the Tech comes up and I ask him why it’s so quiet around here. He says some of the patients on the first shift didn’t show up and that made the whole day happen sooner and he is looking forward to leaving early. I ask why people don’t show up and Matt thinks that some folks just don’t get it how important their dialysis is. He continues that some people don’t show or they show and then want out early and they sign the form to release El Milagro from liability as if it is just a bureaucratic thing, rather than seeing it as a strong reminder about how important dialysis is to their health. And, he also thinks that some people just have a hard time sitting there, or they are anxious about it, or it freaks them out, or they don't know how sick they are or something. I mention that it seems to me that that would be a social work-type job; educating dialysis slackers about how important it is to get all your dialysis, and deal with the resistances the person has. This might be a good conversation to have sometime with Marilyn the Social Worker.

When I get out of the place at about 6:30 there are only a couple of people still there. So, another Saturday at dialysis and I can say unequivocally that basketball season and full cable TV makes dialysis easier to take on Saturdays.

Notes: In at 75.0 and out at 72.6 Kgs.
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