201) Back Home Dialysis

December 29, 2007
Saturday

El Milagro: I am back at my center, weighing in at a hefty 79 Kgs! Boy, we eat a lot in Dallas; baked chicken, paella, bagels and lox, pancakes, and wonderful cheeses to nibble on with lunch sandwiches of roast beast. Yum Yum. Of course, I temporarily suspended my dietary restrictions for the cheeses… Oh yeah, and there were the nuts from the home-made cookies and peanut brittle.

I came in today at 2 and Jason the Tech sticks me. At first he can’t get a good flow, and we even think briefly he’s infiltrated me. But, there is no great pain or puffing up of my arm, so once he has untapped me and wiggled the needle around, I am all set.

Phyllis the Nurse comes by to listen to my heart and poke my ankles, saying that today is really her last day. She is moving up to the new dialysis center in North Austin, about 14 miles closer to her home. I frown and tell her I’ll miss her and won’t she please just stay? “NO.” I will miss Phyllis… who I have felt a special relationship to since the first day I came here. Phyllis is a veteran nurse who has this acerbic wit and the nephrology knowledge of many years of experience. I tell her I’ll come visit her up there sometime, and she invites me to call her if I ever have to dialyze MWF.

I was going to watch sports, but can’t find anything I want to see and as I am surfing I happen upon The Dirty Dozen and watch until it’s over. Then I read my new book (Bob Spitz’s The Beatles) for awhile and then catch the local News. I learn that UT lost again today; to Wisconsin. DARN! Well, I am happy I missed that one, since my day was pretty happy and wouldn’t-a-been if I’d seen the game.

Rosie the Tech comes by with a clip board and asks if I want to come in early on Monday. “Monday? “ She rolls her eyes and replies, “New Years!” “Oh yeah…” I say, as if I knew all about it. “How early?” “Six.” I roll my eyes and ask, “What’s the other choice?” “Three thirty.” “Okay; I’ll take six. Will you bring me breakfast tacos?” I can tell by her smile that she won’t be bringing me any tacos. I forget to report to her that I sent in the December newsletter today. Little late, don’t you think? Well… publisher’s prerogative I say to myself, as if anyone is listening. So it goes on a Saturday back in our Austin dialysis center.

Notes: In at 79 and out at 74.8 kgs.
New Readers: For A Welcome Post, click August 2006 on the Sidebar.