A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall I'm Home!

Hi everyone ~

I got home late this afternoon and am doing well. Thank you all so much for yor thoughts and prayers for me 'n Maxi.

My dialysis schedule will be a bit grueling for me as I have to go to a town 16 miles away and the dialyzing lasts from 4 PM to past 8. What with travel time and set up and disconnect time and waiting for rides times, I expect to be gone from 3:30 to 10 PM three days a week.

We are not bringing Maxi home soon. I have set up a meeting with the assistant principal, the guidence counselor, and three of his teachers for next Tuesday. I am going to explain what has happened and what our plans are for moiving in June. They will be able to help Maxi make the transisitin to a new school system.

Merme

Glad you are back home Merme. Sorry to hear of your health issues. But, ya know, I've read that people can take dialysis at their home with special equipment. That sure would save you on the vast amount of hours you will be traveling/spending three times a week. Maybe you could check into that?

Merme: It is good to hear that you are home & doing so well.
Blessings to you.--and of course for Maxi.

That's a great idea, but I don't qualify for home dialysis because you must have another adult present in the home able to answer the phone and disconnect you from the machine in case of an emergency. Maxi, at 12, isn't allowed and he is the only other person I live with.

Merme

Merme!!!!!!!!!!! Hiiiiii! What a Blessing to know you're Home and making plans to move!! Things are looking up for you and Maxi That's terrific

Yay Merme, I'm glad you're back!

I've worried about you and really missed you a lot lately.

Good to see that you are home and better, Merme. Much as it's a nuisance, your dialysis will become a set schedule for you, and you will be able to do all your other things around that.

I hope your meeting goes very well for Maxi next week. Has he been able to visit with you? Is he staying with his dad these days? Has he been able to go to his same school while you were not home?

I don't mean to throw a whole bunch of questions your way your first day back, but have you mentioned where you'd like to move to?

Oh, one more if you don't mind... will you be able to do something while you have the dialysis - such as needlework or read?

welcome home. we missed you and we are glad you are home

I am so glad to see that you are back home. You and Maxi have been in my prayers

I missed you and prayed for you, Merme. Welcome home!

Thanks, everyone...

To answer just some of Lynne's curiosity

At the hospital, we did dialysis in a dimly lit room so that we could rest in our beds without bright lights staring into our faces. At the outpatient clinics, it is different.

I toured one a few years ago and when I came out, I said it had been a tour through Dante's Inferno.

These places are big, extraordinarily noisy, and chaotic with people everywhere. Each person sits in a recliner tilted back to keep the blood pressure stable and can watch a small TV or read. Some folks play cards together.

The noise factor scared me to pieces because I am a very quiet person and my home is peaceful. My doc told me to invest in earphones and maybe a CD player. Since I've never owned one and didn't know where to begin the shopping process, Maxi said I could borrow his and see how I like it.

You have to bring your own blanket.

Maxi is still with his dad in South Portland, about 16 miles from here. He has been attending his own school but transportation has been very complicated because his dad doesn't drive. So we've been begging,borrowing and stealing rides for him.

We hope to be able to move in June to South Portland. Because of my health, it is clear that I will need help in caring for Maxi and our home. If we can live near his dad and that family, then Maxi will have a place to go on a moment's notice and I will have more help with shopping and things like that.

When we took the ambulance to town recently, a nurse spent time calling all over the place to try to find someone willing to come to Portland at 11 PM to take Maxi to his dad's. If we lived closer, it would be far easier.

I have forgotten the other questions so I will go back and reread the posts!

Loz... I just KNEW you'd been concerned for me, I just knew that.

Merme

Maxi visited me a few times while I was in the hospital that I remember. They brought him each time I was in ICU and wasn't expected to make it, and then brought him in after when I started to improve. His dad asked him how I was doing and Maxi replied "She looks like herself again. I have my mom back."

When I went over to the rehab, Edward brought both boys to see me for a bit and then Christine brought them also. Short visits but good ones and they toured the rehab which is interesting and met my friends and nursing/therapy staff.

As an odd twist, each time a major crisis waw underway, Christine's mother Cindy happened to be on hand and was able to stay right with me until things were arranged and the next steps taken. She just seemed to have an uncanny knack for showing up when needed. Then she could report to the family about what was happening.

I'm very glad Nana was able to keep you updated.

Merme

Of course I've been concerned....

You must miss Maxi terribly..... Moving closer to his dad will be good for both of you.

It sounds like your spirits are pretty good though....you hang in there....lots of us love you here. :ding:

couldn't have said it better myself.

I miss Maxi all the time. We talk on the phone but it isn't the same.

I'm off to bed now. It has been a long day.

Merme

g'night merme, sleep well.

Glad to see you are home Merme! Thought about you a lot and said lots of prayers!!

Merme glad to see you home hope you can move soon so you and Maxi can have some help and be together all the time again. Praying for you both.

Merme's back, Merme's back.

Yay, we missed you so much

I too am glad you are finally home and in good spirits. My prayers are with you and Maxi, Merme.

Shirl

Thank you, everyone. I have spent the day on the phone getting business done and getting myself organized and did a good workout with the physical therapist. Now I am preparing to go to Biddeford for my first dialysis down there and won't be home until nearly 10 PM.

I'm packing my bag to take Maxi's CD player, a lightweight but very warm blanket, something to read, my glasses and my snacks. They do not provide a water fountain or drinks, so I will bring my allowable amount of water in a very small bottle and also some sugar free hard candy to help keep my mouth from getting too dry.

Merme

Thinking of you Merme

Glad to see you back here and home Merme! Welcome home!

Glad to see you back Merme, and that you are doing well. You were missed.

glad you are back Merme, and praying for everything to come together for you.

I got home at 10:15 tonight in the pouring rain/ice/snow mix. I was down there on time, but with all the paperwork and intake interviews it took about forever to get me ready to go get set up to dialyze.

I was given outdated information about this place, and it was far BETTER than what I was told!

They give you a nice, large tote bag to keep and it contains a blanket, a big notebook of information and is roomy enough to add anything else you could ever want to bring.

They do provide water in cups, but not anything else, so folks bring their own juices and soda or whatever.

You can eat a light snack or even a sandwich but they ask you not to eat an entire big meal spread on your lap like a picnic!

Maxi's CD player did really well for me except we were surprised to learn that there is something wrong with the anti-skip device inside. We took it out of it's box for the first time today. You can't lay the player flat on a table or it won't play. You have to hold it at about an 80 degree angle and then it plays great!

The one CD I brought tonight was a big big help to me... I listened to it twice and got myself through the really rough spot... that last 1 1/2 hours I am so ready to be DONE to stand up, to move, to get out, that I start getting very anxious and my RLS can kick in making it miserable. So I take Tylenol just before we hit the last 1 1/2 hours to calm the RLS. I have a prescription for anti-anxiety medication but I didn't bring it tonight. I may the next time, just to have it if needed.

I weent in being 2.1 kilos heavier than I was on Monday and we were able to take off 2.7 kilos, so I am just a tad more than 1/2 a kilo lighter from this treatment alone. So, we are making progress! I still have about 18 pounds to lose from the fluid retention disaster of this summer when I picked up 32 pounds in about 5 days, but if we continue to see a half kilo or so each visit, it won't take long to shed that excess fluid and get down to my "dry weight".

I'm actually feeling pretty darn good tonight; just sleepy!

Merme

Good, Merme. I'm glad that it was a much nicer place than you were led to believe. It is hard for someone without rls to sit for four+ hours. You did quite well. Is it time to start on your gifting crochet? It seems like that might be something you might be able to do during that time.

You are right, Tina!

Once I get used to everything and perhaps stop being so darn hyper about it all, I should be able to do something productive like crochet.

By the time I finish dialyzing, my adrenaline is rushing and it takes me about forever to unwind it all back down again. Tonight my EX's girlfriend waited up for me to call as they were a little concerned about the lateness of the hour, the weather, and me being transported in a wheel chair van. What if it didn't show up or something went wrong? So, we chatted for about an hour and then I felt okay enough to visit the forum, check my emails and toodle around a bit before getting to bed.

I think I will get used to doing all of this enough that I won't get so excited on the inside about managing all the details.

Merme

So glad that you felt better last night Merme.

It makes me feel better knowing that someone keeps an eye out for you. Hoping you had a nice rest last night.

So glad your home Merme,you know the saying theirs no place like home. How are you feeling today? Happy spring Day

I'm feeling very well, Faye. Dialysis is a big help to me and I haven't felt this good in ages.


Our spring Day is a Storm Day! spring is wearing a disguise.


Merme

Can't believe I've totally missed this post. I've been wondering what was going on. I didn't even realize that hemodialysis can be done at home now. Will wonders never cease. Glad you're feeling so well.

So glad the place was better than you had anticipated, Merme.
It doesn't sound so bad at all, all things considered.

And it's wonderful that your ex's girlfriend is watching over you - it makes it so much better when there are kids involved too!

Sheri ~ yes, hemodialysis can be done at home for years now but it is not allowed in all states. Your state is currently running clinical trials about it at the university -- darn, I forget which one! But at least your state is investigating the safety and efficacy of it and those are always the first steps toward change. Good news for people, I think.

Lynne ~ I agree with you too about my EX's girlfriend. We are all making a dedicated effort to get through this difficult time and help the children adjust.

She was pretty awful to me in the early days of the relationship disaster but once she started having children of her own and understood, finally, what it means to be a mom and a responsible adult, she changed. Plus, watching my health fail over recent years has put a different perspective on things for her. She told my family that if necessary she will finish raising Maxi as I would have done.

Her mom has often been a big help to us as well, treating Maxi just like he is one of the grandkids. She's known him since he was 18 months old and has been faithful in that role ever since. It is particularly good for him because he doesn't have any living biological grandparents.

On Tuesday, my EX and his girlfriend are coming with me to a meeting at Maxi's school. We called it to let the administration, the counselor and some of his teachers know first hand from us what has happened and what we have decided to do as a family. In this way, they will be working from the same page as we are and will be more able to help Maxi make the transition to school in our new town and the stress of saying goodbye to his childhood hometown and playmates.

Merme

That meeting is a great idea, Merme - I hope it goes very smoothly for you all.

It is really wonderful that the grandma stepped in for Maxi - that generation is so important to kids, isn't it?

Oh, Lynne ~ I can't tell you enough how much I believe in the role of grandparents. Mine were terribly important to my siblings and I.

It really bothered me and my EX to realize Maxi didn't have any. My mom has been gone since 1983 and Edward and his brother were adopted at 3 and 2, respectively. The woman who raised them passed away in 1990, I believe. When Mrs. K first taught Maxi to call her "grandma", my EX got a little hostile since she isn't even related by marriage. But when Maxi was old enough to speak and started calling her "Grandma Cindy", Edward settled down. I'm just glad Maxi has those relationships as well as far older friends of mine he calls Grandpa Frank and Grandma Maureen.

Merme

nosey question - why doesn't your ex drive?

Maybe he is DUI

Long story, Sheri. But it wasn't his fault. And no, Bali, he wasn't DUI.

Merme