8/30/2009

Last night was the first year I missed Grove Fest since the yearly event began. The fireworks could be enjoyed from our house. Instead I had a ball playing cards with my aunt and parents.

8/28/2009

My catheter in my chest is no longer suitable since the cuff is sticking out, and my fistula is not even close to ready yet. Therefore, Monday I will have a new access site surgically implanted on my left collar bone. Oh joy!

8/26/2009

My trip to University hospital, in Cincinnati, was hopeful an enlightening. It was also a little bit scary. First the scary part; if one of my two living kidney donors does not work out to be a match I would have to rely on the list to find me a kidney, and that could take two or more years. That is the pessimistic view of my situation. I feel a match will exist, and the donor list will never involve me. They said if one of my living turns out to be a match then it will only be 1-2 months before I have my kidney.
Being a positively minded person has me cheering for joy. It will not be long and I will be back to the regular diet no dialysis me.

8/24/2009

Today at dialysis I get my blood drawn, and by Friday afternoon we will get the results. Hopefully my mean low sodium diet will have good effects on me. My diet and limit of fluids I am able to drink is the most difficult part of this whole kidney failure thing. Six cups of water o any liquid is hard to limit yourself to per day.

8/22/2009

To illustrate the importance of cards in my life I'll say last night I went over to my friends house to play cards. Brian was recovering from surgery as am I. Tonight my aunt and uncle are coming over to play cards. My competitive juices are flowing rapidly during cards.

8/20/2009

Off I go to surgery. It is only an outpatient deal, but believe me when I say the hospital, surgeries (both inpatient and outpatient,) and me are like peas in a pod. I feel no apprehension and am not overly worried about it. But like any medical procedure there is the chance for unfortunate happenings. Wish me luck...

8/19/2009

Anything can happen in any situation. Thus nothing is for certain. Usually hard work and determination help make things more of a sure deal, but this time my actions meant absolutely diddly squat! You see Tuesday at Docs office I made an appointment to have a fistula inserted Wednesday after dialysis. Tuesday afternoon my scheduled time for dialysis was moved to early morning to accommodate an opening for surgery at noon. Still later on Tuesday the appointment for the fistula was moved to Thursday, but it was too late to change my dialysis time. Therefore I had to rise early this morning for dialysis. It was no picnic. I have to fast after midnight until surgery at like 1:00 tomorrow. I have to be there at 10:00, and that is typical hospital procedure. It will be so very boring!

8/18/2009

My appointment went well this morning. Despite predictions from the people at my dialysis center, at the Putnam County Ambulatory Care Center, giving me the idea that a fistula would not be inserted for at least a week the doctor gave a strong likelihood for the procedure being done tomorrow. Now it will likely take 1-3 months before it is ready to use, but it is a step towards getting the port removed from my chest. Hopefully I will not even need to use the fistula anytime soon, as I am excited about getting a new kidney quickly. The fistula could just serve as a good backup. It is always good to have an alternate plan in place.
I am hoping to do something with my friend Ashley on Sunday.

8/18/2009

Yesterday I had my vein mapping done, and today I have a doctors appointment to figure out when we are going to get it done. Mom and Dad are going to the appointment this morning too, but we are driving seperately. I am just staying at the hospital to volunteer all day.

8/17/2009

The weekend passed rather rapidly, and I guess it passed so smoothly since I was having a good time. Having my sister and nephews here adds to my enjoyment. They will be leaving before I get home from dialysis. I have to get a vein mapping done at the hospital immediatly after my dialysis session today. It is the start of getting a fistula inserted in my arm. I guess what made the weekend pass so rapidly was looking forward to the 25...

8/16/2009

Today I am going to Indian Lake, and it should be fun.

8/15/2009

Later today there is a party at the Maag residence in Hancock county. My Schroeder relaives will be there, and that is always fun. Laughter always prevails around the Schroeders, and at the same time there is a great understanding happening. If you cannot laugh at yourself then you may not fit in the family too good. As a relation we are very close knit, and humor makes its prescence quite frequently.
Last night I played cards and broke even. Regardless I had fun, but it would have felt revengeful if I would have won big time.

8/14/2009

My nephews really strike me as cute this morning? It really is a change to have them here for breakfast. It was refreshing to see my sister last night after I got home, too. See I normally see Lisa and her family quite frequently (2 or 3 times per month,) but the last month I have not seen them. With dialysis and everything I have been too busy to make it don there. My sister has been infiltrated with a busy time at work, and oddly she hasn't been home either.
Tonight there is a card party at the house of Gary Kohls. Last week I played with these same guys and turned out the biggest loser, and I hope to make amends for that tonight!

8/14/2009

Speaking last night was absolutely rewarding. Sure the audience was the Leipsic High School fall sports banquet, but even though it was not Grove people I was talking to I still get a kick out of influencing lives. Now last night was a mixed age group, and the crowd was not slim at all. Afterward I went to the new tiki bar at Dino's. There was a lot of people there, with it being 'thirsty Thursday' evening. The day of the week, it being comfortable outside in the evening, and the fact that it is the new watering hole (bar) in Putnam County all contribute to its business, and I am overly ecstatic for my friend. She is the manager of the happening location, and I know that she has put hard work and long hours into starting the bar. Whenever anybody experiences success after hard work it is rewarding. I am happy that my new friend is no stranger to getting a little dirt on her brow, and it was the first time that I have ever experienced a tiki bar. The atmosphere is great, with lights. The only hing that would have made it more entertaining would have been if my diet wasn't so strict, but a kidney transplant is in my near future!
In other news my sister and nephews arrived here last night for a few days!

8/12/2009

Treatment today was easier to handle from a physical standpoint, because cramping up of my legs was nonexistent. I guess having dry weight that is correct really helps. It was a little gloomier on the mental side of things, because the nurses tried to put a damper on things by painting a dark picture in regards to the timetable for transplantation. But they are just giving me the worst scenario possible. They think that will help me cope with unforeseen obstacles standing in my path. What they don't know is that my coping mechanism is awesome, and I'm good at leaping over hurdles, metaphorically (I ran the 400m and 200m in Jr. High track. I could not jump exceptionally high in basketball either but saw the court well and knew the nuances of the game.) I've stared down major things in my day. Ambulatory care is doing the transplant either but UC is! Their artfully painted scenes of my transplant situation, although scary, mean jack (nothing) to me. I spoke to UC on the phone… in person 8/25!!!

8/11/2009

I had dialysis yesterday, and they made my dry weight (where they bring you back to every session) a few pounds heavier than when I left Friday. My legs and feet began cramping up after about an hour of pulling fluid. There was a halt to eliminating liquid then, but purification of the blood was still done for slightly more than three hours. Have you ever had your muscles cramping up so much that you cannot help but wince from the pain. They last for several minutes each time. My dry weight was raised a bit as they pumped some fluid back in me. They do not want me and I don’t want to go through that fiasco every session so I was bumped up a few pounds. You know what some people say; “no pain no gain.” What happened early last night was not really correlated to last afternoon, but it was a gain in my mind.
Since I’ve had my renal failure, all I have been hearing from everyone is how slow the process is for getting anything done related to transplant. Well I got a call from University hospital in Cincinnati. They want me to come down for a plethora of preliminary testing to see if I am a viable candidate for transplant! WOO HOO! There still will need to be all sorts of testing done to my possible living donors, but I’m scheduled to meet August 25 at the UC hospital.
For more than a year after my major automobile catastrophe, more than a decade ago, I had the constant internal question running through my head, “When will I be able to walk around normally like any guy would do?”
I even would bug my therapists with similar questions, but nobody could ever put a date on it. That truly was hard to handle.
The same was true of the question, “When will I get to go home and stay there?”
That really was the ultimate question I had while at Waterford Commons. An answer finally was heard a couple of weeks before it happened. Those 14 days flew by, because a date was in sight.
The feeling with dialysis was that it would never end, but now it will go smoother because the 25th is marked. It may be a while and living donors may not match, but at least we have a date to look forward to.
Thank you for the prayers. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

8/10/2009

I have dialysis today, and that is not highly anticipated. let me just tell you; it is not something to brag to our friends about. The process doesn't cause too much pain, til the last half hour or so of the 4 and 1/2+ hour treatment. Then my legs start to cramp up fairly badly. Trust me, it is no picnic when that starts. I am quickly approaching my "dry weight," as they say. That is after they have pulled nearly 60 pounds of fluid off my body in roughly a month. You see my highest water weight was was in the upper half of the 230's. As of after my dialysis session on Friday I tipped the scale right around 177. That is incredible I think. That is no picnic despite it feeling better with all that fluid gone. As mentioned before, convulsions in your leg muscles can be quite painful, and even in your hands the problem persists. I keep my head held high though. Although exhaustion is felt after every session, every time I go through dialysis I feel one time closer to kidney transplant. All prayers are greatly appreciated.

8/8/2009

I had a lot of fun tonight, and I had an opportunity to share the evening with my new friend Ashley. She, by the way, ate a full rack of ribs, or maybe not. I also saw my old buddy Orson, and I am still in disbelief that his body is shutting down due to disease. We (Ashley and I) went to the Red Pig and then the Bombshelter. I'll tell you what Ottawa was dead tonight... hardly anybody was out. I guess there was a big name band or singer in Lima tonight, and I think that the Rib Fest was in Findlay.

8/8/2009

Last night I went to a solo party, and did battle against Wayne, Tom, Gary, and Don. I was the biggest loser. It cost me around seven dollars, but it was well worth it. The case was definitely not of me getting outplayed, but the card were just dealt against me. I love the old German card game, win or lose, and I am faced with the daunting task of having a little revenge on this group of players. I always think positive an aim high, that way even if you fall a little short success can still be had.
I am really excited about my new friend Ashley, because we have so much in common. It is almost like, in some ways, she is a mini me (like in Austin Powers- I know that is an old example, but that's the best I could do in these wee hours of the morning.) We seem to have many of the same characteristics including a love of sports and the Buckeyes.
Anyway... I feel somewhat drained and it is time to get some rest. Dialysis kicked my butt today, but I am also confident that a new kidney is imminent.
What I did last night was not exactly as fun as going out, but I went out Wednesday and saw a funny movie Thursday....
Ashley, check your email when you get an opportunity.