Decisions...Details...Oh dear, oh dear.......

It's the holidays already...
For me, that means contemplating visiting my parents and my wonderful furbabies in Cleveland.
But....let's see.....
Well, first, I've gotta make my reservations.
Then, I'd have to give Baxter at least a two-week notice, so that means I couldn't leave before early December no matter how much I might want to.
Then, there's the Moonster. I Googled the subject. Many, many "PD" patients take their HomeChoice cycler with them when they travel, and many, many "PD" patients maintain jobs where they have to travel by plane regularly. How the airlines handles the machines is nothing. They're educated on that...they know, if you tell them it's your dialysis machine...your lifeline...they'll let you take it on the plane. I should likely travel lightly, luggage-wise, so that I can manage the Moonster as well.
Soooooo damn much to do just to take a little holiday vacation!!!!!
If it weren't for my furbabies, I'd be wondering, if it's all worth it.
Now.....Probably Dec. 20 would be a good day to leave here.
If I plan this perfectly, I'll be able to stay in Cleveland a few weeks, and be there when it's time to take my furbabies to the "v-e-t." Then, I could probably come back here, mid-to-late January. There's Baxter again to consider, though. I think they come at the end of the month now. They just did a route change on me...yes, I get an end-of-the-month delivery now. OK then...perfect.
Forgive me. I'm just using this blog to lay out all the details and have them here to look at...that might help me get things underway, because otherwise, I won't want to.
Thanks for letting me think "out loud," in writing.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
(poofenpfeffer)

A New Home For Ferals : The Humane Society of the United States

A New Home For Ferals : The Humane Society of the United States



Someone is doing a lot of good for a lot of cats and kittens in need... My hat is off to them!! Bless their hearts!!!!!!!!

Uh...Not anemic now, but....I give it another week or so...

Good news: my hemoglobin shot up to 13.5, after three weeks of getting two Epogen shots a week.
Lovely, but...with no kidneys whatsoever, I only give it a week or two, before it'll go back down again.
Besides, I'm still hooked on ice cubes. That proves that 13.5 may not be anemic for a dialysis patient, but it's anemic for me personally...No, I don't mean to confuse you...that's just how it is.
So much for the update.
Gotta run.
Love ya!!
xoxo
(poof-in-a-New-York-minute)

Time Check ;-)

I'm in a touchy mood, so...it is with extreme caution that I reach out tonight.
As I type this, it's roughly 6:57pm in California. Other time zones, please add or subtract an hour as needed. If you're in California, and your clocks still say 7:57...you forgot to "fall back" last night!
Just a gentle reminder.
Must run for now.
Love ya!!
xoxo
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
(poofski)

Just in time for tomorrow.....

I probably won't be too busy to say this tomorrow, but let's get it out of the way now, if that's OK with you...

BOO!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmm...the top of that keeps getting cut off...Oh well. Close enough. You get the idea, right? ;-)
Have a safe and Happy Halloween, and also, don't forget, tomorrow night, we set our clocks back one hour.
xoxoxoxo
Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow. ;-)

Dragging myself through...second by second~~~~

I somehow don't think anyone has any idea whatsoever, how hard it is to be chronically anemic.
Let me explain something.
When I still had my kidneys, they churned out a healthy helping of a hormone called erythropoietin. That hormone is responsible for the production of new red blood cells.
Then, my kidneys got large, infected, and painful...so, they had to come out.
Ever since then, my blood supply has been precious...but not endless.
I've been on Epogen...phony erythropoietin...ever since. When I was on hemodialysis, I got Epogen every day of treatment, or three days a week. When on peritoneal dialysis, as I am now, I get it as needed...which was once a week at one time...is now twice a week.
In May of 2008, my hemoglobin got down to 7. That's low enough that I needed a blood transfusion, which made a world of difference.
Usually, though...whether because Medicare won't cover certain procedures under certain conditions...usually, I end up getting Epogen shots.
These last two months or so, my hemoglobin dropped, down to 10. Not quite as low as it was when I had that transfusion...but it's sure got me feeling as though I've been hit by a truck!!!!
That's why I'm up to two Epogen shots a week now. Because of how my hemoglobin level dropped and didn't go back up with just one Epogen shot a week.
According to my nurse, the Epogen shots stop when my hemoglobin gets up to 12. I'll bet it doesn't stay at 12, though!!
12, though, is the limit, for a dialysis patient.
For me, personally, that's still kind of anemic. When I had my kidneys, my hemoglobin was usually about 14, or even 16!! So, 12 would be comparatively anemic.
OK, now that I've gone over the technicalities of it.....
I don't think anyone has the slightest idea of how hard it is to drag yourself through, day by day, second by second....movement by movement....
Anemia is an energy-zapper, if ever there was one!!!!
Maybe for convenience's sake...it's just not convenient to understand how hard it is for an anemic to even breathe sometimes....so, most people don't understand that.
That's what I'm trying to tell you, though. It IS hard to be anemic. Harder than one might think.
Thanks for hearing me out.
It's been a hell of a week...a hell of a day...I appreciate being able to come back here and write....and I wish I had more readers, but I'm not writing for my readers. I'm writing for myself. I wish more people would sneak in here and take a look, but it's my blog...if that makes any sense.
I have a feeling now that I'm just rambling for nothing, so.......
Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow!!!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Only YOU Can Prevent Wildfires." --Smoky Bear

Two years ago this week, many residents of San Diego County had to evacuate, as multiple wildfires raged through the area. I was here then. Where I worked, we had two days off, because so many other employees were busy evacuating. We were close, but we didn't have to evacuate after all. We were damn close, though, as I remember. I was on "PD" at the time, as I am now too, and I received instructions for what to do, and what to take with me, should we have to evacuate. Considering that I'd either have had to do 4 manual exchanges a day, or drag the machine with me, I was very much relieved that we didn't have to evacuate. My car was in two transmission shops during the firestorm, and was full of ashes, inside and out. I couldn't quite figure out how the ashes got inside the car, since it was closed up most of the time...but apparently it has some flimsy seals around the windows and doors.
Four years ago next week, several wildfires raged through San Diego County as well.
The 2003 and 2007 firestorms had one thing in common: the air quality was horrible. I remember how the patio, and the cars, were full of ashes, and the sky was gray with smoke.
Let's not have another firestorm this year, OK?? I'd fully appreciate if we'd all be extra careful, and do what it takes to NOT start a fire.
Good health and safety to one and all!!
xoxo