A Good Day at Dialysis

Today was a good day at dialysis. Usually I don't sleep for the 3 1/2 hours I'm there. I sit and watch HGTV and CNN news. But today was different. Maybe it was warmer today. I didn't need the three blankets I normally have and still can't get warm. The center is cold, and like most other folks I'm bundled up--hat or scarf, a glove and a sweater or sweatshirt. We try to keep our minds off the treatment--us dialysis folks. Hard to do with two needles stuck in your arm and a machine that pumps out your blood. We make the most of it I guess. Gone are the days of burgers and fries now that we are no longer at the hospital and at the new center. I personally have always stuck with a simple snacks--pop-tarts, fruit snacks, grapes. Being new to this I follow the guidelines, but the smell of fries--gosh, it's enough to drive you nuts. People were upset at first about having to leave the hospital. But now we all seem o.k. with the change. After all it's cleaner and doesn't have that hospital smell. I'm on the list for a new kidney. "Any day now," Dr. Gil says. I hope he's right. But until then I'll sit and watch HGTV underneath the warmth of my blankets. Maybe I'll bring popcorn on Friday.