Dialysis, a whole new ball game.

On March 19th I had my first morning of Dialysis. I got there at 7am. I didn't know what to expect. I had heard the horror stories from fellow "kidneys,"(when you have other transplant friends you just call 'em by their organ of chioce) including but not limited to leg cramps, nausea, headaches. I was also told by some that it made them useless for the rest of the day, long naps are a must, and eating in restaurants would be a thing of the past thanks to the dietary restrictions. Most of this is true, some days. With dialysis there are good days and bad days. The bad aren't too bad, and the good aren't great. The "good" part about the big D is the Support system that goes along with it, I have a Dialysis family. Leslie is my most favorite RN, she greeted me on my very first day with a smile and something to laugh about, we enjoy talking about restaurants, and oysters, her ipad and gossiping. Alice, the other RN is a close second. My first Day, the Dialysis tech that helped me giggle through it all, was Scotty. He was a knucklehead with the best intentions. Goofing around was only part of his schtick, we had long conversations (that sometimes got him in trouble) about all kinds of things. It was nice not being alone, it was nice being able to laugh during one of the hardest times in my life. After Scotty came Jasmine, a fabulous german that also helped make me smile. Now i'm on the complete opposite side of the room with Oscar. Oscar and I get along famously and we always have something to talk about, he get's bonus points for complementing my hair all the time, and commenting on me losing weight :p did I mention weight loss is another part of dialysis? first I lost the water weight I had been storing up for the last year, and with the changes in my diet and loss of appetite, my body is looking 23 pounds lighter than it was in March, and I'm not complaining. I've also got Laura, who is oh-so sweet. Jamilla, who would go to the moon to help solve my issue with adhesives. Connie, she runs the joint, who is fabulously tan, has perfect pony-tail hair and works her ass off. (like evryone at DaVita Livermore) Rita at the front desk, always has a smile for me. Cynthia the dietician is highly qualified, very helpful, and very cute. Anne, the social worker would help me with just about anything I asked. These people help to get me through it. I'm so thankful that I was admitted into this Dialysis center, in my home town, with these great people taking care of me. It's little things, like having them in my life, that make giving up that much more impossible.