Sunday, August 28, 2005

Excellent Early-Morning Treatment

I had my dialysis treatment early on Saturday morning so that I could help our Sunday School class with our service project with the Buckner organization. The clinic runs three shifts per day, so I went in at 5:45 am to have my blood cleaned out. The technician that I got was extremely proficient at putting in the needles. She managed to get a good stick with both needles that really didn't sting too much after they went in. This was great, since my arm usually stings for about an hour after the needles are inserted. The treatment went well, and they only took off 1500 cc of fluid. I really am enjoying being kept at about 68 kg.

The other piece of news is that I might start using the normal-sized needles soon. Right now, I am using the small needles because my fistula is still so new. The charge nurse on the morning shift at the clinic said that she thought that I could go ahead and start using the normal needles like everyone else. The advantage of the normal needles is that they can run the dialysis machine at a higher rate. This means that more of your blood can be processed during your treatment. I told the nurse that I would wait for the larger needles until I was back on my normal shift. I guess I'll ask on Tuesday if they want to start using them.

The service project at Shoes for Orphan Souls went well Saturday afternoon. We had eleven people from our class come. We worked from 2pm – 5pm sorting out shoes for three different orphanages. I'm glad that I was able to get my dialysis treatment moved so that Jenny and I could participate. It was an excellent opportunity to serve God in a tangible way.

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