Tuesday, 6/20/06

Well, today is Tuesday, June 20, and I have another dialysis treatment tonight. The treatment went slowly all last week, and on Saturday, the nurse suggested that it might be time to go back to my fistula on Tuesday (today). The bruising went down quite a bit over the weekend, and I can stretch my arm almost all the way out today. I imagine that, barring any problems, it will be fully healed by next week. That's only three weeks of pain for one bad stick, I guess that's okay.

I brought my numbing cream with me to work today. It contains Lidocaine 2.5% and Prilocaine 2.5%. I put this cream on my fistula approximately one hour before my treatment. It numbs the area under it which helps with being stuck. When I was using my fistula on my lower arm, it did not hurt too much. But, on my upper arm, the skin is more sensitive and is hurt more easily. So, I am using this cream to help reduce the pain of the needles going in.

I am praying that the treatment today will go well. I am praying that the technician will be able to get a good stick and that there will not be any problems with the fistula. I plan to use the small 17-guage needles for at least two weeks, to help the fistula mature (but at a slow steady rate).

If you read this Tuesday before 4:30 pm CDT, then please pray that I get a good treatment and good sticks tonight. If you read it after, then just pray that my fistula will work properly all week and that there will not be any problems.

Thanks for coming by!