400 ml/min

It’s been another week, so it’s time for a blog update. I got an instant message from a friend today telling me that they hadn’t seen any blog updates in a while, so this is for you (thanks for the prompting).

The last you heard from me was on Wednesday the 16th. I’ve had two more treatments since then, and they both went well. I got two sticks on Thursday and two sticks on Saturday, and the machine was able to run at 400 ml/min on both days. 400 is the speed that is preferred. It is as fast as they dialysis center prefers to go, and gives you the best possible treatment. The faster your blood can be pulled, then the more blood that can be processed in four hours (that makes sense, right?).

Thank you to everyone that has been praying for good sticks and good treatments. Please keep it up. I would love to have a couple of good weeks in a row (for starters). And, I’d like to see my next flow rate test be just as high as the first one (they take an average to set your baseline).

I saw my cardiologist on Friday. She said that I am doing well, and she wants to see my lipid results to see I still need to be taking Lipitor. She also swapped my beta blocker for a different beta blocker, hoping to change some of the side effects. She said that as long as my blood pressure and heart rate stay in the “healthy” range, then I shouldn’t need to change my medication again soon. The only problem would be if my blood pressure drops again and my heart rate goes up. Then she would have to recommend a more invasive procedure. I did not have her explain as I hope that my current medication will continue to keep my numbers in check.

So, I have a treatment this afternoon, and I have been fasting all day for my lipid panel. Jenny is going to bring me dinner, so that will work out. I just hope that they are able to get a good stick without having the needle primed with saline to start. I’ll have to tell the technician to stick, draw blood, flush with saline, and to then stick the second needle. I think that will work and should satisfy any problems that I might have with clotting. I haven’t seen any clotting during the last two treatments, which is always nice.

Please continue to pray for:

• good, easy sticks for each treatment (only two sticks is preferred)


• that the machine can continue to run at 400 ml/min each treatment


• that my lipid panel will have good results

Thanks for coming by to read! It’s short because it’s full of good news