The visit from the dialysis nurse

Today was our visit from the dialysis nurse.  She came in and introduced herself and immediately asked where we would be doing Hubby's hook up, I showed her into the bedroom.  When hooking up or disconnecting from the dialysis machine, you need to do it in a space where you can close all the windows, close the door, turn off any fan or air conditioning.  All the supplies from the post yesterday also need to be within easy access of where you are doing the hook ups.  Our bedroom is the perfect spot.  We have the small shelving unit in there with our supplies and we are able to close everything to keep the area as free of germs as possible.  She said our room was great and she really liked the shelving set up.

After that she asked where we would store the boxes of solutions and tubing.  We decided on our living room and she was pleased with that space too.  Then she asked to see where we store medications, so I took her into the kitchen and showed her the cabinet with all our medications inside.  I actually didn't know this was a space she was checking, but thankfully it was organized and I was able to pull all of hubby's medications out without an avalanche.

Then we sat in the living room while she told us some information, answered questions, and played with our dogs :-)  I had the dogs in the sunroom when she arrived, but she said she loved animals so our younger daughter let them in for a little bit.

Most of the information she shared I already knew from reading the binder provided by the other dialysis nurse and from research online.  Some of the information was news to me and not all great.  One piece that surprised me is that the wait for a kidney transplant is about 6 to 7 years.  Kidney transplants are the hardest to get because there are so many people waiting and because of the criteria the donor kidney has to meet.  There are other options for transplant, like a living donor, so there is hope!  Currently hubby isn't on the transplant list because he doesn't qualify, but we will be speaking next week to the surgeon to find out everything we need to do to get him on the transplant list.

The cart arrived today, I'm very impressed with how quickly it arrived.  I'm planning on doing a video on how to assemble it and if I don't make a fool out of myself or take 3 hours to do it, I will share the video with you.


*Disclaimer - all the information above is for information purposes only.  I am not a nurse, doctor, or any type of medical professional.  I'm a wife taking one day at a time while taking care of a husband with PK.