Hope Is Where The Heart Is: My Battle Against End Stage Renal Disease

Chp 6: There Is Hope

A year into my dialysis I noticed major changes with me physically. The daily routine of five exchanges a day would grow on me. The strength I needed to go through the process increased heavily. This made me more aware of how important managing this new lifestyle will be. I discussed with the nurses possible ways to create a comfortable environment adjusting treatments to fit my needs.

One thing I liked about peritoneal dialysis is that it would be up to me to take charge of my life to become healthy. Once I got used to knowing what time to do an exchange, or when to take my medications it felt like I was in control. My schedule would consist of going to morning classes 8am to 12pm from Monday through Thursday. After class, I would connect to the machine for eight hours to go to sleep. I went to work five days a week from 11pm to 7:30am. On my days off I would do two manual exchanges during the day, then connect to the machine at night. I would have more freedom during the day since I wouldn't have to worry about being tied down to the machine.

I would try to go to the gym to workout, but I would get easily tired. A lot of physical things I used to do came to a halt. I still continued to get used to having a catheter sticking out of my stomach. I wore a personalized belt around my stomach to hold my catheter in place to avoid it from getting snagged, or caught on something. I snagged the catheter a couple of times, and the feeling was painful.

My sleeping habits changed which caused insomnia. I used to sleep on my stomach before the surgery, but now I would start to sleep on my side. Sleeping while on the machine is a hassle at times if my catheter gets clogged, or if I roll over on my left side blocking the tube which makes the alarm go off. I would get pain, and numbness in my legs as I slept which eventually caused restless legs syndrome. Restless leg syndrome is a disorder in which there is an urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations (Merriam-Webster). Diet restrictions would become tough on what I can eat considering anything I eat I would have to chase it with phosphorus binders.

I would have to watch out for food that is high in phosphorus. The use of the phosphorus binders help to absorb the phosphorus, and get rid of the excess. Some of the high phosphorus foods and drinks I had to limit were: pizza, cola, milk, beans, cheese, processed meats, chocolate, bran cereal, and the list goes on. I would try to stay away from fast food, but it was always difficult since it was more convenient to pick up. I would have to watch what I eat at family gatherings, or just hanging out with friends.

The graveyard shift is a hard shift, but it fit better for my condition. I would bring my dialysis bag warmer inside a small cooler making sure the bags would be at room temperature. During lunch time, I would go to the office to drain the fluid left in my stomach then refill with new fluid before going back to work. The process of draining and filling up every day came with nausea, dizziness, and feeling fatigue more than often. I managed to make it to work even when I wouldn't feel as good sometimes, but I didn't let it stop me. My coworkers understood my condition as I told them how everything worked. A lot of people couldn't even tell that I was on dialysis.

In June, my hard work paid off as I finally graduated from community college with my Associate of Science degree in graphic design. I felt this was a major thing considering all the pain I was going through this gave me a little confidence. It took me a while to do this by taking some semesters off to deal with my condition. My friends, and family supported me as I grabbed my diploma feeling determined of what I have to overcome next. Things were beginning to fall in place as I kept pushing to the limit challenging myself to do the best I can.