Marilee Here - Thanks for Letting Me Join

[Marilee]

Hi Everyone, and thanks for letting me join the group.
I'm not a kidney patient, but my hubby is. His kidneys were damaged by high blood pressure that resisted all attempts at being lowered. The good news there is that he doesn't also have diabetes. If it weren't for the damaged kidneys, he'd be pretty healthy for a 70+ year-old person.
My hubby started Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) nearly a year ago, so this has been a year of transition and stress (as you all well know, eh?).
So far, so good. He had a difficult start because the catheter was misplaced: Had to have a second surgery and even that didn't help, so usually he has to sit up for the machine to drain without complaining of "Patient Low Flow".
My job is as his 'support staff': I keep the supplies ordered and organized, I keep the place clean, I manage our diet.
The best things about PD is that he has more energy to do his hobbies (way better than the year before it began, when he was sleeping 12-16 hours a day), and we can carry supplies with us and do our own treatments when we travel. We are also blessed to have a fine team at our local VA Hospital to help us manage his PD and his health.
But we are the only people we know on dialysis, so it's a little lonesome, a little isolating. I'm here to be able to share what I've learned, ask questions that are outside the realm of what the medical staff deals with, and generally get better at this life style.
So thanks for letting me be a part of the community. .
Marilee

[kickingandscreaming]

Welcome tp IHD.  I too am a 70+ year old who is doing PD.  I also needed to do a do-over for my catheter. but it now works well.  I do wish I had a wife to take care of all th drudge work connected to PD (I'm a woman.)  I look forward to reading more about you.

[LorinnPKD]

You are doing great work, Marilee!  All your effort is making this go more smoothly for your husband and it's so valuable.

So glad you found the forum!

[Paul]

 
Hello Marilee, welcome to the site.

It is nice to see someone sounding so organised and upbeat. I'm sure you are a tower of strength to your husband.

[MooseMom]

We are glad you're here.  We're here for your husband, too!

[cassandra]

Welcome to the site Marilee


   


Take care, Cas

[Charlie B53]

Hi Marilee!

Welcome to IHD.  You might be surprised how many members are Caregivers for another Family member so you fit right in just fine.

I was fortunate that PD worked so well for my first 3 1/2 years, until I slipped and 'touched' an open fitting making a connection.  It was soo slight I didn't even notice that I did it.  But the resulting infection from Hell woke me up only a few hours later.  At first I thought it was only Drain Pain.  But it didn't go away when I filled.  And it kept getting worse by the hour.

So make double sure all hands are CLEAN and very careful making all connections.  He doesn't need to find out just how bad it can get.

And also be sure to tell him that I'd have lost my legs, twice, and been dead more than just a few times, if it wasn't for the VA Hospital.   They've been very good for me since 75.

Take Care,

Charlie B53

[Marilee]

Thanks for so many welcomes!
Charlie, I shared your words with my hubby (it sounds like you both spent time in Viet Nam - he was deployed 5 times): We're so glad you got to keep your legs. But also sorry about the "infection from Hell": Your story is more compelling than the sanitation guide from Baxter and will echo in our heads as we wash our hands.
KickingandScreaming, it's great to meet another person with so much in common - a dog-lover even (we live with three these days).

[Jean]

Hi Marilee and welcome to the site. We have so much on this site, we could write a book, so feel free to ask. Not me, of course, but many others. Good luck to you and your Hubby and feel free to ask.

Jean