You know you love a kidney patient when...

[okarol]

You know you love a kidney patient when...

You know what GFR, BUN and creatinine mean.

You get excited when you find a "renal friendly" recipe.

You have a tan line from your green rubber 'Donate Life' bracelet.

[Kitty Cat]

Also, when you're with them at dialysis and you can read AND understand the machine! LOL

[Rerun]

When you smother them with a pillow!

                OOPS! 

                                 

[okarol]

You know you love a kidney patient when...

You 'follow' people named RenalStuff, kidneyquest and NxStageUsers on twitter.

Your last weekend away was to the American Society of Nephrology Conference.

[Meinuk]

You don't even know how to cook with salt

You stare at their ankles discretely to see if they are underdialyzed

You worry about their fistula when they cut their hand

You jump out of bed when you hear beep beep

You pretend not to notice when they just have to have fries and a shake

You secretly wonder if they have taken their meds, and check the bottles when they are in the shower.

You can tell when they are faking not feeling well to get out of something, and you know when they are faking feeling well in order to do something - and you let them get away with both anyway.

You secretly study everything you can about their disease, but you act dumb when they explain something to you.

You lay awake at night terrified about how alone you will feel if something happened to them, and you cry.

[CharmedMist]

You lay awake at night terrified about how alone you will feel if something happened to them, and you cry.

been there...



When you...

Feel guilty for feeling tired.

Have doctors tell you "you should go into the medical field."

Realize your entire life is centered in dialysis.

Stop going "out with friends" to stay home and do dialysis nightly.

[looneytunes]

When you....

make 3 trips to the pharmacy in a week (because they won't let you refill even a day early)

you do all the shopping alone while your loved one is impatiently waiting in the parking lot

[MooseMom]

...seeing little blood stains on their clothing and bed linens no longer freaks you out.

...you start arguing with their nephrologist.

...you find phosphorus jokes funny...and you understand WHY they're funny.

...you start making up phosphorus jokes yourself.

...you compare fistulas.

...you compare fistulas and award prizes.

...you refer them to IHD.

[-Lady Noir-]

You lay awake at night terrified about how alone you will feel if something happened to them, and you cry.

Oh how i know that feeling! 


.. You know their medical history better than they do

[cariad]

My husband has never shown any signs of real worry or drive to learn about kidney failure (though he has picked up a lot of medical knowledge on the fly), but I think he could add "You are voluntarily minus one perfectly healthy kidney" to this list.

[okarol]

"You are voluntarily minus one perfectly healthy kidney" to this list.

 

[boswife]

oh my goodness!!!!... you all DO know how we all feel...I laughed and i cried through reading this..........what an amazing group!!

[Fox_nc]

When you get admitted to the hospital and the entire staff on the kidney floor knows you and your entire family

When you go to the pharmacy and don't have to tell anyone your name

[Kitty Cat]

I second that Fox nc!!! That happens every single time! Plus the staff at the hopsital remembered that our daughter was expecting a baby and all gathered to see pics when she finally had him! When my hubby goes in for surgery on the 13th, I've already got his brag book packed for them to see updated pics from when she and the baby were here. lol 

[GrammasGirl]

I'm new to all this- here for my Gramma....but can I add:

you know the taste, smell, consistency, color, price, calories/ protein/phos/potass/salt mg of every single solid protein drink/shake in the free world, where to find each one and how late/early each store is open!

...and now after reading so many posts form all of you, I can add:

 "he was diagnosed" reads "we was diagnosed" and "DH had surgery" reads DH & I had surgery" to my worn eyeballs!

I find myself talking that way to Dr's and concerned friends, "we ate about 2 bites of dinner", "we had a hard time sleeping"...it is really Gramms having all these troubles- I am just her shadow- but I feel like I experience these things, too... ( I think I have exhaustion babble happening! I'll shut up now!)

[CharmedMist]

 "he was diagnosed" reads "we was diagnosed" and "DH had surgery" reads DH & I had surgery" to my worn eyeballs!

Yes!!

[boswife]

"he was diagnosed" reads "we was diagnosed" and "DH had surgery" reads DH & I had surgery" to my worn eyeballs!"

Again soooooooooo funny...  Im always saying.....WE this and WE that..  It truly is a "WE" thing isnt it..





EDITED - Quote Error Fixed - Bajanne, Moderator

[Fox_nc]

... you can pour out exactly one weeks worth of pills (regardless of dosage) without counting to refil your pill box.

I caught myself doing this this week and laughed out loud - 7, 14, 28 - didn't matter - I poured a weeks worth without counting every time.  Guess I just know what a weeks worth looks like now ... not sure if I'm happy about that or not ....

[Brightsky69]

My BF went from almost pucking when i first told him about me going on PD to now getting rid of my drain bags each morning and laying next to me when i do manual exchanges.

He's toughen up!!

[silverhead]

When in the dark of night you can reach out to that tabletop LOADED with various medications and without a problem pick out the nausea or cramp med to give her. And spend hours re-arranging them after the visiting Nurse or Doctor goes through them and never places them back in the correct "position".........

How about the confusion you feel for a couple of weeks when you hand her her morning or evening meds and things do not look quite right because the pharmacy has changed suppliers of a certain med and the pill is a different shape or color, you just know something isn't right........

[looneytunes]

when you check the labels at a convenience store to see how much sodium/potassium/phosphates are in the snack YOU crave 

[-Lady Noir-]

when you check the labels at a convenience store to see how much sodium/potassium/phosphates are in the snack YOU crave 

 

I do that! Hehehehe

[breezysummerday]

.... you can do the pounds to kilo ratio in a blink of an eye

[dialysismomma]

when you get up at 4 am just to make sure he is awake for treatment and worry the whole time he is gone because he wont let you go and have to sit there for for hours...

When he hollars your name and you drop what ever you are doing and run to see what he needs even if he is in the other room and you can see him.

When he wakes you up because he leg is cramping and you are happy to get up and help rub the cramp out.

When you can only sleep if you hear his fistula swishing in your ear

[aharris2]

...when he's running a fever because of some bug "the kids" brought home...
AND YOU'RE HAPPY because it sure beats the other reasons a dialysis patient might be running a fever!