Hello from Alabama

[Farmzoid]

Hello everyone,
   It was very nice to find this site.  I have been lurking for a few days then decided to join.  You have some interesting and talented members here.  I hope I can hold up
as well as you fine people have.  I have been fighting ESRD for 2-3 years and finally had to start hemo in July of 2011.  I had my PD surgery in December , 2011 so I should
start PD in January.  I am looking forward to going on PD.  I was very depressed (which I assume is usual) at first and angry that my body had let me down.  I had a rewarding job
as a Programmer in a large machine shop and I enjoyed the traveling that went with the job as well as working with customers all over the USA meeting their needs.  The pay was
good and I really liked the work.  As my kidneys started to fail, I was missing more and more time from work.  Was in hospital for 10-12 days at a time about every other month.
My company was very good to me and had me on medical leave as long as I needed to be there.  But it got to the point that I had to do dialysis three times a week.  I could do hemo
or work.  Since the dialysis had to come first, I was officially retired from work the next day after receiving my disability papers from SS.  Thirty six years of work at one place is hard to
walk away from.  I hated this disease for destroying my life and ruining everything I had worked hard for.

   But, when one door closes, another one opens.  There is a bright side to my situation.  I feel better today than I have in the last 15 years.  I have lost 80 pounds and can physically
get around better than ever.  I am seeing Doctors and Nurses on a weekly basis and they are monitoring everything.  Pretty good health care to be almost free.  I always wanted to retire
at 55.  I did not expect it to happen like this, but that's the way it worked out.  My wonderful wife is still employed and between her insurance and Medicare, almost all the bills are paid.
With PD I hope to start traveling again.  My In-Laws love to go cruising to Mexico and like to take a week off to hit Las Vegas.  I have never been able to go with them but now, things are looking up.  I have a 5 year old Kawasaki motorcycle that I used to go riding with my buddies in N.C.  Had to call it off for the last three years.  We are planning a large get together
in May of 2012 and I have already booked hotel rooms.  When I retired, I received my retirement funds and 401K from work.  So I am able to pay everything off and still have some savings in an IRA.  Wife still has all her retirement funds at her workplace so they can continue to grow for the next ten years or so.  So to recap, I have my health back, I am able to travel (soon), I can still drive myself to and from dialysis, I have a small paycheck coming in, the sweet Wife is still employed, both of my boys have finished college and moved out and then I stumble across this fine board with more than enough information to make me pretty sure that PD is going to work for me.  I must be the luckiest man in the world.

My screen name Farmzoid is from an old science fiction movie "Mars Attacks".  I have nothing to do with harvesting crops.  Just thought the name is kind of neat.

Sorry to ramble on, just glad to be here.

Thanks for listening.

Joe
 

[willowtreewren]

Hey, Joe,

No need to apologize for rambling. We LIKE long intros!

If you've been lurking for a few days, you have had a chance to get to know many of us and your intro lets us get to know you better. 

 

Wow! 80 pounds! That is incredible!   

My husband also felt years younger after starting dialysis. He didn't realize just how lousy he was feeling beforehand! The decline was so gradual.

If your PD doesn't do the trick for you, you might consider home hemo. That's what we did, with NxStage. We continued to travel and work. But I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that PD is the ticket for you! 

Welcome to IHD!

Aleta

[Joe]

Hey there Joe, welcome to IHD!  Hope PD turn out to be what you are looking for, I really like the freedom it gives me. Look forward to hearing more from you.

[Rerun]

Hi Joe and welcome to IHD.  I'm so glad you found us.  The first part of your intro was like reading my own biography.  Exactly what happened to me.  I loved my job but could not do both job and dialysis well so one had to give.  So, now I volunteer at my old job and they think I'm nuts but what do they want for nothing.  Only 2 hours on Tuesday and Thursday.  Just to get out of the house.  And on Wednesdays I volunteer at a first grade class for 3 hours plus I keep all the pencils sharp.  Keeps me busy and feel productive.

Stay strong.  I think PD is the right move.

Rerun, Moderator    

[hubbyhatesdialysis]

  Welcome!! I am new here too!

[Farmzoid]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and warm welcome.

I feel like I have discovered some long lost relatives.

It makes things a little easier knowing others have been down the same road before.

Joe

[lmunchkin]

Welcome Joe.  So glad you found this site too!  My hubby worked while on PD for years, then in Jan 2011, he stopped.  I still work though, and come home and do NxStage on him.   I believe PD will work great for you.  As long as you are at home. Alot of people here still go in-center, cause that is what works best for them.  Home works better for us!  At least we have all options available to us.  Can you get a transplant?

Again welcome & God Bless,
lmunchkin
 

P.S. What kind of Kawaski do you have?

[Lovebelle]

Welcome to IHD! I am hoping PD works well for you because it can provide an opportunity for you to travel. The first thing I did when I started PD was book a 4 night cruise. While my cabin was cramped with all my stuff, I had an awesome time and was thankful I was in a position where I could do that. Good Luck to you with everything

[Poppylicious]

  Joe!