Nephrology News & Issues August issue
http://www.nephronline.com/nephnewsPatient empowerment - Angels among usLooking back on a life lived on dialysis, there are many angels who have smoothed my road. By Judy Weintraub.
Joel and I had just begun unpacking our stuff. It was our first trip together as a newly-married couple. Getting settled in the room has a degree of excitement to it when it involves nocturnal hemodialysis treatments with the NxStage machine. I had the theme from Mission Impossible playing in my head as we scanned the layout of the room and re-configured the furniture to suit our needs. The set-up was going smoothly until we realized that in our state of marital bliss we had forgotten to pack the I V pole. The resort was less than two hours from our home in Los Angeles and Joel thought he might have to drive home. The idea of holding sixty liters of dialysate solution didn’t seem like a good option.
After dialyzing for more than thirty-two years and having experience with both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, I knew this was an opportunity for a little problem solving. Forgetting the fistula needles would be a tough one. An IV pole, we can improvise. Joel called the front desk and explained the situation. Within minutes we received a call back that they would be able to secure an IV pole from a local medical supplier within three days. Not quite. I asked for the head of the gardening or maintenance department. Looking at the beautiful grounds, I knew there was probably lots of PVC pipe lying around.
That was when Ben entered our lives. As an on-site engineer, he was used to handling calls about broken toilets. When he knocked on our door, he didn’t realize he was about to receive a quick education on renal replacement therapy and the wonders of nocturnal home hemodialysis. His eyes lit up as he bent over the rear bracket measuring the diameter of the opening for the pole. Not only did he find a substitute pole for us, but he experimented until he created a customized pole of collapsible galvanized aluminum (perfect for travel) and fitted with a thumbscrew to attach the carousal that holds the bags. No tools needed for assembly!
It’s angels like Ben who make things happen in our lives. Their presence puts the sparkle in my life. When I think back on the angels that have helped me in my life with dialysis, it’s the angels who have smoothed the road for me. The two nurses who taught me how to cannulate myself in a Bronx pediatric unit in the seventies. The nurse who was my mentor and guide to a wonderful twelve-year run with PD. The anything’s possible nurse who initiated a nocturnal dialysis program at her facility because she believed in its potential and in mine. And the doctor who evolved into one of my closest and trusted friends and supporters. In an age of mega-dialysis corporations, we need those angels now more than ever.
Judy Weintraub lives in Marina del Rey, California with her husband and kitty, and is a member of NN&I's editorial advisory board.
I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Author
