Common new patient question

[Michael Murphy]

I was sitting on my dialysis throne last Friday and I heard some one a couple of chairs over ask were we off Memorial Day right? The nurse broke the bad news to the newbie that there are thre holidays in dialysis thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  Then I heard a gasp from the newbie and I flashed back 5 years to when I asked the same question and learned the horrible fate I was now bound to.  Dialysis is not a treatment it’s a lifelong commitment.  Then I realized that question and answer bound dialysis patients to a brotherhood and sisterhood of dialysis patients.  I figure most of us have asked the same question and gasped at the answer.

[Charlie B53]

Our Fresenius Clinic just shifted our schedules for each Holiday.  Instead of MWF we came in SunTTh instead.

As I was told, "We don't skip treatments."

On very rare occasion they would cut time so to squeeze more people through, but everyone gets some treatment.

NO totally skipping treatment.

They did provide a light Renal Friendly Holiday meal.

[GA_DAWG]

No July 4th holiday either.

[Marilee]

My dear hubby, after about a week of doing PD at home, got this far-away look in his eyes and said, "I'll be doing this every day for the rest of my life. No weekends off, no holidays."
I tried to lighten the mood by comparing it to making meals every day, but there's just no comparison. Dialysis is the oddest combination of feelings! It feels like both a blessing and a trap.

[Michael Murphy]

That’s what I felt when I heard the question, I flashed back 5 years when I aske exactly the same question got the same answer and probably had the same look on my face.  The strange thing is how the question binds the community, almost every one has asked the question and probably had the same reaction.  People who have not participated in this process as a spouse, caregiver, or patient don’t have a clue of the endless commitment this treatment requires.

[Paul]

thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

Well you are luckier than us in Britain, we don't get thanksgiving. And I don't call the other two a holiday, because we have to do an extra shift the following day (really hurts here because the day after Christmas day is also a public holiday that we have to dialyse on). Also those of us who go away to distant relatives over Christmas have a desperate rush to get back in time for dialysis the next day, I was lucky this year, they let me move to the late (6pm) session, if they hadn't I have had to spend Christmas alone in my tiny apartment.

[Paul]

Although to be fair, doing public holidays is no biggie for me. I spent several years working in retail. Shops are busiest on public holidays, so everyone has to work all public holidays except Christmas day. For me getting New Year's day off from dialysis is a bonus!

[Riki]

We only get Christmas Day and New Year's Day too.  They move the days around so that everyone can have those days off.  We were always able to schedule my dialysis in way that we could visit with my grandmother in Nova Scotia for Christmas Day.

[GA_DAWG]

Like Paul, I always had to work a few hours, at least, on holidays, except Christmas, and I always scheduled my vacation between Christmas and New Years so I was off both of those days. That part is not that hard, but the fact you are so tired following dialysis as to not be able to enjoy a holiday afterward is the hard part.

[Michael Murphy]

Actually over the years I worked many holidays doing systems work.  Most upgrades occur over holiday weekends to allow a extra day in case of problems.  It just wasn’t every one like dialysis requires.  Plus holiday pay was always triple time.  Work on holidays paid for a lot of toys over the years.