Diabetes and Dialysis #14

Another month has gone by and Christmas is just a few weeks away. Most of the shopping is done and we go to get our tree tomorrow.

I am just a big kid and I love Christmas. I love the tree, and by the way it MUST be a live one. Ain't no plastic tree in my house. Our family has always favored long needle pines. My dad liked white pines. In North Carolina we used to go out in the woods and cut one down. Usually they were yellow pines but we loved them all the same.

For the first time in ages I have trains in my house for Christmas. I even have a set of trains on my desk at work! The things relax me. Always have. I can turn them on and just sit there and watch them go around and around. I guess it's my substitute for NASCAR. The things are always turning left. :)

On the dialysis front I have started taking binders for my phosphorus. Not real high but I like keepings things in the normal range on all my blood work.

Also they have started using the access in my arm. The last five treatments they have used the lower arm access only. I asked yesterday about getting rid of this hole in my chest, otherwise known as the chest catheter. I guess the problem is that there are only two people at my center who can stick me with two needles with any regularity. Until the rest of the nurses can do it the hole will remain. So it will probably be after Christmas before I see the end of the thing. But I swear when they do take this thing out I am going to sit under the hot water in the shower for a week. I might just sit there for a "month of Sundays". Now there is a saying you never hear any more.

As far as the diabetes goes I think I need to have a long conversation with good ole Mr. Diabetes. I would call it Mrs. Diabetes but I would make my female readers mad.

Only those of us who have the "condition" (as so many of my co-workers call it) could understand having a disease where what works perfectly one day won't necessarily work the next. Just about the time I think I have this whole carb to insulin ratio thing figured out I find out just how wrong I am.

If I don't take humalog before diner I will go to bed over 200 and wakeup in the morning darn near as high. If I do take it then one hour later I am into the OJ and peanut butter. The magic point seems to be two units. More I go low, less I go high and if I go with two units it splits about 50-50.

I honestly think I need one of those people to come buy and make sure the safety bar is down and my seat belt is buckled before the ride starts. At the very least I guess I need to make sure that my tray table is in the closed and locked position.

As I come to the conclusion of this blog post let me take this opportunity to once again thank all of you that read this.

Also, for those that celebrate Christmas may I just say Merry Christmas to your and yours from all of us here in Vicksburg, MS.

If you don't celebrate Christmas but you get December 25th off then find a Christian and thank them.

I'll probably get comments for that last remark.

God bless each of you.

Sparky