July 14, 2008

I got to dialysis today and pulled out Mount Coot-tha. Then I realized I didn't take a picture last night or this morning, so if I were to stitch on it it'd be the third day in a row without a picture. I just couldn't bring myself to mess up my blog system, so I put my Q-Snaps back in my stitching bag and watched Little House on the Prarie. After one episode (Hallmark Channel shows two episodes back to back every afternoon) I turned off the television and read my book while using my iPod to drown out the noise from all the alarms.

Today was access flow studies, where they use a special type of tubing to compute the efficiency of each patient's dialysis access. Mine was 642 and they want it to be over 600 so I'm okay right now! Last month it was 128 and that was right before my third surgery when they replaced the calcified part of my graft.

I got even more good news about my bloodwork after I found out the access flow number. My phosphorus is a whole point under the upper limit for an acceptable blood phosphorus level. Taking the pills out of the capsules has helped my system dissolve them and thereby allowed the calcium acetate to bind to the phosphorus in the foods I eat much more than when I took the pills while they were still inside the capsules. The calcium binding to the phosphorus stops the phosphorus from being absorbed into my bloodstream.

Dairy, especially cheese, is the highest in phosphorus and I'm a cheese addict. I can eat a whole 8oz block of cheddar with an apple, no problem; it's a big problem for my phosphorus level, though. However, I've figured out how to get around that, and I've proven it by dropping my phosphorus from 7.6 to 4.5 in 2 weeks. I allow myself to eat all the Stouffer's Mac & Cheese, string cheese, and any other cheese I want from after bloodwork is drawn on Wednesday at dialysis until Satruday night. I don't eat cheesy foods from Sunday morning until Wednesday before dialysis. It beats the heck out of only eating 2oz of cheese a week, because I just couldn't do it! One of my nephrologists said it wasn't fair that I've learned how to beat the system, but my dietician and another nephro said it's better for me because they don't have to adjust my supplements as much.

I didn't get much done stitching-wise this evening. My arm was a little sore from my treatment today and I was doing alot of email and IM writing. Tomorrow is my "day off" so I expect to make noticable progress then.