I'm in the Funny Papers!

Well, now the whole USA can bask in the glory that is Michelle Adams-Walton, because I have made USA Today! My own countrymen may take notice of me-- goodness knows the Dutch have been paying attention *waving at my fans in Dutchland* hehehe.

I have been concentrating on graduating from grad school and remodeling the house my husband inherited, and have tried to stay away from the raging healthcare debate. I can't believe some of the dumbass commercials that are being run by the anti-reform people. They must think Americans are retarded.

Whooops! Maybe collectively we are more retarded than I gave us credit for-- er... if you believe that Obama is advocating for death squads and all that garbage, you must not be too bright. Anyway, I'll need to take more blood pressure meds before I jump into that fray. Oh, and I probably should stay away from my favorite dialysis discussion board, because it's probably getting stupid there, and the conservatives who were going bonkers during the election are probably spreading their half-truths and no-truths again.

Argh!

Anyhoo...great article by Rita Rubin. Check it out.

And if you want an autographed pic, just let me know. I'm sure we can set up something through PayPal. hehehe.

Something new...

More shameless plugs.

The woman who cannot drink to her heart's delight is now a wine consultant-- for Wine Shop at Home. Here's my redirect site: http://www.mywinegoddess.com . It'll be fun, though. And I can get away with sipping/tasting wine. Just because I have access doesn't mean that I have to guzzle the stuff.

Though, when it comes to milk...I just can't resist. I bought a quart of milk on the way home from dialysis this morning, and I was so nectarized that I was weeving and bobbing on the highway.

Oh milk! Oh milk! How I love you! One day I'm going to have a new kidney and drink drink drink all the milk I want!

Well, I have something else to promote-- my new blog, http://www.bitchfactor10.blogspot.com . Because I need just one more place to let it all hang, ya know? I've only had the site for a few days, but I've found quite a few things to bitch about. Well, there's never an a lack of that in my life. But I think most of the time it'll be justified-- especially if things go the way I think they are going to go.

Sorry for being cryptic, but if you start reading the new blog, you'll probably understand.

Or just think I'm batshit crazy.

Which I am.

But you know you like me like that. *smile*

Michelle/Treasure is going nitey nite.

Paging Dr. Nads

Oh, I don't know why I chose that title, but perhaps it grabbed your eye.

I have done dialysis in quite a few places. In a regular old dialysis unit, in a creepy dark dialysis unit, in my bedroom and livingroom. If I had held on to my NxStage I would have done dialysis parachuting out of a plane, or some such.

One of my favorite places to do dialysis, though, is in a hospital. I hate being in the hospital, but their dialysis units kinda rock. And even if you do dialysis in your hospital room, it still kinda rocks. 

For one thing, there's usually fewer patients, or just you, if you have dialysis in your hospital room.  The timing is more flexible-- you may get it really early in the day, or late at night.  They feed you while you're having your treatment-- and no, I don't usually puke from eating on dialysis (just when they pull off too much fluid).

A couple things are icing on the cake for me when I do have dialysis in the hospital-- a call button and getting to lie down in the hospital bed and  take a nap during the treatment.

I'm sure you're bored stiff with my dialysis chair woes. But really, sleeping while you're doing nocturnal dialysis is important. If I don't get enough sleep, it's bitch factor 10 (shameless plug for my new blog, www.bitchfactor10.blogspot.com) I can actually sleep in a hospital bed, if I lay it completely flat and have pillows in the right places.  I think it would be great to have hospital beds in the nocturnal units, so I'm going to make a big push for that.

A rep from a company that makes medical furniture mentioned hospital beds for nocturnal dialysis a few months ago, and I'm just now following up on that.  It maybe too late to make changes at the unit where I am now, but Corporate may be considering new spot.

Anyhoo...here's an image of the bed the rep mentioned to me. Do you think something like this would work in a nocturnal unit?

That's a pretty spiffy looking hospital bed to me. Though, in that shot, it looks like a Transformer-- More than meets the eye!   It looks light weight enough to be moved around.  And I think they'd be great for bed races, whee! Hmmm, well, we'll see, it might be too late, as I said, because the current unit just acquired some pads like they use for nappy time at day care centers.

Some day I will get to design the perfect nocturnal dialysis unit-- or even just the perfect conventional dialysis unit. Until then, I will continue to bitch and moan here. hehehe.