Blood is Thicker than Water . . . but It Still Makes a Mess

Hello, blog followers!  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything.

Things at dialysis have been interesting.  A few weeks ago, I had my time reduced again to three and a half hours.  I was originally at four.  It makes a huge difference!  My labs have been really good, including the one that shows how well the dialysis is working.  That is the one that determines how long you're on the machine.  Well, because they reduced my time, I screwed up the timing in my "pod".  So, I was moved to another chair.  I wasn't sure I would like this new spot, but it's turning out to be a good change, I think.  I'm in the middle of the room, and I can't see what's going on behind me, but I'm sitting next to a man who likes to talk and is quite funny.  He makes the time pass a lot more quickly.  He's sort of the "class clown".  He has his quiet moments, too, so he's not annoying.

I had a scary moment yesterday on my way home from dialysis.  At the end of dialysis, when they take out the needles, you have to hold pressure on the bandages to stop the bleeding.  It usually takes me about four or five minutes.  You are sent out the door with gauze taped to your arm.  Well, as I was driving home, I sneezed a couple of times.  Before I knew it, I felt blood running down my arm.  Lots of blood.  While I was driving.  Yeah.  So, I had to drive with the bleeding arm while holding pressure on it with my other arm.  :)  I turned off on a side road and stopped for a while.  I couldn't put the car in park, because I didn't want to let up on the pressure on my arm.  So, foot on the brake, right arm holding left arm.  Do the hokey pokey . . .

I had been stopped a few minutes, when all of a sudden a woman approached my car with a roll of paper towels asking if I needed help.  Yes.  :)  She gave me a few paper towels, and then she just handed me the whole roll.  I had parked across the street from a beauty salon, and she happened to notice me.  She was very helpful.  It's nice to be reminded that there are kind and concerned people in the world.

Well, I got the bleeding stopped.  I was going to run a few errands after dialysis, but I thought that people might be grossed out to see me walking around covered in blood.  So, I went home to try to get the stains out of my clothes and wash up.  It's amazing how much blood can spurt out of you in such a short time.  Glad I didn't panic.  Oh, and I actually got the stains out with a couple of soaks, washes and multiple stain seekers and detergents.  :)