Last night’s Cycler performance did not fail us; it did however fail. I received the same drain alarm on the cycle 1 drain as during the previous night’s usage. The above Cycler screenshot of detailed “My Records” shows cycle 0 had a drain as predicted yesterday. Going down the columns, All cycle fill volumes, as are the times, are reasonable. The dwell time, supposed to be 120 minutes/2 hrs, is inconsistent. Why was cycle 1 133 minutes? Regarding drains, note that the first three drains left fluid in my gut, thus the negative UF (Ultra Filtration, negative indicates fluid left it, positive taken out) readings. Note especially the last drain of 3178 taking 29 minutes. I was up and moving around during this drain, probably resulting in it being quite large and positive. Something is not right in Dialysisville.
In a March 22, 2023 article in SciTechDaily linked here, there was an interesting research report titled “Stay Sharp: Healthy Lifestyle Linked to Slower Memory Decline in Older Adults”
The researchers found that each individual healthy behavior (healthy diet, regular exercise, active social contact, cognitive activity, non-smoking, and never drinking alcohol) was associated with a slower-than-average decline in memory over ten years after accounting for other health, economic, and social factors. A healthy diet, cognitive activity, and physical exercise strongly affected slowing memory decline.
Since cognitive impairment is of central concern to dialysis patients, the research strongly suggests eating right, using your brain, and doing physical exercise. However, we all know this, right? Getting it done is another matter.
The second research article I recently read has to do with the Widowhood Effect. With the widowhood effect, older adults grieving a spouse’s death have an increased mortality risk compared to those whose spouses are living. This effect has even been documented by researchers. A 2013 study that appeared in the Journal of Public Health showed that people had a 66% higher risk of dying within the first 90 days of losing their spouse. This discovery held true for both men and women.
An article on March 22, 2023, in Time BY HALEY WEISS titled “Losing a Spouse Makes Men 70% More Likely to Die Within a Year,” found that Gender and Age were two of the most influential risk factors for the widowhood effect. So if you are on Dialysis and want to beat the odds of dying within 4.5 years of going on the treatment, take good care of your spouse else you are a dead duck.
By the way, our goose is still in her nest in one of our gutters. Many people are interested in her activities up and down our street.
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