Some of you may recall we have a golden retriever named Dickens. He just turned two and continues to be a constant companion and delight to my wife and I. I only wish that more people could experience the warm and loving feelings that go along with associating with a golden. With this thought in mind, I turned to Poe and inquired about the advantages to someone on peritoneal dialysis in having a golden. This is what Poe had to say about it; pretty interesting. BTW, the lead graphic is of Dickens in the morning where he hangs out while we are having breakfast.

For those living with kidney disease and undergoing peritoneal dialysis, the daily routine of managing this treatment can often feel isolating and draining. However, many patients have found a unexpected source of comfort, companionship, and even medical benefits through an unlikely companion – the golden retriever.

Golden retrievers are well-known for their gentle, affectionate temperament and their innate desire to please their human companions. These traits make them particularly well-suited as service and therapy dogs, and increasingly, peritoneal dialysis patients are discovering the advantages of inviting one of these furry friends into their homes.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety
Undergoing dialysis can be an immensely stressful experience, both physically and emotionally. The constant monitoring of fluid levels, the disruption to daily routines, and the worry about long-term health can take a significant toll. Studies have shown that interacting with dogs can dramatically reduce stress and anxiety levels, thanks to the calming effect of petting a soft, furry animal and the release of feel-good hormones like oxytocin.

For peritoneal dialysis patients, having a golden retriever nearby during treatments can provide a welcome distraction and a source of comfort. The dog’s presence and unconditional love can help ease the mental strain of the dialysis process, allowing patients to feel more relaxed and focused on their well-being.

Improved Mobility and Exercise
Peritoneal dialysis patients are often advised to maintain an active lifestyle to support their overall health. However, the fatigue and physical limitations associated with kidney disease can make it challenging to incorporate sufficient exercise into their daily routines.

This is where a golden retriever can make a big difference. These energetic pups require regular walks and playtime, which can encourage their owners to get up and move around more frequently. Even gentle strolls around the neighborhood or light games of fetch can translate to meaningful physical activity for dialysis patients, helping to build strength, improve cardiovascular health, and promote better sleep.

Enhanced Social Connections
Kidney disease and dialysis can be incredibly isolating experiences, as patients may feel self-conscious about their condition or find it difficult to maintain social connections. Golden retrievers, with their friendly demeanor and eagerness to interact with people, can serve as social catalysts, helping their owners to meet new people and engage with their community.

Whether it’s striking up conversations with fellow dog owners at the park, joining a local pet-centric social group, or simply attracting the attention of passersby who want to give the dog some affection, a golden retriever can open up a world of new social opportunities for peritoneal dialysis patients. This increased sense of belonging and support can have a profoundly positive impact on mental health and overall well-being.

In conclusion, for peritoneal dialysis patients, a golden retriever can be far more than just a beloved pet – they can be a faithful companion, a therapeutic ally, and a gateway to a healthier, more connected life. By providing comfort, motivation, and social engagement, these furry friends can make a remarkable difference in the daily experiences of those managing kidney disease.

In the 1980 Star Wars, Yodi made the statement “Do or do not. There is no try.” In my approaching two years of Peritoneal Dialysis, I find this statement to be both true and inspiring. I turned to Poe for its insights in this area with the following results:

Here is how I would apply the Yoda quote “Do or do not. There is no try.” to patients on peritoneal dialysis:

For patients on peritoneal dialysis, this quote emphasizes the importance of diligence and commitment to their treatment regimen. Peritoneal dialysis requires patients to perform dialysis exchanges sometimes multiple times per day, every day, without fail. There is no “trying” to do the exchanges – the patient must simply do them, as prescribed by their nephrologist.

Patients cannot approach peritoneal dialysis with a half-hearted “I’ll try my best” mentality. They must fully commit to the process and “do” the exchanges as directed, without leaving room for “not doing” them. Missed or skipped exchanges can have serious health consequences for the patient.

The Yoda quote reminds peritoneal dialysis patients that dialysis is not optional – it is a necessary treatment that they must embrace and perform consistently. There is no in-between, no room for wavering. Patients must take ownership of their dialysis regimen and “do” it, without the possibility of “not doing” it.

This mindset of decisive action rather than indecision or half-measures is crucial for the success of peritoneal dialysis. Patients who embody Yoda’s words and fully commit to “doing” their dialysis exchanges will be more likely to experience positive outcomes and avoid complications from inadequate or missed treatments. The “do or do not” philosophy leaves no room for non-adherence.

Today at 0830 I am scheduled to meet with my PD team. My life as a PD patient has pretty much settled into a pattern with my biostats being almost constant and consistent, I feel good, and I’m getting lots of work done in the intense N. Texas heat. As I suggested in yesterday’s blog, my weight has more or less settled on 142.4 pounds, that being my reading for 10 of 15 past readings. My glucose readings are right in there also so what’s not to like?

My wife and I decided we are going to sod over the large former iris bed. See picture below. There is a stump of a redbud tree that we recently had cut down because it was dying that has to be taken out before we sod. I called the same company that recently trimmed our trees and they are coming out next Tuesday to grind the stump. Then I can finish grading the area in preparation for laying sod. One step at a time sweet Jesus.

I recently received a letter from the parent health organization of my kidney doctor. They suggest an annual Chronic Disease Management Visit for complete health screening is in order. They will assess my medical conditions, medicines, lab results, and other health information to support my care management for the rest of the year. They also suggest this will help with care coordination.

I talked about these meetings with my dialysis nurse, and some patients do it and others don’t. I am of the mind to schedule an appointment and see what happens. Who knows, it might be worthwhile.

Meanwhile, back home in North Texas, my wife and I finished weeding the former iris bed and have decided we are going to sod the area. This will result in one less flower bed to maintain. Yesterday I harvested our first crop of Roma tomatoes and one hot pepper. See lead photo.

Some observations about my biometrics for the last 13 days:

My weight has varied from a low of 141.6 to a high of 143,0 with the mode being 142.4 with 8 hits followed by 143.0 at 4 hits. So you can ascertain that I am staying in a very narrow pattern of weight. I am NOT on a diet, I more or less eat what I want within the constraints of being diabetic and on dialysis. I continue to work hard outside on our flower beds in which we are making progress.

During the same time frame, my blood pressure has ranged from a high of 123/74 to a low of 102/70. The actual systolic low has been 66. So once again, I am nailing it. AND I am taking NO blood pressure medications!

Lastly, my glucose has varied from a high of 109 to a low of 88 upon arising (fasting reading.) Once again, I’m nailing it. My GP and I have set the range we’d like to keep my glucose within of 50-150 and in general I’m there. On occasion, it may exceed 150, but soon drops to within range.

I have used only 1.5% solutions throughout the above timeframe for both my static fill and Cycler use. My microfiltration has ranged from 511 to 868 with an average more toward to high end.

I feel good, can work outside, and howl with the big dogs. What more could you ask for?

This past Friday I blogged about two occurrences of unprovoked Liberty Cycler Errors on the same usage evening. I’m more than glad to report that they have not reoccurred and all ops have been normal, at least for the Liberty Cycler. All users know from experience that the Liberty Cycler has a mind of its own, speaks its own language, and marches to its own drummer.

This brings up a somewhat related subject – that of the usage of fluid bags on the Cycler. Last Thursday I wrote a blog entitled “Dialysis Fluid Strength Considerations.” In this blog, I related that my dialysis nurse suggested only using as strong a dialysis mixture as required to maintain weight and BP. While this is all well and good, keeping an inventory of dialysis fluid on hand to support such an effort can become complex. For my last Fresensius delivery of supplies, I kinda split on 1.5% and 2.5% 6-liter bags. I am fast approaching a situation where I will not have enough 1.5% 6-liter bags to continue to support using two per day without resolution of my inventory.

Speaking of inventory, for the third time, Fresenius did not provide what I ordered. The last two times they shorted me was on cassettes, delivering none, nada, zip. I understand that from time to time they may run short of some items, but they do not give us a heads-up, intervene, or otherwise reach out. Of course, the local clinic has nothing to do with the branch of Fresenius that takes orders and provides supplies so their hands are tied. Hell of a way to run a railroad.

In my last blog entry I indicated I would post a walkaround of our yard so you can see for yourselves what we have been working on. See video below:

Today has been a day far removed from the shackles of dialysis. I accomplished a normal PD session and was finished and off the system, bed made, and all else accomplished by 0900. Our recent high school grad showed up on time and my wife put him to work. About 30 minutes later I had read the WSJ, had my breakfast, and started weeding one of our flower beds. Finished that some 2 hours later and went to work on yet another flower bed. I’ll post a picture of it tomorrow. Went to recycling to properly dispose of a week’s worth of PD-related cardboard boxes. Now I’m ready to start the shower, static fill, supper, TV, and bed routine all over again.

Life is good, and it’s hot and humid again in North Texas.

Thought I’d provide feedback on how my slightly modified PD routine is working out so far. As background, my wife and I have over 15 flower beds that require constant maintenance. While we have hired a college freshman to help us out, let’s face it, no one does it as well as we do. By noon or so the temps here in North Texas often are in the mid-nineties, which precludes us from working especially in the sun. So just about the only alternative is being able to go to work outside earlier which requires me to come off of PD earlier. I have been accomplishing this, the earliest so far has been 38 minutes, by increasing the dwell time of my static fill in the afternoon a like amount. We are “in” in the afternoon heat, so taking a shower, accomplishing my static fill, and setting up the Cycler is not a problem.

Thus far it has been working out for me and I’m feeling fine. BTW, I read books while I’m doing the static fill. The latest one I’m reading it named “The Women,” a story about a young woman who joined the Army as a nurse, did two tours in Vietnam, and lived to “tell about it.” You can view the Amazon link here:

Last night was a comedy of errors regarding my Liberty Cycler. To start off, upon initial setup, the cycler refused to acknowledge first that a 6 L bag was installed on the heater tray, then that an additional 6-liter bag was installed on white cap one, the first additional source of dialysis fluid. Most of you with experience have seen this happen and it’s usually caused by the bag cones not being properly “broken.” In the case last night, I broke them six ways from Sunday and ALSO changed out both bags to no avail. The Cycler just would not recognize that it in fact had not only bags, but adequate bags for my prescription.

I called the duty nurse who happened to be my dialysis nurse. I had been to labs and she suggested that perhaps I had not properly responded to the setup question as to what bag was installed on the heater tray. The only way out of this was to start all over. So I rebooted the cycler and this time it recognized the bags properly. Nothing was incorrect in the setup so it leads me to the conclusion that the Cycler had a glitch in the initial setup, a first for me

So everything went as it should during the night until it didn’t. At about 6 AM on the last fill, I was awakened to a loud “Stop” alarm telling me in red that there was not enough fluid in the heater tray bag. Well, there was no fluid in it per usual but plenty in the bag on line one, the second bag. It was not full so some had been used out of it during the night. I set and reset the alarm three times before I swapped out the empty heater tray bag for the second bag and the Cycler immediately started pumping 77 F fluid into my stomach liner. Felt a little weird but at least it went on. I finished my treatment without any more excitement.

So is it the Cycler, the cassette, or ?? I debated calling “tech support” but concluded that although I would be documenting Cycler faults, after spending large amounts of my time on the phone answering inane questions there would be no resolution. However, if it happens tonight, stand by.