@gingerw, thanks for asking!

Feeling a bit better after a very rough morning of headache, dizziness, nausea.

I have known my surgeon for years, he's one of the best. He wants to do a right-sided permacath next Tues so I can have dialysis the next day. Then a week later he'll do a left arm AV fistula for longer-term dialysis. He explained his techiques in detail and said he wants me under general anesthesia while he stitches vein to artery. I was right, my veins are very small but he's evolvd a technique to compensate for it.

I saw him early this morning then had to go to the hospital for pre-op stuff - ekg, more lab work, anesthesia consult, etc. I'm wiped out but less anxious.

I finally found out why the runaround and the delays in treatment - Medicare won't pay for hospital dialysis, only for dialysis at an approved cllinic but because there are hoops to jump through before Medicare will pay for the pre-dialysis surgery, it takes awhile to get everything in place. I told my surgeon I hoped I was still alive by then. He laughed then got serious and said it was his opinion and the nephrologist's opiniion that I was stable enough for now but if I started feeling worse to go to ER and page him.

I reminded him of some of the pranks he pulled on us during my student nursing days and he pled guilty. I told him I forgave him, LOL, but he owed me one.

I feel a nap coming on soon. . .