Hi @rosemarya and @pegalini Thank you for bringing me into the discussion. Yes, I do have a hemodialysis fistula on my left arm. But a miracle occurred!
One month before I was scheduled to start dialysis, Mayo called me at 2am in the morning that they "had a kidney match!" So I never actually started dialysis.
However, my mother is 85 years old and she has been on dialysis for three years so far.
She goes Monday, Wednesday and Friday for three hour treatments in the morning. She entertains herself with reading, watching TV and messaging me and her friends. Also, the nursing staff is lovely and they chat with my mother and she loves them as good friends!
I pick her up from her treatments and we have lunch together and then she takes a nap. The next day she wakes up feeling great and ready to go do something. 😊
She is very grateful for the dialysis technology and "over-the-moon" about my kidney transplant!
Backstory....I was named after my Mom's uncle that passed away from kidney failure at the age of 30 because both dialysis and transplant were not available as medical solutions yet.
I am so thankful that science and medical technology has given my mother and me a chance to live and spend time with each other, our family and our friends.
We are grateful to feel the sunshine on our faces and a cool breeze. A priceless gift of life.
If you have any questions, I am happy to share whatever I know about my experience or my mother's experience on dialysis.
Love to you ❤