Tag Archives: hospital

Hashtag #wearenotwaiting . . .

Posted on July 2, 2015 by kns544

Saw this hashtag maybe a month ago and was elated. It was being used by patients like me. Although I did not see this as giving me permission to advocate at a new level, I certainly felt good to know … Continue reading →

Posted in Message, Musings, Progress, The Bigger Picture | Tagged 9 to 5 vs. 24 hours, advocacy, advocate, bureacracy, Canada, chronic illness, Chronic Kidney Disease, clinicians, control, death, defibrillator, dialysis, dialysis machine, dialysis schedule, doctor, doctors, empowered patients, energy, exercise, experience, family, fear, friends, goals, gym, Gym Schedule, happy, hashtag, health, healthy, heart disease, hemodialysis, home dialysis, Home Hemodialysis, hope, hospital, illness, Inspiration, journey, kidney, kidney disease, kidney failure, kidney transplant, Kingston, Lesson, Life, love, medicine, message, Mom, MPP, new kidney, nurse, NxStage, patient, patient experience advising, patient experience advisor, peace, personal, perspective, plan, progress, proud, public speaking, quality of life, research, sad, sick to fit journey, strong, success, support, surgeon, thankful, time, transplant, travel, we're not waiting, work, Writing | Leave a comment

Open Letter to my Diseases . . .

Posted on June 24, 2015 by kns544

Dear Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Anemia and friends . . . We’re cool, ultimately. Not because I am happy to live with you all but because I had to make peace with you, since we met (in my teenage … Continue reading →

Posted in Message, Musings, The Bigger Picture | Tagged advocacy, advocate, aggressive dialysis, ambulance, anemia, anger, author, balance, better person, broken, cardiac arrest, Cardiac Rehabilitation, challenge, chronic illness, Chronic Kidney Disease, control, courage, Dave deBronkart, death, defibrillator, dialysis, dialysis machine, dialysis schedule, diseases, doctor, energy, ePatient Dave, exercise, experience, faith, family, fear, fearless, fight, financial, Fitness, frenemy, friends, goals, God, gym, gym rat, happy, health, healthy, heart disease, hemodialysis, home dialysis, Home Hemodialysis, hope, hospital, hypertension, inspired, journey, kidney, kidney disease, kidney failure, kidney transplant, Kingston General Hospital, laugh, Lesson, lessons, Life, limit, limittion, love, Lupus, meditation, message, Mom, new kidney, nothing for granted, nurse, NxStage, operation, orphan, patient, patient experience advising, patient experience advisor, peace, perspective, physical pain, plan, prayer, pregnancy, prioritize, procedures, professional-earning potential, progress, proud, public speaking, purpose, quality of life, real love, relationship, research, sad, sick to fit journey, spiritual, St. Michael's Hospital, strength, strengthened relationships, strong, success, support, surgeon, terror, thankful, time, Toronto, transplant, traumatic, travel, unease, universe, waiting room, well-ish, whole | Leave a comment

Home Dialysis Machine/System Transition : Part 2

Posted on May 5, 2015 by kns544

NxStage TRAINING AND ADJUSTMENT PERIOD . . . My team and I had anticipated that my NxStage training would take just over a week. Unfortunately the change in system put me off balance physically – specifically my potassium level being … Continue reading →

Posted in Progress, The Bigger Picture | Tagged anxiety, cardiac arrest, choice, chronic illness, Chronic Kidney Disease, concentration problems, dialysis, dialysis companies, fatigue, guest bedroom, gym, home dialysis, Home Hemodialysis, hospital, low potassium, NxStage, options, organization, potassium, sick, side effect, supplies, supply order, training, tucked away | Leave a comment

Approaching the Next Stage: Living with Kidney Failure and Dialysis . . .

Posted on March 3, 2015 by kns544

Right now I’m at home on my dialysis machine. This is pretty typical for me, as I have done home hemodialysis for the last few years, but . . . this may be my last time on this particular machine. … Continue reading →

Posted in Progress, The Bigger Picture | Tagged advocacy, advocate, aggressive dialysis, Canada, car, change, chronic illness, Chronic Kidney Disease, dialysis, dialysis machine, dialysis schedule, doctor, doctors, experience, health history, heart and stroke foundation, heart month, home dialysis, Home Hemodialysis, hospital, husband, improve my life, Kidney Foundation of Canada, Kidney Month, married, medicine, model, movers, moving, NxStage, qualities, quality of life, relationship, research, respect, science, scientist, service, training, travel, United States, USA, water filtration, WRO | 2 Comments

Something Positive to Come Back For . . .

Posted on December 11, 2014 by kns544

Fingers crossed . . . but I may have the opportunity to try the new dialysis machines for the hospital in the new year. The new machines are the NxStage dialysis machines. Portable. Easier to set-up and use. Travel-friendly. (Google … Continue reading →

Posted in Message, Musings, Progress, The Bigger Picture | Tagged $$$, advocacy, advocate, aggressive dialysis, Atlanta, balance, burden, chronic illness, Chronic Kidney Disease, dialysis, dialysis machine, dialysis schedule, electric, Florida, guinea pig, Home Hemodialysis, hospital, KGH, kidney transplant, Kingston General Hospital, less stress, longer life, more time, NxStage, optimistic, patients, plumbing, portable, post-transplant, quality of life, set up, simple, third round, transplant, travel, treatment schedule, trial, trip | Leave a comment

My Relationship Status (with my hospital) has Changed to “In a Relationship” . . .

Posted on November 28, 2014 by kns544

In the 70’s there used to be cigarette ads with the slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby”. I thought I’d borrow the slogan to use here. It’s one of those statements that can stop you in your tracks in … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, Progress, The Bigger Picture | Tagged acquaintance, advocacy, advocate, appointment, care, cigarette ad, colleague, contribution, dialysis, dialysis machine, dialysis system, email, evolution, experience, fellow patients, friendship, future, future patients, guinea pig, heard, hemodialysis, Home Hemodialysis, hospital, included, interview, KGH, Kingston General Hospital, masters, nephrologist, NxStage, opinion, partnership, patient experience advisor, patient-centred care, relationship, research, valued | Leave a comment