Starting a New Chapter

We will start a new chapter tomorrow...dialysis.

The kidney is functioning at 11% and Dan feels lousy, nauseous, and tired. Perhaps the edema is the worst part of it all...he has gained approximately 20 pounds of water. So dialysis is what needs to be done. Dr. Hranac predicts that he will feel much better with dialysis.

He will go to the new Overland Trails Center (which is close to our house) twice a week. I think this first time will take three hours and besides cleaning out some of the creatinine they will get some fluid off him. Family members can come to the center (some centers won't let them because there is not enough room) so I am going with him tomorrow. Dan asked if he could bring his therapy dog Sadie too....they didn't say no....they just said they'd never had a therapy dog before.

Hranac says that he wants to get Dan driving his Corvette again. We were especially heartened to hear that it probably will be very possible to travel to Chicago to see Dave, Ann, Josh, Kate, and Abby....that our Blue Cross should cover out-of-town renal centers and scheduling might be easier than we thought.

We appreciate the kind thoughts that you have recently sent us....it makes it all easier to take. I want to send out a special thank you to Horizon Middle School and Kearney Public Schools....I have missed over 60 days of school with this....and they have been extremely kind, thoughtful, and understanding about it all.