Update

A few of you have asked how Mama is, so I thought I'd give a small update.

She is very sick this week, in the hospital with Shingles. This has really thrown her for a loop. The combination of her age, being on dialysis and her other health problems have made for a very sick lady.

I thank you in advance for your, care, concern and prayers!

Debbie J.

How to have a 48 Hour Day

First an update of my mother: Dialysis is very hard! She is adjusting to it some, but I don't know if anyone ever fully gets used to it. However, she is feeling better. On the Monday after Thanksgiving, she will have her permanent access for dialysis put in, which is called a fistula. This will involve a couple more days spent in the hospital.

Since my schedule is even more busy now, I've not had time to post too much on my blogs, but I'm trying to get more organized and hope to get back into the swing of things.

Having a 48 hour day is not my idea, but I love the book called, "How to Have a 48 Hour Day by Don Aslett, as seen HERE.

My favorite concepts from the book are to have a front log, be early and not procrastinating. I am trying to incorporate these ideas into my day to day life. Since I work full time, help care for an elderly parent, and try to maintain my home life, I can use any help I can get!

My hubby has been a lifesaver! He has been doing almost all of the cooking and has been my support and my rock throughout this "new normal".

I am making lists, lists and more lists!

The front log is simply a list of all the things you need to do, whether they are recurring things, or projects that need to be done once. Then you just keep chipping away on the list when ever there is a spare minute or block of time available.

Thanks to this method, I have already finished my Christmas cards! I did this while hubby was driving my mother and me to one of her appointments. I was sitting in the backseat and worked on them while were going down the road. Then when I had a few more minutes later that night, I tweaked some of the addresses. I didn't seal the envelopes because I would like to include a picture of my grandson in some of them.

I am also benefiting greatly by not PROCRASTINATING! I never thought I had a problem with this until I started noticing that I would think I could just wait and do certain small things later. Now I am trying to do things RIGHT NOW while I am thinking about it.

Recently this has included: answering emails, folding and putting away clothes from the dryer, , doing some chores from my front log, even if there is only a few minutes available. Little minutes add up to hours!

Small Town America - The Dialysis Center Waiting Room

(Not my mother's walker, but a nice one!)

My mother has shown some improvement in that now she can get around with her rolling walker and not the wheelchair so much. Our current problem is that its hard for her to get into those SUVs and pickup trucks that most of my family own. My Little Ole Lady car is the only one she can get into without the help of angels.



Who are the angels, you may be wondering.

...The van driver who helped me the first time I took Mama to dialysis qualifies as one. I was not used to dealing with wheelchairs. I parked too close to the curb. I didn't know you could push a button and open the door. But he did! I don't know what I would have done without him.

...A brother who works nearby and shows up at just the right time to help get her in and out, is another angel.

...My husband who has offered to drive us to dialysis on Saturdays and then to help me run errands and pass the time while waiting for the treatment to end.

....The two ambulance drivers who teamed up to put her into the front seat of a small SUV are also angels in disguise.

".... I was sick and you took care of me... (Matthew 25: 36)"

There are so many personalities in the waiting room at the dialysis center. Most of the patients are not able to drive themselves there and back, and the length of time of the dialysis treatment is unpredictable.... and so they wait... Because of this they all get to know each other and they love to talk. Kidney failure doesn't care what your walk in life is, so all kinds of people end up in one small room.

You can learn all about a person in just a few minutes, when that person is eager to talk. One recent new friend from the waiting room is who my husband has dubbed "The Cowboy".

The Cowboy is a small man wearing jeans and boots, probably about 70 years old, with a weathered face After about 15 minutes I knew his heart. He loves horses, riding horses, teaching kids how to ride horses. Sadly, dialysis has taken a lot of this away from him.



When I asked The Cowboy how many horses he had and if he still rode them, he said, "They ain't goin' to take everything away from me!". I hope the cowboy can ride horses for a long time to come...

An 11 year old neighbor girl, named Australia, is another love of his. Her mother was killed in an automobile accident in Texas when she was only 2 weeks old. So, he and Australia's grandmother, Ms. Helen, went to Texas and brought her back to North Carolina. Australia can ride a horse like nobody's business, right through the middle of town, in the mountains or anywhere, thanks to The Cowboy. She loves the cowboy and he loves her.



I caught a glimpse of Australia when she came to the door of the dialysis center to let him know his ride was there... She is as pretty as the place she is named after.

When a dialysis patient exits the treatment room to the waiting room, they look pale and weak. Some of them are nauseated and some of them experience cramps. Some of them have a loved one waiting for them and others ride a van or on a gurney in an ambulance. Some are amputees and use prosthetic legs. They are all ages.

But they all have one thing in common. Dialysis is their job. It keeps them alive and so they go.....