Along for the Ride

So many people have been asking me about peritoneal dialysis lately, so I thought I would write up a quick explanation of the process. The first piece is the access point - or catheter. The catheter is connected to a tube that comes out of my abdomen about 2 inches to the left of my belly button. The exit site (where the tube leaves my body) has to be treated with extreme care to avoid peritonitis, an infection of the abdominal lining. I have a whole cart full of medical supplies that I use to keep that area clean. A large portion of my training is also devoted to cleanliness - proper handwashing and hygiene - to prevent infection. Even little things, like keeping the shower head cleaned of all mineral deposits and using disposable paper towels to dry your hands, are strategies to minimize the risk of infection. The catheter itself hangs freely, though I cover mine up with 4x4 sterile gauze pads and tape it to my abdomen so it doesn't get dirty or yanked. They make speci...

I've been wanting to write a piece about the financial aspects of illness for a while, but I wasn't sure how to frame it. I didn't want to seem like a whiner, after all we have so many blessings in our lives. And I didn't want to get too political. But the financial part of illness can't be ignored, so I figured I would just lay it on the line. I just ran some end-of-year reports in preparation for tax season, and even though I keep really close tabs on our finances (10 year budget, anyone?), I was still SHOCKED at the amount we've spent on medical bills. In 2011, we personally spent about $17,000 out of pocket. According to the insurance company, the total amount billed by doctors and facilities was $1,077,309.82 (yes, as in 1 MILLION dollars). My "responsibility" was listed as $31,966.64. Some of those bills were written off by docs, which is why our portion was more like $17,000. I know sharing this might be an "overshare", but it...