It really is a great picture, and it will be a wonderful memory. Unfortunately, as we were looking at and talking about all of those fun picture memories, Ben realized something. "You know, I just realized that I am holding her with my left arm." Wow, I didn't even realize it until he pointed it out.
On January 21st 2011, Ben had a surgery that changed a lot of things in his life. Life saving - possibly, life altering - definitely. Ben's nephrologist wanted him to go ahead and have an arteriovenous fistula placed in his arm; in the event that he will need to start dialysis prior to his transplant, it will be ready and waiting. He didn't have to have it done, of course. However, the other option would have been a venous catheter for temporary access, most likely placed in his neck, if he ever had to start emergency dialysis. This type of catheter is only temporary because they are prone to complications, such as clogging and infection. Not to mention the fact that no one wants to walk around with a tube stuck in his/her neck! Obviously he chose to go ahead and have the fistula put in place.
The Davita website refers to this type of access as "the gold standard hemodialysis access." Basically, a vein is connected directly to an artery, causing more blood to flow into the vein. This essentially causes the vein to grow bigger, allowing access for hemodialysis. If that doesn't work, they do an arteriovenous graft, utilizing a synthetic tube under the skin that functions as a vein. Grafts are more prone to infection than a fistula and generally do not last as long; thus the reason a fistula is a better choice.
The surgery went great. You can certainly "feel the thrill," as they say, when you place your hand on his arm. It is amazing how fast and hard the heart pushes the blood through our body! You can also hear it when you put your ear on his arm - the sound reminds me of listening to a baby's heart beat in utero. Ben's fistula is in his left arm, since he is right handed. We are thankful that the surgery went well and everything seems to be good so far; follow-up appointment was good this week and he will report back in three weeks. It definitely means some changes for Ben though. He isn't supposed to sleep on his left side or keep his arm bent for extended periods of time, because it will cut off the blood flow. - I stayed with Ben after the surgery and had to wake him several times to get him off that left side. - No direct impact to the left arm, as that could cause a rupture and major bleeding. That means he can no longer spar in martial arts; Ben is a Black Belt in Hapkido and recently started teaching this form. AND, the PA from the VA dialysis unit told him she doesn't want him lifting more than 15-20 pounds with his left arm. Wow! Forget the fact that Ben regularly lifts far more weight than that for his job . . . This also means that picking up his daughter and giving her the sensation of flying, as he supports her on his hip and spins her in circles, is a BIG NO NO with his left arm.
None of these things are so life altering that it isn't worth it, but it does mean there has to be some major changes to what once was routine in his life. In the meantime, there are still . . .
Love it or hate it, that "thrill" of blood rushing from that artery into that vein is a good sign. We will thank God for the blessing of hearing/feeling the blood flow through that fistula. God is awesome and it is pretty amazing what He has enabled human beings to accomplish!
~Yomi
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