Jeff's Journal

Cross Pollination

It was a busy weekend and not much time to write. Saturdays are a busy day in the burbs between dialysis, recovery and getting kids to where they need to be.

It was great to have friends come by and sit with me. The clinic was slow getting people on the machines during my shift – a backlog from the 5:30 am shift. I got on at 10:40, so it was a longer day. Also, it took a while to get all the patients on, so it was 11:00 before guests could enter the clinic. The medical staff keeps the guests out of the clinic area until everyone is hooked up. There is potential for blood borne pathogens (mostly HepB) and they want to keep the risk down. After a patient leaves the chair, the chair is wiped down with a bleach cleanser to clean up any mess (like blood) and to kill any germs. A couple of my friends who did not know each other had to wait in the lobby. I don’t know how they did it, but they figured out they were here to be with me.

I have friends from various sectors of the city and from diverse backgrounds. It was amusing to think about these two in the lobby talking with each other. About the only thing they had in common was the cross, so I think of it as a time for cross-pollination. I can only imagine their conversation. It was much more amusing to engage in a conversation with them. It was the competition of the conversationalists. We talked about all sorts of things. After a while, a couple of more friends came by and folks rotated out. I’m thankful for the guests.

The clinic can sometimes feel like the second to the last night of a youth camp. It is that time when people know each other just enough and are starting to get on each other’s nerves and you cannot wait to get home. There is a cross pollination of backgrounds in the clinic. I am listening to the other patients talk and there are things that get on folks nerves. One patient is upset with “Whistler” the patient who whistles most of the time. One patient is known in whispers as “The Bleeder” and if you sit next to that patient, when the techs “de-cannulate” and remove the needles, there is a geyser of blood. There is “The Moaner” who is loud. I’m known as the guy who has guests.

The dietician has approached me about being the patient advocate. I’m not sure what that will mean, but it sounds like an invitation to explore. The initial concern is with patients in need of nutrient supplements that Texas Medicare will not cover. In other states, patients get this benefit, but not in Texas. The immediate need is about $2000 for the year to help five patients without resources to receive these supplements. The dietician asked if I could help with fund raising. (I guess she does not really know what I do!) Fund raising is not a problem, but I’m thinking the better solution would be the resolution of the policy that prohibits folks in Texas from receiving the benefit. This looks like a great opportunity for cross pollination.

posted by Jeff Waldo @ 8:25 PM