Not much is happening that is different. I have been taking the Exjade (iron binder) for about 2 ½ weeks and the latest report is that the iron saturation is down from 77 in March to 49, the last time it was taken. This is encouraging but I will not know the real numbers until my ferritin is monitored and they only do that quarterly. I will be anxious to see what it is at that time.

The dialysis center is kept quite cool and we all bundle up in blankets to stay warm. It is not cold to the workers but when you are sitting there, it seems too cool. Another thing that makes the patients cooler is the fact that our blood is cooled down when it goes through the machine and before it is returned to our systems. The blood is kept around 36.5 to 37.0 but can go as low as 35. If it goes over 37, the cells are too warm and begin to breakdown and will let potassium leak into the blood system. It is quite a science and I continue to question and learn about the process.