My First Dialysis of the Trip

Well, if you read Gabriel's blog you discovered the bit of trouble we had finding the dialysis center this morning, just a minor glitch.  Gabriel was a little upset to think his directions were not accurate but he recovered soon enough.  The DaVita dialysis unit in Grand Island, NE was very good. I'm going to use a 1-5 kidney scale to rate the units as I go along. Consequently today's unit gets a 4. My nurse, Tami, was very capable and canulated me quickly, aptly and without causing me any discomfort (I have a nerve near the venous site that is sometimes hit). I am very used to and comfortable with all my family at my home unit at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY, but I look forward to meeting other dialysis caregivers in other units on this trip.  Everyone today was very professional and quite nice.  The biggest difference I noticed was the cleanliness. I guess I would say the DaVita unit was messier than I am used to--not dirty but messy and cluttered.  In all fairness this particular unit is moving into a new and larger facility soon, so I think that issue will resolve itself. I was most impressed with the attention paid to infection control.  Always a good, good thing.  I am happy to report I went on, on time, always a bonus when you have to sit 4 hours tethered in a chair.  The other plus was the chair was cozy and heated--yes, it had a heating unit built right in.  Nice. Unlike my Bassett unit, no frills were had at the DaVita unit, no linen, no blankets, no pillows, no ice, but all in all a very pleasurable experience.  Just like I expected it would be.  Love to all my readers from Scottsbluff, NE.