Stayin' Alive

 

I need to take ammonia binders because my liver no longer extracts it from my blood.

I need to take phosphate binders because my kidneys no longer extract it from my blood.

I need to take nerve pain drugs because diabetes that killed my kidneys has now moved on to kill my toes and it is incredibly painful.

And the list goes on.

This is the morning regimen of drugs I take every day.  When I'm feeling aggressive, I swallow the whole lot at once with one large gulp of water.  Otherwise, I tend to take them in color sequence.  The orange ones first followed by the blue and pink ones and then all the little ones.  I decide what approach I'm going to take based on how I feel and my body's ability to keep them down.  I have to time my drug-taking with my food intake.  I must have a full stomach before I take the drugs.  

Some days I wonder if it's all worth it.  I feel like just when I get all my meds down, another day and another pile of pills begins.  

When I start to feel that way, my dialysis nurses remind me that it is better than the alternative.  I suppose it is and this is my life until I get a new liver and kidney.