Battling a first class cold right now. Started as just a throat cough, now congested and run down. Of course the "run down" is probably not the cold itself, but the always fun cold and cough medications I take so I can simply lay down and get some rest.  I did run all weekend and did some heavy duty housework as well. I guess maybe this hangover is from the abundance of drugs in my system, not a cold growing into something worse..

It is fairly common, and a real concern as a dialysis patient to have simply things like colds morph into something far more serious. It has happened to be many times in the past six years where I was fine with a minor something or other one day, and then in the emergency room the next with a crippling fever and a dangerous infection or pneumonia. Seriously no fun. As I've said many times since starting this blog in July, it has been a great year completely uninterrupted by an episode like that or anything else. Last year, September all the way through the second week of December it was one long (with lots of mini series in between) event of illness. Never really shaking all of it I eventually found myself in the hospital in late November and early December being treated for the remnants of an infection that never completely went away, and a touch of pneumonia. The whole last fall I did what I could, still ran, not well, but still ran, still worked, and still did the family stuff, just not very well, and with a lot of rest in between. Since the last hospitalization in December 09, I had just such a good year overall, and staying away from the emergency room is a real plus. So having a cold that slows me at all makes me nervous. The staff at dialysis stays on top of it all and has ordered me to get a chest x-ray if this all persists. It is well understood that as a dialysis patient with compromised immune system, these types of things can get out of hand very fast. I am grateful and do appreciate the attention to detail I receive in this situation, even though it comes a the price of being a dialysis patient and all that that involves for my life.

Its been a while since my last entry. My job situation has changed in the wake of the Groundlevel coffeehouse going out of business. It was very sad but not entirely unexspected. I had not been paid myself for the past month, even though my pay is below minimum. I was honestly just happy to have something I enjoyed doing and liked the customers I had grown fond of since I started. I worked very hard and tried to do everything I could to keep it going, but between the already built in problems of the shop, and my personal limits with my dialysis schedule there was just no more that I could do. Regardless I do feel bad, and sad that I can't work there anymore. 

I got my monthly lab work and all is pretty good. All the numbers are where they need to be, and those that are not can easily be fixed by refilling a prescription.  I have a slight cold, but nothing that has stopped me this week from running everyday. Good runs, with distance and power. It really is the only time recently I feel good about things.  I will be supplementing my entries with more on my past medical history soon. I know I've promised this before but by Saturday it will happen.

Overall it was a very good weekend. Friday I worked in the morning and got home around 1:00. Since I had two hours until dialysis I did a classic "sweat run". I wore two layers of sweats, with a winter hat, and gloves, ran three miles, not worrying about speed, just moving without stopping. Did forty-four minutes (time more important than distance) and sweat out few pounds of fluid that doesn't need to be dealt with during dialysis. Makes it so much easier and going into a Friday weekend treatment that is nothing but nice. The less fluid to come off during treatment, that much easier treatment usually is. 

Saturday morning had a great run. Needed to do an early workout because my son had is last football game of his season and his mom and I were throwing a party for him and his teammates. Then off to a Halloween party that evening.

Sunday had nice lazy Sunday morning. We then took a couple of the kids to the Y for swimming while we ran and worked out. Another very good run, and felt great. I've been more disciplined about my intakes lately so workouts, and my overall feel has been good. Dialysis is just that much easier. 

I am keeping up on my vitamin regimen as well. Two of them are recommended by my doctor, two others, while not recommended have been blessed. All in all they are helpful and I am glad I have found there benefits this last year.