Jasmine Stalker-Firth

We decided to go on holiday and visit my parents. So I wrote a list of what we use per day:

• dialysis machine
• extension lead for machine
• 2 yellow 1.36 dialysate bags
• 1 green 2.27 dialysate bag
• 1 paediatric set
• 1 drain bag
• 1 mini-cap
• 1 sample bag
• 1 connector shield
• 2 mini-caps
• 2 alco-wipes
• tub of alco-wipes
• 1 bettadine scrub
• paper towels
• 2 tempadots
• blood pressure cuff
• KY jelly
• doppler
• spare battery (for doppler)
• screwdriver (for doppler)
• pair of scales
• 1 alco-gel handwash
• 3 packets of soft swabs
• 1 chlorhexidine
• 1 sterile water
• 2 cutiplasts
• 1 waterproof dressing
• 1 day of medicines
• tester strips for tube
• SMA
• vitapro
• maxijul
• calcium acetate
• tablet crusher
• tablet splitter
• feed pump
• giving set
• feed pump adaptor
• feed pump backpack
• 2 baxa syringes
• 7 * 20ml syringes
• NG tube spare
• teddy plasters spare
• duotherm plaster spare
• 1 sodium docusate 2.5ml syringe for PRN
• 1ml syringe of a calcidol from fridge
• table for recording daily results
• PD protocols
• clinic letter with latest info
• red book
• list of phone nos for GOSH et al.

Our dialysis machine sits on a small bedside cabinet and we keep lots of medical equipment in the drawers, so we took that too. It was much easier to tape up the drawers, knowing that everything was inside rather than figure out what we needed to take out and put in another box. It also meant that we had something to put the dialysis machine on when we got there.

Our clinical nurse offered to check the list and when she emailed back said not to forget to take Jasmine which made me laugh because at the rate we were going, it was a possibility.

Neil bought a car seat and I spent two days packing things into boxes and ticking things off my list and piling the boxes into the corner. Then we hired a Vauxhall Zafira which has seven seats which we folded down to make room. After we made sure we had all the dialysis equipment in, we stuffed in all the usual baby stuff like bottles, steriliser kit, nappies, baby wipes, clothes, bibs, buggy, bumbo, Mr Tag-a-long, whose first name we have decided is Arbuthnot, and a picnic (teapot, cups, thermos, teabags, milk, cheese and branston butties, crisps, fruit) and we set off on our jolly-days. We forgot to take any coats at all and so prayed for sunshine on the way.

I was worried because the car was an automatic. When Neil and I went to Hawaii, a few years ago, we had an automatic and one day I was driving up a steep hill to the top of the volcano on Kauai and some mad couple behind kept driving up my bum. I forgot it was automatic and tried to change gear to get us going a bit faster but instead I put us into reverse. The woman had a big fit and gesticulated in a rude manner when I pulled into one of those passing spots. Dear me! So I wasn’t looking forward to driving an automatic again.

But I needn’t have worried, it was great. It was like driving a big bumper car with one foot on the big pedal and made driving in and out of London and 250 miles up the motorway relaxing. I am totally into automatic cars now. Except actually, when we arrived to near where I grew up, I saw my cousin and was so excited that I beeped the horn, forgot I had an automatic and tried to change gear as I pulled into the side street where she was. I nearly ran her down (Sorry, Marguerite). I guess I am best driving automatics on the motorway where there is nothing to get excited about.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at 10:29 am and is filed under home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.