About Author:

Bernie Gilmer

a.k.a. Poor Ol’ Retired (mostly tired) Journalist

A current end stage renal disease patient, the author has put together an account of his first seven months on dialysis, along with a decade-plus of events leading up to his present fate.

Excerpts from book:

• Early brush with possibility of dialysis:
  • The experience was totally confounding, quite unnerving, no doubt unwanted, and somewhat rather unreal, or perhaps even surreal.
• First week on dialysis and encountering the vampire machine:
  • In a lighter moment during one of the early treatments, this poor ol’ retired (mostly tired) journalist reverted to his usual sarcastic and cynical newspaper nature in dubbing the DIALYSIS machine “Count Dracula.”
• Pill’s side effect provides tales not to be told at dinner table:
  • With one arm bracing him against a wall next to the toilet, he did all he knew what to do – grunt the best he could and hope for the best.

Topical questions (addressed in book):

• Is going on dialysis an albatross, or a blessing?
• Is quitting dialysis or refusing treatment suicide?
• Is there hope ahead for dialysis patients?