A Fresh Start?

I really thought that, when I left Geelong and moved into a housing unit in Bosquet Street, Bendigo, that my next move would be from there to the cemetary. With the onset of chronic renal kidney failure last year and the resultant need for regular dialysis treatment, however, came the suggestion that I should, eventually, seek home dialysis.

This would mean that, instead of going to hospital three times a week and staring at the ceiling for up to five hours at a time, I could have the treatment in my own home at times that suited my needs (even overnight if I could get a support worker to 'sleep over'). I would still have to have an equal amount of time on a machine (which would be on loan to me), but my exising team of support workers would have the responsibility - and be paid - to supervise the operation.

With this in mind I made enquiries and was told that, in order to have dialysis in the home, I would need to have a much larger residence than my existing one bedroom Ministry of Housing unit... I would need at least one extra room for storage of necessary equipment. Bearing in mind that I waited almost 18 months to get my Bosquet Street unit, I submitted my application with the assistance of my occupational therapist and prepared myself for another loooong wait!

Three weeks later, after ringing the Department and finding that my application had not arrived, I had a visit from an apologetic Housing Support Co-ordinator who assured me that he would do his best to speed up my application. Less than 24 hours later he rang and asked if I had arranged for a removalist. Laughing, I told him that I expected to have at least a year to make those arrangements, to which he responded "Not so, we have a brand new two-bedroom unit available in Strathdale (another suburb of Bendigo) and you can move in before the end of the week!"

This all happened two days ago so, with the aid of my support team, I am now frantically packing stuff into boxes, garbage bags and cases, etc., to move to Unit 1, 19 Gittings Drive, on Thursday (May 22).

Could this be the beginning of a new life... or more of the same at a different address? Being the eternal optimist I am obviously hoping it's the former, but will it just be a bigger house for me to live in on my own... it has been suggested that I now look for a live-in carer who can assist in the administration of my dialysis needs, but I'm not so sure about this. The initial arrangement is that two or three of my existing team will be trained to do this and I'm happy to go along with that... but this is still a few weeks down the track.

More about this 'adventure' after I settle in. In the meantime I will be without the use of my computer for a few days until telephone, broadband and power arrangements have been made.

WATCH THIS SPACE and please... wish me well!