Gift ideas for a dialysis patient ~

A hug, a smile goes a long way.

A card. A note. A call. A text. An email expressing you're thinking of them.

A warm meal (see renal diet). Cooking is always a key to the heart.

If crafty, a hand-made (sew, crochet, knit, loom, etc.) item such as:  a warm blanket. A warm scarf or cowl (neck warmer). Warm socks. Warm ear muffs. Warm gloves. It gets cold in most dialysis units. Comfort is essential during those three hours (or longer) treatments.

Notebook. Pen. *I know I like to write during my treatments. My dialysis bag is full of tools for artistic expression.

Large sturdy travel-type bag. *I take two large bags. One bag, I have my bedding - twin size sheet, a warm twin sized quilt, a small arm pillow (used under needled arm for extra support), a U-shaped pillow (I use mine in front, under my chin opposed to the usual behind the neck). And the other bag, I carry my composition books - one I use to record information about my treatment for the day, such as: arrival time, attending technician, dry weight, labs done, my mood, health issues, blood pressure plus questions for my nephrologist (who comes to the unit once a week).

A long back scratcher. *When confined to one spot for three or more hours one can itch in even the weirdest places. Hard to get to places to. Though my husband is nearby, his nails are not always enough to satisfy or reach the itch.

A wide fan. *Yes, it gets cold. But a few times, it has gotten pretty warm. And I've come close to removing clothing in an attempt to cool off. Thankfully I had my handy fan. Everything necessary is in my bag :)

Tasty lasting snack. *My treatments start at 4:30 am - for three hours. By 7 am, I get hungry. So I keep either a half sandwich. Or crackers. Or a piece of fruit. And hard candies. Most of the time, I have a small water in my bag too.

Thermo cooler. Keep those snacks they may want to stay cold. *I carry those small bag-shaped thermos so that they can fit in my dialysis bag.

Reading material. A nice book mark. Find out renal patients literary interest. *I'm an avid reader. So I keep a book I own, included with due library books to complete in my dialysis bag.

Lotion, chap stitch *Yes, I keep all this in my bag too. Lips and skin gets or feels dry which can add to discomfort.

A mirror. *I keep a small mirror in my bag. No, I haven't used it, yet. But one is there just in case.

Gum, mints, etc. *I one or all of these things in my bag. I'm very paranoid about the freshness of my breath. Though I brush/floss, mouthwash regularly, still. Since this condition, it's harder maintaining a fresh smelling or feeling mouth.

Games - such as, playing cards, chess board, etc. *Sometimes my husband and I play chess (he's teaching me because I want to surprise my chess playing kids).

Ear Phones (and music device), *Of course, these are in my bag, plus something (I forget the name) I use to watch educational videos on. It also can be used to listen to CD's.

Eye mask or shades. *It is very bright inside the units. Sometimes they'll allow patient to wear eye mask or shades.

Calendar - since everyone have the time or energy to figure out how to use their cell phone (if they own one) as a calendar. So a traditional paper calendar can be useful to keep medical appointments. Keep track of medications, list physicians and so on.

Well, that's all I can thing of right now. But I think I've blogged about "What's in my dialysis bag" previously. Take some ideas from what's in my bag to possible purchase or hand-create for someone you may want to do something special. Let me know if this was useful or if you have any questions or suggestions about adding somethings to this list.