Dialysis Bag

When I started hemodialysis about 30 months ago, I noticed people bringing in lots of stuff: blankets, pillows, food, electronics, etc. Most people would have a bag to carry all their stuff. For the longest time, I resisted bringing a bag. Instead, I just carried everything by hand. Only on rare occasions would I bring my work backpack; that was usually when I needed to bring my work computer. I guess using a bag gives me a feeling of permanence, which I definitely did not want. After all, I was only on dialysis on a “temporary” basis while we figure out a living donor kidney transplant. Of course, that didn’t happen.

After returning to hemodialysis post-surgery, I was initially in a wheelchair because I did not have the strength to walk in on my own. Also since I sat at home all day, I was getting pressure sores on my butt and needed to bring in additional cushions. My mom gave me a huge bag to carry a seat cushion, a neck cushion, and a smaller bag with all my electronics (cell phones, iPad, headphones). I stopped using the huge bag when I didn’t need the additional seat cushion anymore. By then, my dad found a small messenger bag for all the other stuff I was bringing to dialysis. That bag was a bit too small, and he also wrote his Chinese name on it using permanent marker.

I finally went out and bought another messenger bag. I found some clearance items at Timbuk2‘s website and bought a “small” sized classic messenger bag. I wanted to get the extra small one but decided last second that I may want to put my old 13″ MacBook Air computer in the bag. It was ~$70 after tax. The bag is quite nice and feels quality-made. I’m still keeping my backpack for work since it has a lot more compartments but I can use the new back for dialysis, cardiac rehab, or day trips. At this point, I’ve accepted the possibility that I may be on dialysis forever, or until I die, so carrying a bag in doesn’t bother me anymore.