I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis - NxStage Users => Topic started by: petey on February 18, 2009, 06:47:28 PM

Title: plug for home hemo
Post by: petey on February 18, 2009, 06:47:28 PM
Marvin had his monthly checkup yesterday (required to stay in the home hemo program), and it was a great one.  Last month, the neph said, "Your labs are all 'normal' and don't look like those of a dialysis patient."  This month's labs, however, were even better than last month's.  Excellent, excellent, excellent -- all of them were, according to the doc, in line for a perfectly healthy, 25-year-old (and Marvin's 53!).  His kt/V was 2.4, and his doctor said we'd talk soon about decreasing treatments from 6/week to 5/week.   Marvin said he didn't "feel" this good when he had his transplant.  We both think it's the home hemo.  :yahoo;
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: monrein on February 18, 2009, 07:45:07 PM
 :yahoo; :yahoo; :yahoo;

Fantastic Marvin and Petey.  Keep it going.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: jbeany on February 18, 2009, 09:47:21 PM
My last Kt/V with 5 days was 2.2.  I've been doing 3 days with 20 L and 2 days with 25.  When they calculate the KT/V, they use an average of the liters.  5 days a week is even nicer - all the benefits of home, with an extra day off.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: rose1999 on February 18, 2009, 11:27:01 PM
That's great to hear, you're such a lovely couple and it's good to share some of your good news.  :cuddle;
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: kidney4traci on February 18, 2009, 11:33:01 PM
Great news!  That is great clearance!  Pray you can cut back and still get good reports!  You two deserve a break!!!
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: willieandwinnie on February 19, 2009, 06:08:58 AM
:yahoo;  :bow; petey. What wonderful news. You just keep doing what your doing for Marvin so when that phone call comes he is in the best shape he can be.  :cuddle;
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: del on February 19, 2009, 05:41:41 PM
That's fantastic Pete :clap; :yahoo;y!! If he cuts back will he do 3 days on and a day off then 2 days and a day off ( so he doesn't have 2 days in a row without dialysis?  Hubby does the 3 and 2 schedule so that he doesn't go 2 days without dialysis.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: petey on February 19, 2009, 06:22:45 PM
That's fantastic Pete :clap; :yahoo;y!! If he cuts back will he do 3 days on and a day off then 2 days and a day off ( so he doesn't have 2 days in a row without dialysis? Hubby does the 3 and 2 schedule so that he doesn't go 2 days without dialysis.

Yes, del.  The doc said two days off a week couldn't be consecutive days.  But, hey, two days off is two days off!  That's our goal now...that and nocturnal home hemo.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: jbeany on February 19, 2009, 07:10:14 PM
If you need a consistent day off - you do three in row, then a day off, then 2 days in a row.  If your days off don't matter, you can also do 3 days, 1 off, then another 3 days and one off.  If you work that out on the calendar, most weeks end up 5 days, but you get a 6 day week every once in a while.  That's a pretty good routine, too, if you use the pureflow, as it doesn't waste any of the batch.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: del on February 20, 2009, 05:07:52 PM
Hubby changes his schedule depending on what we are doing.  Sometimes he will do a couple of weeks where he does 2 nights and a night off.  Other times he will do  couple sets of 3 nights on with the night off.  Sometimes he will do 4 nights in a row or just do one night and a night off. In the winter he doesn't like to hook up during a snow storm so that would be a time to change the schedule!!!
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: petey on February 20, 2009, 06:05:23 PM
Hubby changes his schedule depending on what we are doing. Sometimes he will do a couple of weeks where he does 2 nights and a night off. Other times he will do couple sets of 3 nights on with the night off. Sometimes he will do 4 nights in a row or just do one night and a night off. In the winter he doesn't like to hook up during a snow storm so that would be a time to change the schedule!!!

This is probably what we would do (minus the snow storms, of course -- we don't get many of those in southern NC).  Ahhh, the flexibility of home hemo.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: skyedogrocks on February 27, 2009, 05:51:27 AM
Awesome news Petey.  Rob does 5 does and loves the flexibility that extra day gives him.  Doing home hemo is the way to go, like Marvin, Rob feels soo much better and has way more energy.
Title: Re: plug for home hemo
Post by: M3Riddler on June 30, 2009, 03:54:43 PM
You can never have too much dialysis. remember your kidneys work 24 hours a day. Dialysis is only a few hours.  Even though your Kt/V may be aveerage, does not mean your are receiving optimal dialysis. You must look at other labs such as potassium, BUN and phosphorus.
A Kt/V of 2.4 is an average number. Some centers like to see this number in the 3-5 range. Mine is currently 3.8 on NxStage with 3 hour treatments 6 days per week.

There are some slides and other files at www.nxstageusers.com/files that are very useful and describe the difference between, short term, nocturnal, and 3 day dialysis. I believe they also may have some good links in the forum area too.