I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis - NxStage Users => Topic started by: stefi on March 23, 2009, 08:47:30 AM
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I had a breakthru today! :bandance;
How many of you have had this problem: you go to make a new batch (sak) and for whatever reason, you end up with fluid leak in tub? I hate that!! :stressed;
In the past 24 hours I tried to make 3 batches, 2 of them were leaky. And before you say it, yes I did check all the connections on the blue line and the orange one, as well as the white, cuz believe you me its NOT the first leak I've ever had-- yes I had a situation where the carpet was ruined in my old home--
so anyway, this last time---3am---I hear the alarm and go check the machine, of course theres a leak but since the bag is full I can't move it, can't drain it, can't do anything but see that the fluid is almost as much in the tub as in the bag.
I'm gonna need a tiny cup to get my hand in under the bag to get out the fluid. In the past I've soaked it up with blankets or towels but not this time-- won't fit under the bag.
I'm like darn! now what? only thing I can do is turn off the machine and worry about it in the morning and I can already hear my nurse chiding me about skipping 2 days worth of treatments cuz I know its gonna take me a whole 'nother day to fix this mess and make a new batch.
so I get up this am and have a bolt of inspiration: I stuck a yelllow waste line down in the tub under the bag, got a 30 cc syringe and a recirc adapter (with yellow caps) and have been sucking fluid out 30 cc at a time for the past 2 hours or so. Its working pretty well and I'm gonn do this next time instead of wasting towels or trying to scoop it out with a cup.
:2thumbsup; yeah me
EDITED:Fixed smiley tag error-kitkatz,Moderator
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That sounds aggravating as well as a long drawn out process. Good luck with the next pacs.
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i used to have the same problem. i spent more time making batches and cleaning up,then i did hoked up or getting treatments. All my problems ended when i switched to bags, no more pureflow. it does make a nice end table.
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So what did you do to get your clinic to let you just use the bags?
I hate messing around making batches- I too spend more time making and draining and cleaning up the stupid things than actually being on the machine. That part I don't mind so much cuz then I'm like 3 on-- 2 off. my nurse hates it tho.
stefi
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Hey- an even easier way- drain the bag as much as you can, and if you have a bunch of fluid, cut the tube that comes out the right side of the front of the control unit (one of the ones with the green sleeve right near the bag, and stick it in the fluid. Hit drain again, and it will suck it out to about 1/4 inch deep.
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I just talked to the Doc. and told hin what was going on. I am sure your Doc will not have a problem wwriting a prescription for baags if you can not get you prescribed days in.
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Yeha- you should have extra hanging bags and a warmer on hand. If you don't, get some.
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I have had that happen to me twice, what I did was to take a box cutter and "slashed" the bag open enough to easily fit a 2 cup measure in it and transferred the Dyalisate to a bucket, only took about 15 minutes to empty it out in the toilet or bathtub, removed the bag, , dried the tub and made a new one......
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I preferred the pureflow because all the bags for a month took up far too much room - but I always had a weeks worth of bags in case I had pureflow issues. I don't understand why you don't have enough bags to get you thru a pureflow problem. You shouldn't have to skip a session unless you have a problem with the NxStage itself.
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Yeah, I tried the slash bag/cup to bucket thing a couple times too. As to not having any hanging bags, tell that to my Nxstage customer rep! thanks for the green tube suggestion wallyz.
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I have never had a leak in the tub yet, but with everything I have read, it is going to happen one day.
“Be Prepared” sorry that’s the Scoutmaster in me.
You can get a hand pump for less than $10 at hardware stores, pet supplies and even Walmart. You just need to insert the tube into the tub and then into a bucket and start pumping. Eventually the tub will be drained enough to slide the tub out. It only takes a minute or two.
This is a photo of what one looks like.
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I have had to do two manual drains. Why all the work? I use a manual drain line, hook it up to the "claw", the other end of the drain line in the tub. To make it go faster, I set 15 lb weights on the bag. Then I go do my thing. The directions are in the Pureflo handbook under "other procedures".
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Nice call Trikkechickk. I totally missed this in the handbook and we did not discuss it in training.