I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: BRANDY on April 14, 2009, 04:31:54 PM
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When you get your fistula , you are told to squeeze a ball. I did this at first , it grew some , I have quit squeezing so much and fistula seems smaller than it was , Have I hurt it by not squeezing all the time. Will it get larger if I start squeezing again. How long do we need to squeeze. I am not to see my neph for a month. Can someone shed some light on my questions.?
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Yes, squeeze the ball everytime you think about it. It strengthens the vein.
:thumbup;
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Exercising the hand keeps the fistula growing and the vein walls healthy. You want good sized, strong walled fistula for easy sticks and healthy dialyzing.
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and don't forget to check for the 'buzz' on a regular basis! if it disappears, notify your medical team immediately.
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many people do squeeze, however my surgeon said he wasn't convinced it did any good. i never did and haven't had any problems.
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I was told that the squeezing exercises are beneficial for a forearm fistula but far less so for an upper arm one. I was told that it was unnecessary for me the second time around but I did do them for my first one in my forearm. It wouldn't hurt however to do the squeezing and not doing them wouldn't harm either I don't think, but the exercises can help the fistula to become bigger and stronger in less time, especially in the forearm where the vein is smaller.
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thank you for all of your replies. I was worried that I may have damaged my fistula by not doing my exercises. I have started them back since I wrote this thread, It seems to already be helping. I guess I was worried for nothing. thanks again
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Call your surgeon and tell him that your fistula doesn't seem to be developing properly. He'll squeeze (no pun intended) you into his schedule.
It's a good thing I did that with my own fistula--because my surgeon told me that if it doesn't develop better over the next month, I'll need revision surgery.