I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: BASSMAN on September 25, 2009, 07:52:40 AM
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Hello all!
I had my fistula built yesterday. So far everything is great. I have very little pain today. Just a little soreness. I can hear the bruit and feel the thrill. It sound good and strong. I just pray the vein cooperates and matures like it is supposed to. I will keep you posted.
Peace out!!
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Good news. Start exercising it when your surgeon tells you to. That's really important.
Aleta
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Well done you! Was it bad? Asking cause ive yet to get mine made ! :pray;
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:2thumbsup;
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Congrats and do not worry, it will keep working. Just listen to your docs and don't sleep on it, don't lift more than 5lbs (i wouldnt lift anything on it at all), and try not to lean or sleep on it. Everything should be fine. Good luck!
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Good for you .... I was a bit nervous getting my fistula.... and so far so good.... strange noise.... is it....
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Congrats!!! That's good that you have minimal pain!
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Well done you! Was it bad? Asking cause ive yet to get mine made ! :pray;
Everything went excellent. I was quite surprised at how well the whole ordeal went. Everyone that I dealt with at the outpatient center from reception desk to the nurse that wheeled me out to the car afterword was highly professional.
I am surprised. No bruising. Very little swelling.
I pray yours goes as well!
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Good for you .... I was a bit nervous getting my fistula.... and so far so good.... strange noise.... is it....
Mine is really loud. I can put it up next to my ear and it sound like the vein mapping machine when they checked my blood flow. SWOOSH SWOOSH!!
I can feel the thrill several inches up the arm from the incision site!
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Before:
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/526/1001509f.th.jpg) (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/1001509f.jpg/)
After:
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4245/1001510i.th.jpg) (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/1001510i.jpg/)
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So glad that things are going well (and so glad to see you posting again!) My grandson loved to listen to the sound of my graft! Once I couldn't sleep with my arm near my ear - the sound was loud!!! I have had so many re-routings that it isn't that audible to me anymore.
Hope things continue to go well with you. Tell us all about your hemodialysis experiences when you start using your fistula.
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So glad that things are going well (and so glad to see you posting again!) My grandson loved to listen to the sound of my graft! Once I couldn't sleep with my arm near my ear - the sound was loud!!! I have had so many re-routings that it isn't that audible to me anymore.
Hope things continue to go well with you. Tell us all about your hemodialysis experiences when you start using your fistula.
I certainly will, but I think I am going to try for a transplant. My wife has offered to be tested and if she is not a match we will look into the kidney swap (paired donation) thingy. It seems like there are a lot of issues to be addressed with that so who knows. I have had a lot of people offer their kidneys to me (off the cuff) and I wonder how serious they are about it. It kind of pisses me off that they offer so freely. I know they mean well but I don't take them serious. Hmmm. a good topic for another thread maybe. I am sure that subject has already been covered though.
Anyways the fistula is insurance and I hope I can transplant before I have to go on dialysis.
Shoot, I might stay at 20 GFR for years. Who knows, but I have been slowly and steadily dropping.
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Before:
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/526/1001509f.th.jpg) (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/1001509f.jpg/)
After:
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4245/1001510i.th.jpg) (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/1001510i.jpg/)
WHERE???????????? You mean that small red line near your wrist ? If thats it then WOW ! I was expecting either a dressing or a long cut , good few stitches etc ! To be honest , it doesnt look half as brutal as this tunnel line they put in my neck ! Im amazed !
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I was amazed too. A one inch incision and NO STITCHES on the outside. They used butterfly tape and I pulled it off after 24 hours and now I cover it with two band aides. I had seen these pictures of big scars and I was expecting something like that.
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You had a good surgeon!
My husband did too. His fistula is more developed now, though.
Aleta
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Mine's had three months to develop. You should see how much it's swelled up in the three months. God knows what it will look like after nine...
:bandance;
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Well i hope mine looks like yours ! Im not vain but yours is so neat ! The only thing i do know is that they do put stitches in ours ..i wonder why ? Anyone know why they use stitches instead of butterflies or even glue ive heard some mention .
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Mine's had three months to develop. You should see how much it's swelled up in the three months. God knows what it will look like after nine...
:bandance;
How long did it take to see the vein starting to puff up?
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That's your scar?!? Aw man. Lucky! Mine is really thick. And icky looking. It just looks like a tiny little cut. I'm jealous!
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How long did it take to see the vein starting to puff up?
About a month.
I used to think a fistula looked ugly, but now I've got one for myself it looks fine.
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Great pictures. I'm getting mine done in the same spot next week.
I see that in the second picture you are not wearing your wedding ring. Have you been advised not to wear it? If so, is that permanent?
I was told to remove it for the surgery but nothing was said about whether this was temporary or permanent.
What is the experience of others here?
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Wow, that looks really good. Nice to have it as "insurance" in case the transplant possibility takes a while.
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Great pictures. I'm getting mine done in the same spot next week.
I see that in the second picture you are not wearing your wedding ring. Have you been advised not to wear it? If so, is that permanent?
I was told to remove it for the surgery but nothing was said about whether this was temporary or permanent.
What is the experience of others here?
I took the ring off as a precaution in case my hand swelled up. I only had a little swelling around the incision and soreness. I put it back on a day or so ago and I intend on wearing it all the time like I always did. If I notice swelling I will remove it. It was big when I got it and when I don't have edema it can slip off.
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6 Days post-op.
A little sore, a little swelling left. still buzzing and has a good swoosh swoosh sound to it. No noticeable development of the vein yet.
(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8887/1001511u.th.jpg) (http://img27.imageshack.us/i/1001511u.jpg/)
And a chance to show off my gold medical ID bracelet!!
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No noticeable development of the vein yet.
What do you expect? It's still a virgin fistula. Hasn't had a prick yet (from a needle).
;)
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No noticeable development of the vein yet.
What do you expect? It's still a virgin fistula. Hasn't had a prick yet (from a needle).
;)
:rofl;
Oh, it has to be touched to swell. I thought it would swell from the increased blood flow!!
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I had my appointment to see if my fistula is maturing properly. It has been almost four weeks since my fistula was created. They did the sonogram thing and said that is was big enough and has good enough blood flow to be used at anytime now. I was surprised and relieved. I was really worried that is wasn't developing right but the tech that runs the sonogram thing was pleased as punch and said it looked great!
I hope I never have to use it but I am relieved to know that it is there ready to be used at anytime.
It is barely noticeable. It does not bulge but it is still maturing. :2thumbsup;
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Wow that's great! Jenna's fistula took 5 months to be useable. The thrill was there though, so we were hopeful it was a good one after her first surgery failed.