I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis => Topic started by: Bette on December 04, 2006, 08:47:08 AM
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What do you have your cycler machine on?
My night table is too narrow to hold both the cycler machine and a bag of fluid, so I need to find something else to use for my set up. I was thinking about getting a small shelving unit, or using an old TV stand that I have at home, but I'm not sure if either of them is wide enough. Any ideas?
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I use a 2 doored cabinet that I got at IKEA that is wider than my nightstand. It holds the cycler, my clock-radio and a lamp. It was in the home office area of the store. Just the right height for keeping the machine even with my bed. I used my night-stand (which barely held the cycler and lamp) until I got this cabinet. I store drain lines and cassettes in the bottom.
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Hi Bette
I take it you mean the extra bag as the first bag goes on top of the cycler so if you have room on your table for the cycler the bag just sits on top so extra space isn't an issue. For the second bag you could try the following. Get a piece of plywood about half an inch thick and with enough area to allow the feet of the cycler to rest on it. Put this piece of wood on your bedside table and stand the cycler on it. Ensure that the edge of the wood finishes approximately level with the front of the table. Screw a hook or hooks (depending on how many extra bags you are using) into the half inch wide part of th wood and hang your extra bags from it. I used to do this and I have a pic on my own PC which I'll email to you when I get home to-night (about 3 pm your time)
Alternatively you can use a TV stand which is what I use but make sure it's at the right height to the bed or you can drainage problems.
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Bette
Check your email, I sent some pics. Sorry it took so long,
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Ken,
Thanks for the pix. Your set up is great. I measured the furniture in the bedroom, and found that we had a dresser that was just wide enough for the cycler and the extra bag. I did my first run last night and it went well. I was woken up twice by alarms. I was sleeping on my stomach, and when I moved everything started working again.
It was alot easier than I thought.
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After you posted your question, Bette, I tried putting the second bag on top of the first and it worked just fine. Since we have no scale in the Baxter like the Fresenius, we don't need to worry about the extra weight. Yeah!!! I draped a folded bathtowel over the bags to keep them in place. I use an older style hospital bedside table that I bought at an equipment sales and rental shop. I can adjust the height and it is just the right width and on wheels! I put the plastic foam insulation ( which came in the cycler box) under my machine to absorb the noise and have moved the table to the hallway outside my bedroom. I used to be a very restless sleeper, but have changed my sleeping habits and don't have alarms now, so having the machine out of the room is quieter, darker, and much handier to set-up and tear-down. Good luck tonight!
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I didn't get much sleep last night. I couldn't get comfortable and I was very aware of the tubing. Do you get used to the cycler? How long does it take?
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Hi Bette
Sorry to hear you had a bad night last night. It does seem to vary from night to night, I now use earplugs to block out the slopping and slurping noises that the cycler makes. Try and forget about the catheter, if you are lying on it when you are filling or draining, the machine will beep to let you know. My favoured sleeping position is on my right hand side and partly on my stomach so I made sure the catheter was inserted to the left. It's worth spending some money on a really good comfortable mattress which is what I'm thinking of doing as the bed I am in now is nowhere near as comfortable as the one I shared with my wife pre-dialysis. After reading Anja's post where she said that she puts the cycler outside the bedroom; Anja, do you use the patient extension line that I've read about on one of the threads?
Finally just a warning about the large cycler drainage bags. Try and find a container big enough to to put the bag in because if it's just feestanding on the floor and you forget to close the large clamp on the outlet, the fluid will drain straight out of the bag, onto your bedroom floor and probably through the ceiling below. I know someone to whom this has happened and it resulted in a major insurance job to replace the carpet and repair the ceiling in the room below. You can see the set-up that I now use and the container on the Home Set-Up page on this site. I think I am on page two.
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As for sleeping with being on the cycler, I dont know much about Baxter and if its noisy or not... im on Fresenius and my machine makes no noise whatsoever except if an alarm goes off obviously. As for the tubing, like Ken said, if it is having probs filling or draining b/c of being kinked it will beep... so try to forget about it being there and get as much rest as possible. After a while you will forget its there and be able to sleep without thinking about it.
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My integrated 3-prong APD cassettes have almost 20 feet of tubing on them, so no extension is necessary. Just inquire about them through your nurse or Baxter when you order. (but usually your PD nurse has to okay any supplies you order other than her initial order she called in for you)
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Bette, it takes a little time getting used to but it is so well worth the wait, before you know it, you wont even know it is there. I too, sleep on my right side and i have the catheter draped over my left side and down my back, doesnt bother me at all. Good Luck to you and whatever you do, DONT GIVE UP, K, We are here for you always, so please if you have a question, just ask and we will help the best we can... :cuddle;
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My cycler is on one of the smaller type computer tables. We modified it a bit when we put it together including only the top desk surface, bottom surface, and the slide out keyboard shelf. The cycler and extra bag of fluids fit nicely on top- There's even room to spike the bags. The slide out shelf serves as a work area, and the drainage bag (in a rubbermaid container) and a 3 drawer organizer fit nicely on the bottom shelf. It has wheels, so I'm mobile. The cycler itself is plugged into a roll out heavy duty extension cord, and I use the 12ft patient extension as well. The only downside so far has been the material it's made of...particle board, so it's already needed some re-enforcing. I'm looking for the same type table in a hard wood to stand up to the stress of moving it from room to room. As for the noises it makes, our wobbly ceiling fan pretty much drowns them out. I'm still getting used to the tubing however, and have only had two really good nights where I slept straight through--I'm waking up during the dwells; haven't mastered that full feeling just yet, and waking at the end of the drains too--ouch! (I've been told you get used to that pinching/cramping when it sucks up to the stomach wall??) I'm including a pic of my set up-I guess I should really post it on "pics of set-ups"...?? (found it very helpful to be able to see others set-ups when I was trying to figure out how I was going to set mine up, thanks!)
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That is neat little set up you have there.
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I wish i could have a small table like that, i use 3 bags and need the table long enought to hold two (side by side) so i have a 5' table in my room, i will have to take a pic so you can see huh? i will work on that (right after i clean my room) :P
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I guess I should be grateful my machine don't need anything extra on my part for setup. My machine comes complete with a place for the bags to go. I love Fresenius!
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:thx;
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I only use one bag a night, but I have a table long enough for 2, just in case. I use a small computer desk that I bought for $20 at a thrift store. It's pretty sturdy and just the right size to keep my box of cassettes underneath it.
I too have pain when I drain. I was told that not everyone gets that pain and for some it goes away after a little while. I wish mine would go away, but I guess I'm just one of the "lucky" ones that keeps the pain... >:(
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:2thumbsup; I'm replying to a post on a thread that I can't seem to find. Can one of you moderators please redirect it? The post was about stopping the noise from a Baxter cycler during dwell time by pressing the stop button, waiting for the slurping and sloshing to stop, and then pressing the start button. Well I tried it and at first I thought it hadn't worked because the niose continued.But then after a few seconds complete SILENCE! It works. FANTASTIC. Can't remember who posted it but thank-you so much for that piece of advice. I'm usually still awake by the time the first dwell begins but now I can just take out those damned ear plugs and go to sleep in silence. :thx; :thx; :thx; Has anyone else on the sight tried this yet? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
EDITED: Repaired Thumbsup Icon Error - Sluff, Moderator
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I guess I should be grateful my machine don't need anything extra on my part for setup. My machine comes complete with a place for the bags to go. I love Fresenius!
Did your look like this?
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Yes, angie... infact it's still in my room with all the boxes of solution... cluddering my room.... until tomorrow :2thumbsup;
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Yes, angie... infact it's still in my room with all the boxes of solution... cluddering my room.... until tomorrow :2thumbsup;
I remember when they picked mine up they wouldn't take back any open boxes or expired bags. I had to cut them open and dump them.
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Yes, angie... infact it's still in my room with all the boxes of solution... cluddering my room.... until tomorrow :2thumbsup;
I remember when they picked mine up they wouldn't take back any open boxes or expired bags. I had to cut them open and dump them.
Yah, thats how they do it... I dont have any open boxes though so they caught me at a good time. lOL
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:2thumbsup; I'm replying to a post on a thread that I can't seem to find. Can one of you moderators please redirect it? The post was about stopping the noise from a Baxter cycler during dwell time by pressing the stop button, waiting for the slurping and sloshing to stop, and then pressing the start button. Well I tried it and at first I thought it hadn't worked because the niose continued.But then after a few seconds complete SILENCE! It works. FANTASTIC. Can't remember who posted it but thank-you so much for that piece of advice. I'm usually still awake by the time the first dwell begins but now I can just take out those damned ear plugs and go to sleep in silence. :thx; :thx; :thx; Has anyone else on the sight tried this yet? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I never even saw that thread...I'm going to try it now that you've brought it up! :thx; a million!!
EDITED: Repaired Thumbsup Icon Error in Quote - Sluff, Moderator
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:2thumbsup; I'm replying to a post on a thread that I can't seem to find. Can one of you moderators please redirect it? The post was about stopping the noise from a Baxter cycler during dwell time by pressing the stop button, waiting for the slurping and sloshing to stop, and then pressing the start button. Well I tried it and at first I thought it hadn't worked because the niose continued.But then after a few seconds complete SILENCE! It works. FANTASTIC. Can't remember who posted it but thank-you so much for that piece of advice. I'm usually still awake by the time the first dwell begins but now I can just take out those damned ear plugs and go to sleep in silence. :thx; :thx; :thx; Has anyone else on the sight tried this yet? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
EDITED: Repaired Thumbsup Icon Error - Sluff, Moderator
Is this the thread: http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=925.msg14242#msg14242 :thumbup;
- Epoman
Owner/Admin
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Thanks Epoman. :thumbup;
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Yeah, :thx; EPO!
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Could someone please tell be about the Fresenius PD model. I have never heard about it before? I use Baxter cycler. I also use physioneal because the sugar irritates my cavity . I just put the first bag on the heater and then place the other 3 bags on top. Just pile them up. I also found that I work best if my machine is close to the floor. Way lower than me about 1-2 feet from the floor.
Betty it does get better, I have the best success draining by sleeping on my right side for the catheter is on the left side. if you feel pinching while draining is may be because the catheter is searching for fluid and can suck up the thin peritoneal cavity membrane (think of plastic wrap being sucked by a vacuum). I pinch the most on my last drain the nurse said that it was because the machine wants to suck really good to get the last fluid of the cycle out.. but I am also dry during the day (actually 100mls for comfort)
hope this helps ,,, keep your spirits high
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Could someone please tell be about the Fresenius PD model.
I am on the Fresenius Sleep Safe PD+. The trolley was also supplied. It has hooks to hang the bags off. The fluid is warmed inside the machine as it runs through. Its a clever little unit. :thumbup;
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I have been on both Baxter and Fresenius and by far prefer the Baxter machine. In my opinion,Baxter is less sensitive( so fewer alarms) because it does not work on the scale system, much easier and quicker to set up, has longer tubing, can be disconnected as many times as needed(unlike F, which you can do only once), it can drain into a bucket or stool or tub (Fresenius drains into bags hanging on the machine that you must struggle to unhook and carry to dispense of), there is less waste(tubing, containers and wrappers) with Baxter(hence, less garbage to get rid of), the connecter attached to you has shorter tubing to contend with. I could go on and on, as I did with my dialysis unit when they wanted me to switch - recounting each and every positive and negative. The only positive I found that the Fresenius had was that it was somewhat quieter, except when it switched over - that was a loud clicking noise. Now that I have moved my machine to the hallway I sleep more peacefully and have no problems or alarms- whoever said it had to be next to your head or even beside your bed? It does not! Best wishes, Anja
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Could someone please tell be about the Fresenius PD model.
I am on the Fresenius Sleep Safe PD+. The trolley was also supplied. It has hooks to hang the bags off. The fluid is warmed inside the machine as it runs through. Its a clever little unit. :thumbup;
Wow I have never seen one that looks like that one! Here is what my Fresenius IQ CCPD looked like:
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I have been on both Baxter and Fresenius and by far prefer the Baxter machine. In my opinion,Baxter is less sensitive( so fewer alarms) because it does not work on the scale system, much easier and quicker to set up, has longer tubing, can be disconnected as many times as needed(unlike F, which you can do only once), it can drain into a bucket or stool or tub (Fresenius drains into bags hanging on the machine that you must struggle to unhook and carry to dispense of), there is less waste(tubing, containers and wrappers) with Baxter(hence, less garbage to get rid of), the connecter attached to you has shorter tubing to contend with. I could go on and on, as I did with my dialysis unit when they wanted me to switch - recounting each and every positive and negative. The only positive I found that the Fresenius had was that it was somewhat quieter, except when it switched over - that was a loud clicking noise. Now that I have moved my machine to the hallway I sleep more peacefully and have no problems or alarms- whoever said it had to be next to your head or even beside your bed? It does not! Best wishes, Anja
Hi Anja,
Was it the Sleep safe PD+ that you had? My unit is very quiet. I do have it right next to the bed and it hardly makes a sound. ( my husband would sleep through anything) The screen also has a screen saver and turns off after a pre-determined time. It is reactivated by simply touching the screen. It hardly ever alarms during the night. I have drain bags (because I want to keep an eye on what comes out) but you can also get a drain line with extentions. It is not recommended that you come off more than once due to the "safety pin" insert in the end of your line, but I do come off without using the pin as many times as I want. I have used extention lines so I am unsure if they are available. My unit is Fresenius so I didn't have a choice over what machine I was given ( I was so grateful for getting one after 6months of manual). It is great to learn about the differences between the machines and what is available. I am sure if our unit was changed to Baxter I wouldn't get a choice either. :-\
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Hello Wattle,
It was a Fresenius Newton IQ, I believe, not a Sleep Safe( was like the one in angie's picture). My unit wanted me to try it, as I was the only one they started on Baxter and they wanted to drop the contract. I tried it for a month with the understanding if I did not think it was superior that I could go back to using the Baxter. I know what you mean about being happy to be on any cycler! What a good difference from the every 4 hour manuals! Glad all is going well for you.