I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis - NxStage Users => Topic started by: boswife on December 06, 2010, 07:09:59 PM
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Today was the beginning of our 'sort' of training. Today was about me :-) and canulating. I watched a movie which i thought was going to be unneccessary but it was REALLY useful. it was showing how infultration happens and angle of the needle etc. Then, I went through a whole nicely long lesson about different types of accesses and hubby is in the greatest of situations on that one. Anyway, i didnt stick hubby, but i did stick the dummy and i got the vain!!! whoo hoo :yahoo; for me.. my trainer said i was a fast learner and was empressed which made me VERY happy. I learned sooooo much today and am pretty happy about it. Amazing that all the cleanin, tapeing, etc looks so simple but when it's stuck in your face to do, well, it's quite a thought out process. I also learned from the 'nurse' in the center a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway, i cant believe how much i knew,,,,,,,,,,,,and didnt know..lol Wednesday, i do hubby and at this point, im not scarred or anything. Just determined to make him better!!!!
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Today was the beginning of our 'sort' of training. Today was about me :-) and canulating. I watched a movie which i thought was going to be unneccessary but it was REALLY useful. it was showing how infultration happens and angle of the needle etc. Then, I went through a whole nicely long lesson about different types of accesses and hubby is in the greatest of situations on that one. Anyway, i didnt stick hubby, but i did stick the dummy and i got the vain!!! whoo hoo :yahoo; for me.. my trainer said i was a fast learner and was empressed which made me VERY happy. I learned sooooo much today and am pretty happy about it. Amazing that all the cleanin, tapeing, etc looks so simple but when it's stuck in your face to do, well, it's quite a thought out process. I also learned from the 'nurse' in the center a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway, i cant believe how much i knew,,,,,,,,,,,,and didnt know..lol Wednesday, i do hubby and at this point, im not scarred or anything. Just determined to make him better!!!!
:clap;
The dummy had a vein? Cool - please tell more.
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Oh, that's just fantastic, boswife! I am so incredibly proud of you! Please keep us posted on what you learn because several of us are going to eventually train on NxStage, so we're looking to you for instructions! :cuddle;
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:clap;
Good job. It sounds like this clinic is well equipped to show you the proper way to learn hemodialysis on NxStage. We never got to try out a dummy arm. Did they have 'fake' blood as well? I know some setups allow for filling a reservoir with red dye in a viscous liquid and simulates a vein filled with blood.
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WoW that is great..... I sure wish I got that type of training.....
Is your husbund going to learn to stick him self..... I like to stick my self cause I know just when it hurts and when it doesnt..... I have button holes so I have to go slow and then there is NO pain.....
I am sure you will do great....
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I'm SO jealous of the quality of training you seem to be getting. There was no dummy for us to practice on. There was no film to watch and I still feel like it would help to get some real training. So...PLEASE, share all the details you can. :grouphug;
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Thanks so much for all your incouragement :-) Im really excited about it all and it's really good to see that im getting what i need for learning. Yep Bill , the dummy had a vein, and i was so grateful to have the chance to work with it. I have made me an 'arm' with a vein at home now and have canulated and taped up, and removed needles 4 times this morning. Will be doing it a few more times before going for it tomorrow. I must admit, im a bit proud of myself as well Moosemom. Not prideful, just feel good that im going through with this for my hubby. It's NOT my fortee,fortaaaae, lol, dont know how to spell that so it's not my 'thing' hows that..lol (the needle part of this is very tough for me)... Greg10, As far as the 'fake' blood on their dummy, well, they did have a bag on the end of it that had sailine in it but without the red coloring that they usually have. It was kind of cool when the nurse was showing me how to test that the needle was placed correctly (hubby doesnt use heparin so theres an extra step) she pulled the syringe back and there came the water..lol It actually surprised her and she said,, hey, you got the vein.. (i was just actually suppose to be getting accustome to the stick at angle, but i couldnt help but add , stick, angle, and actually hit the vein...lol And tyefly, i am hoping that in time, hubby (Bo) will learn to stick himself as well. I think it's important and i 'think' he'll be willing once we get this thing down to give it a shot at it.. And looney, i was really surprised that i got to do all this training. It didnt sound at first that i would so i am pleasantly surprised!
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Yep Bill , the dummy had a vein, and i was so grateful to have the chance to work with it. I have made me an 'arm' with a vein at home now and have canulated and taped up, and removed needles 4 times this morning.
You made an arm?
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Yeah, I wanna hear more about how you made an arm...
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Im really tuckered out tonight but if your serious, i'll try taking pictures of 'the arm'. It has been really helpful to me to get a clear idea of canulating, and given me great practice on the cleaning, stick, taping up etc. It's pretty cool actually..lol
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Im really tuckered out tonight but if your serious, i'll try taking pictures of 'the arm'. It has been really helpful to me to get a clear idea of canulating, and given me great practice on the cleaning, stick, taping up etc. It's pretty cool actually..lol
It must be exhausting making arms, so you go get some rest and you can tell us all about it tomorrow. We're very serious...inquiring minds want to know!
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You could give us hints ... It is primarily constructed out of ________.
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The blood is made with -------------------------
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Yep, I wanna see pics of this arm you made too....... :clap;
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heheh.. i love that you guys wanna see my 'arm'. i just gotta get a picture today and post if i can. New computer im tring to learn so mabie i'll just do from my other one so it can get done..It's really kinda silly but for me has been a life saver, so mabie for someone else it could do some good. I 'll get with it this aft i HOPE!! thanks for inquirig... your probably just gonna laugh though, but still, it's something that worked for me..
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Hey, if it works AND it's funny, well, what better combination is that!?? :clap;
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ok im gonna try (http://) ok,,lol, i have NO idea how to put pictures here..and to think i even thought i did.. hum,, anyone wanna give me a qick lesson??
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I am sooooooooooo not the person to ask!! :rofl;
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ok im gonna try (http://) ok,,lol, i have NO idea how to put pictures here..and to think i even thought i did.. hum,, anyone wanna give me a qick lesson??
Basically, you choose the "Additional Options" and then Attach-Choose the file from a folder in your PC and then Post or Preview. The Preview will not show the picture in the present forum setup.
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?action=help;area=posting_topics#attachments
Attachments
If enabled, this feature allows you to attach files to your posts in much the same way as most email clients, so you simply have to browse to the relevant file(s) on your computer before clicking Post. You can delete your attachment(s) or add more by modifying your post, but please note that:
The permitted file types and sizes are set by the forum administrator(s).
Although most forums are likely be configured to display attached images as part of the post, it's not possible to preview attachments so you should always browse to and attach your files just before you finally post your message.
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Yeah, it worked so i will modify what i had posted. (thanks greg10) So, there is the arm,with a taped down vein (needle from center) and then i have the needle inserted into the see through vein. I riged it so that when i put the one end of the 'vein' into water, and then attached a syrange to the other, i could cover the main part where the button hole is, and insert my needle without seeing if i got it in so it would be more real, then suck water through the vein with the syrange it the other end, and if it came up, i was in the vein..lol only thing was, after doing that twice and not thinking, i made new button holes and when i went to suck the water i sucked air through the privious holes. Now im just doing it without covering the vein, just to get the feal anyway. Confusing??
ps.. you can see better when you inlarge them,,, Aint she a beauty.. lol the orange color is betadine. I do the whole stick, and taping up, and taking off, all day long..lol
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That's awesome.
One thing I see is that going through the needle line will offer more resistance than going through the fistula wall. And the one thing you're trying to avoid when you're actually cannulating is going through the back wall, so I wouldn't want you to get use to applying too much force.
I've recommended cannulating fruit to practice because an orange peel or banana skin is similar to human skin resistance-wise but you still can't convey in practice the issue of going too far. With buttonholes I just think about going slowly.
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thanks Bill. It's kinda a funny arm, and mostly im using it to try to 'see' it going down the track. See, i have had my first 'go' at it on wednesday and though i accomplished putting the needle in on both Aand V,(i am getting over a needle phobia but did REALLY good!) i didnt get into the track on either. But then it took4 other techs and then a tech who knew his fistula to actually get him canulated. Hubbys vistula rolls a bit im told. It really worries me. I want so bad to be able to do this but if they even have a hard time, what chance do i have. Tomorrow is my second stick so we will see. Someting that really bothered me was ,,,i really think i felt it going in correctly but their was no 'flash' . They said sometimes you dont get it. In that case, I possibly did get it first stick,because when they said it was in, they didnt get a flash either but pulled it up with the saline syringe. Was their turnacuit (bad spelling sorry) to tight?? Shouldnt you always 'see' the flash? Well, thanks so much for your input. It's very valued!! and i will not use the same pressure as the tube im practicing on ;) So thanks for that info.
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I think you're brilliant, boswife. You are so incredibly eager to learn and sooo dedicated. I really admire you. :cuddle;
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Moosemom, that means a whole lot to me. I read it last night as i was turing off my phone but couldnt respond from it. (have since fixed that) I
went to bed with a big smile and a bit of a tear. Tough stuff this D and encouragement is so special and valued. So thank you you special woman.
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oh and BTW all of you ,,,,,,,,,, I did it, I mean I DID IT!!!!! i canulated my hubby today... :yahoo; The best feeling in the whole world when you want something so bad. Now i will add that i only did the Arterial, but i did it, flash and all. I was thrilled, and did go for the V but i wont 'fish' for long but did learn somemore from watching the nurse get it so that was better than poking around and just possibly getting it. I tell you, i felt such a rush of joy, Truly made my day! I now know what to feel for, and what it feels like weather i get it next time or not, i AM learning... Yep, i can say im proud of myself, which doesnt come easy for me :shy;
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One down, one to go. The first one is the hardest.
You should be giving yourself a pats on the back, getting those needles in is the biggest barrier to home.
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Boswife, I think it takes a lot of courage to do what you are doing. You could have made a different decision. You could have decided that training for NxStage would have been too much for you...you could have just said "No, thank you." My husband has already told me that he would do whatever it took except to stick me..he's frightened of hurting me. I understand that fear, and I'm sure you've felt the same, but you didn't let that fear stop you.
I do hope that Bo will learn to stick himself simply because having that knowledge and that skill will make him feel more secure and in control, and those are important things when you have a chronic illness.
I am going to count on you to give me some tips once I start training, OK? You have every reason to be extremely proud and happy with what you've accomplished! I'm really looking forward to reading much more from you!
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BW...that is a tremendous thing. Being successful at something you are so dreading but determined to do it and do it well. Congratulations! :clap;
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Well, Bill, i have been patting myself on the back. Like i said, i had quite a phobia for needles and it took months to over come, so actually 'pushing' that needle into the vein, with stedy hands was huge for me and the biggest part of the being 'home' for sure. Learning i can handle, work i can handle, but needles, well this is my hurdle. Im really glad for the weekend, but i also know i will be building up my fears once again over this time so not reall happy about that part of my 'time off'. ::)
And moosemom, we actually attempted to do this about 8 months ago. We went in, talked to the trainer for about 10 min, she showed us the needles, and thank the heavens above, hubby said, ya know, i think i'll stick to in center... I was so grateful that i wasnt the one to make that decission. For me, there was no problem with doing all but the needles as well, i just dont want to hurt or harm him so im with your hubby on that one. I dont know what came over me to offer it again, but i did, and hubby almost leaped for joy and there was no turning back. Believe me, i woud have been AOK if he had turned down my offer..lol But once again thats only because of the "NEEDLING". Im not real happy about that part of this, but i was 'over the moon' with excitment when i accomplished the one i did do. Theres a good 'trainer' (something Moss??) over on that site you mentioned the other day that teaches about how to get over some of those fears of 'self' canulation, and i will someday try them with hubby so just mabie, he will learn to do that part as well...
And looney, yes, it is a tremendous thing ...lol but REALLY it was so huge for me that i can take this acknolodgement :-). And, I've been wanting to ask you too, do you do hubbys canulation? It seems last i remember he was using the permacath (sorry im im confusing you). For a long time i could keep everyones experience seperate but i have read soooooooooooo much latly that im beginning to smoosh them together :embarassed: I would love to hear more of your expreiences as well.. I know yur busy, i was reading your "have you accomplished anything today" thread, (and responded to it as well ;) ) but when ya got time, i'd love to hear of other stuff i'll be looking forward too..Ha
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BW: Yes, I have "stuck" hubby. He had a fistula put in last March, we finally got the go ahead to use it in August and I learned to cannulate him. He is visually challenged and the fistula was in his lower right arm (and he is right handed) so his attempts to learn to self-cannulate were awkward (and a little funny) ::). So on day 3 of what training we got, I did it successfully (I had watched the other 2 days) and was successful every time after that during the training. What caused us problems was the fistula was not properly matured and after a few weeks (during which time we had built buttonholes) the fistula began a steady but sure decline until it failed entirely. Seems hubby's vascular system is not in very good shape and so we went back to a catheter. Now he has a graft that was put in Nov 15th and we have the green light to use it beginning next week. As I have not "stuck" a graft yet, I am going to insist on some training though with what has been called training in the past, I'm going into this with somewhat lowered expectations. I probably will learn more from IHD and other online resources than I will from our clinic staff.
I am SO proud of you though. I also have needle issues. When you are terrified of needles, it takes a lot of courage to offer to do what you are doing. But, if it will make life better for your hubby, you will overcome all kinds of things. Just take it one step at a time and you will surprise yourself. And when you pass one milestone, do something nice for yourself as a little reward. :grouphug;
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Great job Boswife!!!
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Amazing looney, im so glad that at least when you do go to use his graft, you wont have mabie ALL the fears of the first sticking. Im so glad to have gotton that part over with!! I think its amazing how you got it right away. I tell ya, it really matters how they get you to learn. One said one thing, then i had an hour with another and the way she told me to visualize it did the trick for me.. This is scarry stuff but your right, when you have 'purpose' you can really surprise yourself.
And......... a little update, i have now accomplished canulating both the A and the V. On wednesday, they decided to start a new buttonhole for his V as everyone had a hard time with it so before something bad happened they thought it best. I was in agreement so they went ahead and got it started. Today, i had the experience of using a 'sharp' and i am now going to be establishing his buttonhole myself. Im pretty happy about that but of course i had so many questions about how could 'i' a newbie, establish a buttonhole. Well, ya just do :-) It really was easier to slide that sharp in than the blunt though i still cant wait till i can switch. thanks to all who have encouraged me.. Your wonderful!! and much apreciated!!!!