I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: Cordelia on October 03, 2011, 03:07:53 PM
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Please wish me luck everyone, I just got the date for my appointment (Fri. Oct. 28) to see my fitsula surgeon to hopefully decide which arm I'll be getting the surgery in. I have a shoulder injury in my one arm and am pretty limited to where I can have this thing put in so I'm pretty nervous about this appointment. I have issues having a bp cuff going on my one arm due to chronic pain so we'll see how this appointment goes.........
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I know this is such an enormous step. Believe me, I understand entirely. :cuddle;
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best wishes cordelia ! Keep us update on how it goes.
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Best of luck to you, cordelia!
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Best wishes, and they put the BP cuff on my left calf (leg) so see if they can do that. They also have wrist bp cuffs. More than one way to skin a cat.
:flower;
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Thank you, everyone! :grouphug;
And, thank you so very much Rerun for the mention of the bp cuff measuremants on the leg. I completely forgot they did that once on me at the main unit before I moved to the satellite unit.
I asked this morning to my nurse about that option and she said that it can be done, they prefer the arm but if it cannot be done on the arm at all then they would do it on the leg. :bandance;
I felt such an enormous wave of relief once she said that to me this morning, so thank you again so much for that advice! :clap; :cuddle; to you!
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Well, today's the day. I'm leaving shortly for my consult. Wish me luck. I"m really hoping this surgeon can find a good vein on me :P :bow;
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Good luck, Cordelia! We'll be thinking of you - make sure you let us know what the surgeon says.
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Good luck, Cordelia. We don't want this visit to be in "vein." :clap;
Aleta
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:cuddle;
thinking of you...
xo,
R
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Thanks so much, DD, WT and Rsudock! :grouphug;
Well, I decided to take the plunge LOL
Surgery will be Nov. 28......on my left arm, so I'm good with that. I was going to wait till January, after the rush of Christmas and holidays, etc, but decided just "to do it and be done with it" kind of attitude. Now that I've made up my mind once and for all, I'm phyched. I'm pumped LOL Still nervous and scared, but I'm ready LOL
I was given a small ball to start exercising my hand with, as the surgery will be on the 'lower' part at the wrist, so he's planning at this point.....
So I'm having fun telling everyone that I'm having FUN playing with the balls! LMAO! :rofl; :rofl; :rofl; I laughed and told my hubby this and he just laughed and said, "Ooooh, that's a good one!" LOL
Hey, I figure why not have a sense of humor about it, maybe it won't seem so bad then LOL ;) ;D
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This is great news, and I'm really glad that you decided not to wait until January. You would have had this "thing" hanging over your head over all of the holidays, and that would have spoiled them. This way you get it over and done with. I am sure that once it is all over, you will feel immense relief. :cuddle;
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Thanks, MM! :cuddle; I was kinda thinking that too, it would have been hanging over my head and you're right, I think it would have put a damper on my enjoying the holidays, the wondering, the anticipating and the worry alone, so this way, it'll be done and out of the way!
So the vein is medium sized, is what my surgeon told me, its not huge, but its doable, meaning its not too small. I was really relieved when he said that! :thumbup;
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good to hear cordelia, by the time christmas rolls around, the fistula may not be matured yet but the area will be fully healed.
Glad they can do it on the lower wrist area, much easier to get to than the bicep area.
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That's a good decision on your part to get this done before the Holidays! Im already stressing over them now. DH had his in the wrist area too. It was 2years in Sept (I think) that his was done, and it now goes from wrist to almost his elbow. It is thick and long and works "Beautifully".
Glad you are going to do this and let us know!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
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Sounds perfect :) and it's said thats the best place so your starting off great.. proceThats where hubbys is and im glad as it's easier for me to get to..hehe I'll be glad for ya when it's just done and on its way. I realize i wasnt the one getting it, but i was sure glad when it was done.. Seemed to be a pretty simple procedure so hope yours as just as smooth ..
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I'm the same boat. I get a fistula soon, but the needles creep me out. But I don't want an infection from my catheter either. I see a vascular surgeon next week. I'm just going to have to tough this out. Good luck with yours. My wife is a cardiac nurse, and she says they usually try to start you off at the wrist. They move around to other areas later. My wife just got a "Above and Beyond" award from her hospital. If it makes you feel better, I also get a butt exam next month, so, compared to me, you have it easy! :sir ken;
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My fistula is a bit over a week old. Seems to be purring nicely. You'll be fine. The wait and anticipation were the most stressful thing. I hope you have a better vascular surgeon than I did. Mine had NO bedside manner at all. Barely said anything to me before or after the surgery. When I called and made my follow up appointment, I complained to the girl on the phone and she connected me directly to him. Then I was able to ask some additional questions about follow up care, etc. Hopefully when it's my time to start D, my experiences with the in center workers will be better. Best of luck with your fistula !!
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Thanks, everyone! :grouphug; I'm really hoping my surgeon can do this on the wrist. He told me if it doesn't look promising on that day then he'll travel up the arm. I'm a little scared of nerve damage. I have injury to my other arm from nerve damage and that can be very troublesome. I'm hoping to God, my hand doesn't costantly tingle and go numb, (one of my biggest fears to have permanent nerve damage) Oh God, I'm :bow; praying. I had nerve damage to my other arm last year and I had to take percocet for 2 months for the pain ::)
Good luck with yours, too, Whamo! I hear ya, I'm a little phobic of needles too, but I know I have to do this. I like the cath for the reason there's no stabbing of needles involved LOL
Congrats to your wife on her award! :thumbup; Good luck on your butt exam too, those can never be pleasant, I had one once for hemorrhoids and I hated it :puke; :sir ken;
I gotta be at the hospital at the butt crack of dawn, 6 am on that day for surgery. :P
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I will be praying that God be with the surgeon as he does his work! You are going to do fine, Cordelia! Let us know!
Thinking of you,
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
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Thank you so much, lmunchkin! :2thumbsup; Thanks so much! :grouphug;
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best wishes cordelia, weird as it may seem, but I rather take the 6 am surgery, at least then you can get it over with quickly.
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Hi Mcclane, thanks so much for your best wishes, also! :waving; My surgery is actually 8 am, but I'm to be there for 6 am, I guess it's all pre-op stuff, admission, etc I think. :)
I have to have an EKG done prior to the surgery so I'm going to ask at my unit tomorrow, I think they can do that in-house, so I don't have to go anywhere else for it! :thumbup; I'm really glad because then I know, rest-assured, the results will be forwarded with much less risk of getting lost :thumbup;
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If your surgery is at 8AM, you should be all done by 10AM ... that's exactly how my schedule ran too (in at 6AM, surgery somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00). Afterwards, they had me stay for another hour or so to be sure I was okay with my anesthia.
Easy Peasy .... YOURS WILL BE TOO.
And mine keeps a'purring (and I hope I don't need to use it anytime soon !)
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Yep, they'll need a couple of hours for the paperwork and the pre-op stuff. The anesthesiologist will probably have a last word with you, too, just to make sure you know what will be happening. And the surgeon may come by, also. And there are other patients being prepared for surgery, too. I used to volunteer at our local hospital in the day surgery department, so by the time I became a patient, I already had a pretty good idea of what went on. Just relax (if possible) and be patient and let the docs and nurses do their thing. You'll be fine. :cuddle;
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I had the worst kind of fistula surgery...a long incision from elbow to armpit and a procedure that took 5 hrs from beginning to end...and honestly, even with the huge cut it really wasn't all that bad. They give you pain medicine and the worst of it is the first two days. Odds are yours will be a couple of small incisions and will be a breeze!
Make sure you're hemoglobin is nice and high and eat plenty of protein as both will help you heal at warp speed!
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Todd, MM and TL, thanks so much for all your advice! It is so helpful!
TL, I'm so very sorry to hear you had to be cut that far....is that a common thing to have happen? ???
btw, am I going to have to have a urinary catheter for the duration of this surgery? My surgeon told me it would be 1.5-2 hours long for the surgery, is the length of surgery pretty accurate from what he told me? I never thought to ask when I was there for the consult last week. I really don't want a catheter but I guess if I have to have it, I don't really have a choice :P
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You shouldn't need a catheter. I didn't. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink after midnight except a sip of water to take my meds. Good luck!
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Todd, MM and TL, thanks so much for all your advice! It is so helpful!
TL, I'm so very sorry to hear you had to be cut that far....is that a common thing to have happen? ???
btw, am I going to have to have a urinary catheter for the duration of this surgery? My surgeon told me it would be 1.5-2 hours long for the surgery, is the length of surgery pretty accurate from what he told me? I never thought to ask when I was there for the consult last week. I really don't want a catheter but I guess if I have to have it, I don't really have a choice :P
just guessing the surgeon is being on the conservative side ? mine took about an hour, and it was only a day surgery.
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I believe my surgery was about 2 hours. No catheter and no eating/drining after midnight the night before.
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Thanks, everyone, that gives me some relief! :clap; Whew! LOL
Mcclane, I'm wondering if he meant it would be 2 hrs depending on whether or not he had to travel further up the arm or not.......I'm really keeping my fingers and toes crossed that he can keep it to the wrist! :thumbup;