Hi, Lisa!
You said:
I go to an in-center dialysis, 3 days a week, I run for 3hours and 30min. I really want to do home dialysis but it seems like its just too much hassle. I am on the kidney waiting list, but my wait time is 5-7 years...
I have a fistula in my left arm, I just don't like the appearance of my arm now, and the technicians don't care how they stick you sometimes, trying to be fast all the time so they wont get behind, I cant stand half of the staff there also the nurses, because they feel like just because we on dialysis that we are less than a person because most of the staff think that we did it to our own self by not taking care of ourselves...
I'm on peritoneal dialysis (PD), and you are correct... it IS a hassle... for about a month. At first, the four to five manual fill/drain cycles per day was actually kind of interesting, but soon it became routine... a frequent activity interrupter, and a chore. I was trained on manual PD over two visits to my dialysis center, then I continued manual PD for two weeks. The last two days of this period, I was trained on the automated machine.
:yahoo; FREEEEEEEEEEEDOM! :yahoo;
Or, at least, completely free days. I have a little hole in my belly with a tube and connector attached that I wear in a harness that is unnoticeable with my shirt down. Twenty-minute setup at night, work/play on the computer, read, watch television, etc., until I get tired, sleep, wake up, twenty-minute "end therapy" conclusion to the night's continuous PD... FREEEEEE for the day!
(BTW, the surgery for installing the PD catheter is minimally invasive. I don't know exactly how they do it, but four tiny incisions are made. One is where the catheter is inserted and from which the connection tube emerges, and the other three are used for manipulating things in place, and the scars (and lumps) from those three steadily fade over the course of three months. There is some steadily decreasing pain for about two to three weeks after the surgery, and it takes about that long before things have healed well enough for PD treatments to begin.)
Automated PD with the machine is VERY flexible! I work at home, so I can choose when to start my daily therapy. (Even if working a traditional day job, there is flexibility of when you begin therapy in the evening/night. In this case, a nice thing about nightly PD is that by all appearances, you are living a normal life with no disruptions to a traditional work schedule.) Currently, my program is for a total of about eight hours, consisting of five fill/drain cycles. Usually, I will hook up at 11 pm, then continue with leisure activities until I'm sleepy, but if I know that I'll be spending the evening/night out, I can begin therapy earlier in the day and be free in the evening/night. It's even possible to go without during a night then hookup the next day. COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE other than being hooked up to the machine for the duration of the program cycles, and even then, you can go through a quick disconnect procedure if necessary. Standard is a 12-foot connection, but supplied are 12-foot extensions, so you can move from room to room during therapy. If you have the machine on a cart with wheels, you can unplug the machine and move it and yourself about for 30 minutes (it has a battery backup and will keep running) before plugging back in into any power outlet in your house. I SET MY OWN SCHEDULE IN THE COMFORT OF MY OWN HOME!
Both the manual and automated processes seem a bit daunting to learn at first, but within a couple of days of doing either, you begin to understand the purpose of each step, and you suddenly realize "simple simple". CLEANLINESS with PD is of utmost concern to avoid dangerous infection, but if you follow the guidelines and techniques presented in training, and you are careful not to seek shortcuts, the opportunity for infection is minimized.
With PD, there are no needles, no fistula, no blood manipulation, no boring visits to the dialysis center three times per week for 3.5 hours each, and no having to endure insensitive staff. Do the following Google search: "peritoneal dialysis patients healthier than hemodialysis patients", and you will see that there are health benefits to continuous PD.
Though I'm happy with the relative freedom that automated PD allows, of course, sometimes, like you, I look at myself hooked up to the machine (by a single tube) and wonder how I got here. Well, I'm here, so I guess I'll have to deal with it. Neither PD or hemo is sexy, but for me, when I heard the options, choosing PD was a no-brainer, and I'm very happy now with my choice... but... WHEW!!... that first month and the frequent manual cycles were indeed a hassle and a drag. Even so, I can now do manual PD in complete darkness, and this might come in handy during a power failure.
OK, Lisa, I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just presenting how the initial hassle of PD will eventually yield to greater freedom and control. Given that you have 5 to 7 years of dialysis before a transplant, I think PD is a good option that affords you greater freedom and control. PD is not for everyone. Some people don't want to be in control of their health in this way. Some feel it is too much responsibility. They prefer that trained medical staff be in control and responsible. That is completely understandable. But for those who can follow instruction, can be disciplined, and desire more control and freedom with their dialysis, PD is the way to go.
I welcome commentary from other people on PD. This was just a brief overview of my experience.
Best wishes to you, Lisa! Best wishes to all! :waving;