I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis => Topic started by: Simon Dog on November 16, 2015, 07:30:57 AM
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To those you on home D -
Many electric utilities have a program for "life support" customers. Eversource in MA offers priority restoration (they treat your street as if the mayor lived on it), and advance notice if they have a scheduled power outage (these generally happen in the middle of the night). I have to provide an MD letter once a year to have this priority scheduling renewed.
My town also has me on the "notify list" for advance contact if they shut the water off in the middle of the night to do work like hydrant flushing.
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A good idea for everyone. AEP has the same service in our state. Very helpful when the power goes out. It's good to be on their life support list . You also score points with your neighbors :)
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Similar in the UK, also they are supposed to notify me if they have planned works that will cause power outages or cut off water.
:)
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I had a long talked with our Rural Electric Company about this. Seems there 'grid' isn't much in our area. There isn't any other 'feeder' lines to provide service once the line goes down. Priority to a downed line nearby won't really speed up restoring power until that main supply line is restored.
Thankfully I have a reserve of manual PD supplies and can get by. Bags may not be at the perfect temp, but close enough I can do it.
Small generator sets may be an option for those that have space and can afford it. For most, I don't think so. A long power outage in a freezing winter storm can be a serious problem. After a couple three days I can foresee some trying to load up their machines and trying to get somewhere else warm and with power to get their D done.
This may be worth a phone call to your local fire/EMS personnel and asking one of those "What IF" questions, would they have any advise or plan on how to help you deal with those conditions.
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Priority still helps if the line to your house goes down.
The main feeder line is going to be high voltage (used because it is more efficient, power is reduced to 220 w/center tap close to the point of use), and there are going to be lines off that.
Priority also matters MORE with the small lines. Large line outages that affect many people get serviced first. The lowest priority is given to lines that only cut power to a very small number of houses.
The home dialysis support team will do whatever it takes to help you stay undead, however, that may involve being directed to a center (for those on home hemo), or them simply confirming you have been able to rent a hotel room at your own expense. I have a generator (HD), and I still get a call every time there is big snowstorm threatening power.
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Apparently Ameren Missouri had changed their policies over the years and the only priority we can get is advanced notification for planned power interruptions. No priority for residential customers for reconnection after unexpected loss of power. All the more reason if you do home dialysis to have some type of backup generator to at least keep your equipment running. We've used ours twice in the past year to restore power to my wife's Baxter cycler. First outage was 4 hours and the last one the other night was 2 hours. The key is getting the gen started and connected within the Baxter's battery backup period. Once you lose that battery you have to cancel the treatment and either go to manuals or remove all supplies from the cycler and start over from scratch.
Jack
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To those you on home D -
Many electric utilities have a program for "life support" customers. Eversource in MA offers priority restoration (they treat your street as if the mayor lived on it), and advance notice if they have a scheduled power outage (these generally happen in the middle of the night). I have to provide an MD letter once a year to have this priority scheduling renewed.
My town also has me on the "notify list" for advance contact if they shut the water off in the middle of the night to do work like hydrant flushing.
Great suggestion! I just looked up this topic for my utility company in the Metro area of MN. After speaking with customer service, I learned that it is necessary to
call 800-331-5262 [the Personal Account Dept.] and request a Life Support Designation form. You will be asked what type of medical equipment is being used which requires this service. When you receive the form, you need to ask your physician to fill it out, and return it to Xcel Energy. The hours of this department are normal business hours except for their 12:30 - 1:30 lunch hour.
I'll let you know how the process goes once I receive the information.
Thanks again Simon Dog.