I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Introduction => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: NCspinner on December 23, 2018, 06:30:28 AM

Title: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: NCspinner on December 23, 2018, 06:30:28 AM

Greetings--

I am the care partner for a home hemo patient. We've been doing this for almost two years. There's a lot to be grateful for in our situation but it is still overwhelming sometimes. We moved down here from up north not long before my partner went into kidney failure, and all family members are far away. I look forward to sharing with others on this board.

Title: Re: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: Simon Dog on December 23, 2018, 07:19:45 AM

If your patient is not doing his/her own needles, I suggest moving in that direction if (s)he is medically able.  This substantially reduces caregiver burden.

Title: Re: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: cassandra on December 23, 2018, 01:11:34 PM

Welcome to the site NCspinner


   :welcomesign;


Take care, Cas

Title: Re: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: Paul on December 24, 2018, 12:11:02 PM

 :welcomesign;
Hello NCspinner. Welcome to the board.

Title: Re: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: NCspinner on January 23, 2019, 11:38:37 AM

Just FYI, to SImon Dog re: suggesting the home hemo patient learn to do his own needles: I can appreciate the utility of that strategy but my husband has a familial tremor (sometimes called "essential tremor") that is getting worse as time passes. We haven't tried it but I'm pretty sure it would be impossible for him to cannulate himself. Sometimes his access arm is trembling so much that I have to hold it still with my left hand while cannulating with the right hand. So yes, I'm on the hook for everything.

Title: Re: Hello from North Carolina
Post by: Simon Dog on January 23, 2019, 11:09:15 PM

I would expect the tremor to preclude self stickulation.  (A term I just invented in protest against clinic policies never to use words like stick or puncture when talking to patients).