Hi. I posted this morning that I was training on the nxstage with my wife. Had another good day today in training and am now home for the weekend. Have been staying in Nashville all week.
My wife, Denise had a kidney removed due to bladder reflux that wasn't diagnosed in time and caused glomerular nephritis when she was 8. The other kidney continued to work for another 20 years. She went on home hemo in 1985. She received a cadaveric transplant in January 1986. She was married to her first husband at the time.
After her transplant, she had 2 daughters (now 17 and 19). She and I married in 1995. Her renal function really started deteriorating in 2001 and went slowly down hill until she started CAPD in December 2005. Her main reasoning was her horrid memories of sticking herself 20 years ago. PD never really worked for her. I finally convinced her to try the nxstage and we are now in the training.
Monday, the nurse stuck her 6 week old fistula for the first time and blew it out. Not only did it blow, it blew with 5000 units of heparin. her arm looks like, well you all can probably imagine what it looks like. We went Wednesday morning and had a perm cath put in and started back on training that afternoon. Got to go back Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Should be through then. We live 2 1/2 hours away, so we are staying in a motel while we are there.
Not sure what else to tell. Anything else you want to know, just ask.
Oh yeah, want to let you know also, that I have started a site for caregivers to get together kind of like this one is for dialysis patients.
www.caregivertalk.org. Anyone is welcome, but I think of it as an online support group. Also have a section just for dialysis information. Hope some of you will check it out.