Semi Sterile Environment

[imacrash]

In about 2 or 3 wks, I will have the surgery for PD, with the tubing coming out of my chest, oh joy!  But what I'm concerned with is that I have 2 inside cats that I refuse to get rid of.  My point of daily PD will be in my bedroom and have already been told that the cats MUST stay out of my room at all times.  I don't like the idea of keeping my door closed all the time, especially if I'm in it during the daytime.  I'm pretty sure any dog gate I put up will be jumped over with grace and tact by the cats.  Do any of you have other suggestions on how to keep a door open, yet not let the cats in my bedroom?

[kitkatz]

Sound slike you are going to have to work withy our cats and keep them outof the bedroom.  A spray bottle with water whenever they come through should stop them. Spray them with it every time they come near the dorrway. Someone will have to be right there to do it every time for several days.  It takes a while for cats to get it through their heads thay are not wanted somnewhere.  Put aluminum foil down in large strips on the carpet in front of the door.  They do not like stepping on it supposedly.  My cats would laugh at the aluminum foil and keep on coming or else pee on it. Close the door to the bedroom if you do not want to traumatize them too much.
We tried for two days to keep the cats out of our bedroom.  They cried along with the dog for two    days outside the door all night long. We gave up finally.  Good luck, my cats can walk through walls when they want too.

[BigSky]

Not sure what to tell you, other than putting up a old time full length screen door. 

[goofynina]

Hi Ima, First i want to ask,  Are you sure the catheter will be coming out of your chest?  is that new? what kind of PD will you be doing?  The reason they do not want pets around is because pet dander gets in the air and when you open your port, it can contaminate it,  it might be a better idea to just close the door,  if you are on manual exchanges it only takes about 45 minutes to drain and refill, not too long.   You can also open the door AFTER you've unhooked yourself or hooked yourself up and then do as Kit suggested with the spray bottle,  just my    Good luck and keep us posted, k, 

[imacrash]

goofynina... I don't know what it's called when the port comes out of the chest yet?  The surgeon told me my stomach is too small for a port in the belly and from losing weight over the yrs, I have extra skin folds on my tummy area.

As to the other replies....thanks for the ideas, so far I like the screen door idea.  I'm suppose to get a transplant within the year and spraying my cats seems like it would be just traumatic for one of my cats who's very emotionally attached to me.  I'm sure they will still scratch and cry at the beginning, but hopefully they will get use to not coming in my room!

[Black]

I have 4 dogs and and 1 cat, and my business is pet boarding and grooming, so I understand about pets.  Mine are all very spoiled and pampered.  One is so spoiled she doesn't like to share my husband, so his bedroom is off limits to the rest of the pack.  She gets free run of the house whenever she wants, but the rest are kept out of his bedroom by a tall baby gate.  (They sleep in my bedroom and are very unhappy when I spend time in his bedroom. )  We're going to have a hard time with her when Mike first gets his NxStage and has to keep her out of the room until he gets "hooked up".  She's 12 years old, very devoted, and would protect him with her life.

That being said, you need to know that the screen door is not going to cut down on the airborne particulate count, which is the main reason for the closed door.  If the cats enter the room at all, the dander shed there and the bacteria they bring in, will stay  there and be stirred up every time the air in that room moves.  Peritonitis is a life threatening condition.  Allowing the cats in the room where you will do your exchanges is like playing Russian roulette with a gun which could hold 20 bullets -- better odds than a six-shooter but the risk is still there.  It will greatly improve your odds if you keep the cats out of the exchange room at all times.

If you wish to take the risk of having the cats come in at all --

Make a standing appointment with a groomer for weekly or biweekly baths with a dander reducing shampoo and moisturizing conditioning treatment.

Get an Oreck air cleaner            http://oreck.com/air-purifiers/air8.cfm    In addition to the actual removal of particulates, which are deposited on the permanent collector plate, the ionizer on it will make the rest of the particulates stick to all of the surfaces in the room and they can be removed by a damp dust cloth, or one of the commercially advertised dusting products.  (Don't forget to turn it off before you uncover your access.)

Put individual filters on your a/c and heat ducts in your exchange room, and a HEPA filter in your main unit -- and change them often.

I do all of those things because of my COPD/asthma/allergies (not allergic to dogs or cats, thank God!!) and I know they do work.

One more thing -- try to find something your cats LOVE, to distract them when you go to do your exchanges.  Feed them small amounts of foods, put out special toys, catnip, or scatter a few of their favorite treats around.  If all else fail lock them in another room, or large play crate, or even a small carrier  -- with those items.  As soon as you're finished put the special things away until next time.

For those who are not pet lovers -- yes, they are worth the extra trouble and their feelings are that important.

[billable]

Great advice Black.

[Black]

Great advice Black.

   Many people find home PD to be so much easier and better than in clinic hemo, and not everyone can do hemo.  It's worth the extra effort to prevent life threatening peritonitis and to prevent a infection from making PD impossible.

[imacrash]

Thank you Black,
no one has quite explained exactly why to keep the cats out, other than risk of infections.  I'm hoping to do night time PD, and the cats are out of the main house area during my sleep time.  It's keeping them out of my room the rest of the time that will be a huge challenge for the cats and for ME!  I love napping with them...guess I'll have to find another room to nap in until the transplant happens...grrrrr 

[Black]

Thank you Black,
no one has quite explained exactly why to keep the cats out, other than risk of infections.  I'm hoping to do night time PD, and the cats are out of the main house area during my sleep time.  It's keeping them out of my room the rest of the time that will be a huge challenge for the cats and for ME!  I love napping with them...guess I'll have to find another room to nap in until the transplant happens...grrrrr 

You are most welcome, and napping with them somewhere else is a great idea!

[mallory]

Black, This really is great advice.  I ordered the Oreck air purifier today.  Hey, if it's one thing that can prevent peritonitis, it's a good investment!

[Black]

Black, This really is great advice.  I ordered the Oreck air purifier today.  Hey, if it's one thing that can prevent peritonitis, it's a good investment!

Yes, it is a good investment.  I love the way it cuts down on odors too.  I wore out my first one - over 3 years non-stop on high speed except when being cleaned.  Almost two months w/o one -- I couldn't stand it and ordered another one!  The three small Hunter brand air cleaners I tried instead cost almost as much as the Oreck and were a waste of money.  Nothing but an Oreck will do.

Next time you're out shopping buy a very small bottle brush to use to clean the collection plates --  a tooth brush is too big to fit between the plates.  If you clean it often, every couple of weeks, it's a lot easier to clean.

[goofynina]

Upon starting PD i asked if i should buy an air purifier, she said no because when you do the exchange you have to shut off everything that moves the air, that is why you must close windows and doors.  Please let me know if it is OK with your PD nurse,  i hate when one nurse says one thing and another nurse says something totally opposite, i think consistency should be practiced especially when they are dealing with peoples lives...

[Black]

Upon starting PD i asked if i should buy an air purifier, she said no because when you do the exchange you have to shut off everything that moves the air, that is why you must close windows and doors.  Please let me know if it is OK with your PD nurse,  i hate when one nurse says one thing and another nurse says something totally opposite, i think consistency should be practiced especially when they are dealing with peoples lives...

Yes, you do have to turn off the air purifier while you connect and disconnect.  There should be NO air movement of any kind in the exchange room.  Running the air purifier at all other times lowers the number of particulates in the air, which is a good thing.

[JerseyGirl]

The cath coming out of your chest is called a presternal cath.  It's pretty new, one of the advantages is that the patient can supposedly take tub baths because the catheter exit is so high up.  I have heard that only a few surgeons are experienced in inserting it - do a google on "presternal PD caths" - I think Homedialysiscentral.com has a few good articles about it.