PD Home Visit

[Fox_nc]

I got a call yesterday from a nurse at my dialysis clinic who said she needed to come do a home visit.  That they did them once a year and the first one was to be done in the first month.  My first month is about up, so we scheduled a time for her to come by.  Here's my question - what should I expect?  I've read on here that some people had a visit pre-dialysis (which I didn't) but not anything on a visit after dialysis has already started.

[charee]

Here in Aus we have pre dialysis home visits every month , the renal unit sends out a nurse and she takes my blood pressure , weighs me, checks all my medications and answers any questions i have, I'm not yet on dialysis but when i am she said she will still do the same and also i will have her moblie phone number so i can contact her with any problems. Hope yours goes as well as mine do she is very nice.

Cheers  Charee

[goofynina]

I got a call yesterday from a nurse at my dialysis clinic who said she needed to come do a home visit.  That they did them once a year and the first one was to be done in the first month.  My first month is about up, so we scheduled a time for her to come by.  Here's my question - what should I expect?  I've read on here that some people had a visit pre-dialysis (which I didn't) but not anything on a visit after dialysis has already started.

Hi Foxy,  if your visit is anything like mine, they will have you walk them through how you will be setting up to make sure you use the sterile procedure you were taught.  make sure you have your paper towels and your bleach solution on hand cuz she will check that out too (well mine did) they also checked that my phone was working as well (i dont know why)  They check where you keep your supplies to make sure there are not objects around them that could damage or contaminate your supplies.  It isnt nothing  to worry about really,  Good luck and let us know how it went

[shay_pcb]

I never had a home visit. Is it just in certain areas or ...what?

[goofynina]

I never had a home visit. Is it just in certain areas or ...what?

WHAT?? you've never had one?  how long have you been doing PD?  They should be monitoring you a little better than that!!!   I've been on PD since May and i have had 3 already!

[shay_pcb]

I've been on it for 9 months and never even heard of a home visit. Do you think it's a regional thing? Like, maybe they don't do it in Florida??

[goofynina]

I would think (or i should hope) they would do it everywhere, but if you've been doing it for 9 months and you havent had any problems, i would guess you are doing something right huh?   but still, i would've been more comfortable having them come and make sure i was doing everything right.  Well girlfriend, you just keep doing what your doing 

[Fox_nc]

Wasn't bad - took about 10 minutes.  She had a checklist of questions about my setup and the house.  Pretty much what you said including if my scale and b/p machine were close, if there are any pets, etc.  Not sure if the visit things are regional or dependant on who runs the clinic.  When I was on PD before in Texas, monitored by the hospital, I didn't have any home visits the whole time I was on it.  My clinic here is a Frenius Center.  I also have a visit with a nurse every month for the things that Charee mentioned, but it's at the clinic when they draw my labs a week before my doctors appointment.  Sometimes it suprises me how different things are depending on where we are.  You would think that something like dialysis would be pretty much the same . . . oh well.

[Pianolion]

Hmm, my clinic has never even mentioned home visits before.  I went through training at the clinic for about two weeks, eight hours a day - is that the usual thing or is it different elsewhere?  At my clinic, the PD unit seems really small compared to hemo, so I don't think they'd have the time or staff to make home rounds anyway.

Scary thought, that - I can just see myself running around frantically picking clothes up off the floor in preparation for the visit...

[Fox_nc]

My home training was 3 days about 6 hours each, but it may have been shorter since I had done it before. They were really training my husband    Most of the time was spent watching videos - woo hoo.  The staff on that side of my clinic is way smaller than the hemo side, only 4 nurses, but they always seem to have plenty of time for me, which I appreciate.

Oh and trust me, when she called, I was in an extreme panic to get the house picked up 

[shay_pcb]

I only trained for 2 days for 4-5 hours both days. They said I was a quick learner. I trained 2 days on the cycler too, but for only an hour both days.

BTW, something extremely coincidental...I went to my dialysis center today to sign some papers, and my nurse tells me that she's coming to my house next week. Apparently we do get home visits, but this is my first one since I started dialysis 9 months ago. My nurse said that my last nurse never did home visits, but she was supposed to. That's why I've never had one. My old nurse didn't do what she was supposed to do. I've had this new nurse now since October. She's a lot more thorough.

[Chicken Little]

I had my tube surgery this past Monday, it stunk, but I've started training about 2 hours a day starting Wednesday.  Next Thursday I will go in, they will fill me up, send me home and the PD nurse will show up at my house a couple hours later for the inspection and to be here when I do my first exchange at home.    She said after that the home inspection will be done annually. 

[Rerun]

I had my tube surgery this past Monday, it stunk, but I've started training about 2 hours a day starting Wednesday.  Next Thursday I will go in, they will fill me up, send me home and the PD nurse will show up at my house a couple hours later for the inspection and to be here when I do my first exchange at home.    She said after that the home inspection will be done annually. 

F R E E D O M !!

[del]

Hubby was on PD for almost 3 years.  Never any mention of a home visit.  I don't know if they did them within a certain distance of the training center or not but I don't think so.  We are about 6 hours drive from the training center.  We had to do the travelling and carry the expense for checkups.  If I remember correctly that was about every three months.

[Pianolion]

I can't believe how short a time everybody else has has on training!     I was pretty under the weather at the time, of course, in the hospital for a week or two, making the transition from hemo to PD, etc.  But still!!  Now that i look back on it, though, I think they trained me a little at a time on purpose - and I do learn better that way instead of having everything thrown at me at once.

Chicken Little, congratulations!  FREEDOM is totally where you're at now with PD

[angela515]

When I was on PD I had a home visit first month. It was nothing really... just like everyone stated, they just wanna check where you setup at and if its sterile and such and where you keep your supplies. 

[Alisa]

i have never heard of a home visit never mind have one done and I have been on PD going on 11 month??? Maybe Canada is different. I go to my unit for a check up every 3 months?

[Chicken Little]

I had my home visit yesterday, when I FINALLY started PD.  The nurse looked at where I was going to do the exchanges, where I had the supplies stored and I assume she was checking cleanliness too.  No big deal. 

[shay_pcb]

I had my first home visit about a month ago. I've been on PD for going on 11 months too, and that was the only visit I've had. I thought that maybe it was a regional thing too, but it's the dialysis center. They are supposed to do them, but some nurses just don't.