So I have to get a fistula

[calypso]

I'll be getting a fistula soon, so what should I expect? They tell me it takes 4-8 weeks to develop. How long am I going to be in pain? Not the whole time it takes to develop right? And how painful is it?

[galvo]

calypso, I had the fistula surgery a couple of months ago. It was a doddle- no pain whatsoever. (Even though I note some of the gang here suffered a bit of post- surgery pain). Absolutely pain free ever since! My surgeon works on a 12 week development basis.

Good luck with yours.

[YLGuy]

Surgery was not painful.  Sore afterwards.  One important thing to remember is to keep exercising it.  I tried to squeeze the little exercise ball at least 600 times a day.  It will help mature the fistula faster.  Also remember that this is your lifeline guard it.  I wear a medic alert bracelet on the other wrist that says NO BP cuff or needle sticks left arm. 

[tyefly]

 I have a upper arm...... fistual........     surgery was like all others    painfull after wards.....   from the incision...  rather  I have three.....   and  I  ended up with a numb lower arm.........  not a steal problem....    and my lower arm is still numb...... to this day.... I had my fistula many many months ago...... they told me that I could use my fistula after 6 to 8 weeks..... and tried   but it really was not ready.... not fully developed.....   developing is simply healing and allowing it to get a little bigger  ( the vein that is ) to be able to put the needles  in.....  I had many problems with the needles at first but after they kept trying to use it  the vien got bigger and now it is really good to use.... that took another month.....   I have only been doing Dialysis for about three months now...    Not everyone will have the same results......   and more than likely you will do well... and after you start D for a few months be able to use the fistula like everyone else....... good luck to you   and let us know how you do......

[Stoday]

I had a wrist fistula placed in June last year. I had an "arm block" anaesthetic which was uncomfortable whilst being administered, but after that I had no pain at all. None during or after the operation. No sorenesss whilst the wound healed either. They gave me some paracetamol to use as the anaesthetic wore off, but I had no need for them.

The worst was the arm block. Took half an hour with them jabbing a needle in my underarm and giving me electric shocks through it to make sure they got it in the right position.

A root canal procedure on a tooth is worse IMO.

[RightSide]

I had no pain at all.

My biggest problem was that the first surgeries to put a fistula in my arm failed, and I had to have revision surgery.

You'll be instructed as to how to feel for the "thrill" (buzz) in the fistula--that's the rush of blood through it.  You should do that each day.  If you feel it weakening or stopping, call your physician immediately.

[Quickfeet]

Good luck. My surgery was easy. My incision was in my elbow so mine hurt when i bent my arm. Also my left arm below my incision was colder than my right arm and it was weak for two weeks. My fistula clotted shortly after and has for the most part returned to normal. I have a lovely scar to remember it by  .

[jennyc]

Mine is at my wrist, i had to have a revision about a week or so after the initial operation as i have small veins and it clagged. The first operation there was hardly any pain, took paracetamol once i was out of recovery. Lots of bruising though cause i'm only small. The 2nd one they opened up at the same spot  and it hurt a bit more till the next day (took some cool pain killers to sleep that night but ok by the next day) i was knocked out for both and stayed overnight for both.

I have numbness but it's common and may or may not go away (they cut through the nerves to join the artery) but it's only a small area, it's normal.

Nothing really bad. I have a narrowing now so having a plasty done to increase it. (as i said REALLY SMALL VEINS) it's also on my left so it's amazing they got a viable fistula at all considering the amount of damage they did to it in ICU doing blood gasses etc when i had acute failure, but the neph i went under first stopped that within a week so obviously it was fine).

It was done Oct 09, had it not been for the narrowing i would have been using it in december.

[Maker]

I got my fistula in November (wrist) and my surgeon won't even consider approving it to be used for 3 months! 

I had a lot of bruising and a pain/bleeding in the days following surgery, so I was told not to use my arm/hand for a week to let it heal and so it wouldn't bleed.  I don't think this is normal, I'm a bit of a bleeder anyway 

Good luck to you!!

[hurlock1]

I got my fistula and my catheter within a couple of days of each other. The catheter hurt so much that I don't recall the fistula hurting.
jmz

[sullidog]

I had a graft placement in august. Sore a bit but nothing tylenol couldn't fix. It clotted off last weekend and the soreness from that was even less then the placement.
Troy