The trashman cometh

[donster]

We've been running at home with NxStage for about 6 weeks now and it's going really really (no, really!) well. Outcomes are so much better compared to 3-4 treatments/week in-center and my wife actually has a life of her own now. One thing I've noted is the amount of waste that 6 days of treatments a week generates. What is considered correct or best practice for cycler cartridge and flush syringe disposal in the world of home hemo? I don't think red bag disposal services are coming to everyone's home each week. A 2 gal sharps container only lasts us 2-3 weeks. Everything else is going into black bags. Oddly, my pumpkin plants seem to love leftover dialysate fluid from our SAKs  
Have I stumbled onto the dirty little secret of home hemo? 

This is about all I have been able to find online. http://pubget.com/paper/15698463

[jbeany]

Oh, yeah, there's no "green" way to do dialysis, home or otherwise.  Recycle the boxes, and the rest goes out in black bags.  I didn't double bag mine, but I took mine to a dumpster myself - no other person handled them.  The only tip I had for the sharps was always take the time to twist the syringes off of them - you can fit a lot more in the sharps container.

[donster]

Thanks Jbeany! That's what we've been doing so far. I also found this archived on DSEN. Looks like we're all pretty much on the same page.

http://www.billpeckham.com/from_the_sharp_end_of_the/2008/08/home-hemo---tra.html

[boswife]

donster, this made me laugh (seems that a lot of things are these days..but i guess thats a good thing  ) ... "the dirty little secret that is Home D" .   I too will be in that position soon (getting trained in couple weeks)   *God willing* so will be in your same spot.

Its always good to hear of someone else doing so well on NxStage..Do you do the sticking?  Something im just learning to overcome...... I actually gave hubby his insulin shot today just to get over even that!!  normally couldnt watch, and now i've watched and done it!!  Next week, he starts blunts and then i'll be trained.. yeah!!

[donster]

Yes, I do the sticking. At first I thought that would be the hardest part but it turns out that removing the needles and controlling the clotting process that comes next has been a lot harder to deal with. We've moved to using SureSeal dressings and they seem to be helping a lot. Good Luck! You can do it!

[M3Riddler]

We've been running at home with NxStage for about 6 weeks now and it's going really really (no, really!) well. Outcomes are so much better compared to 3-4 treatments/week in-center and my wife actually has a life of her own now. One thing I've noted is the amount of waste that 6 days of treatments a week generates. What is considered correct or best practice for cycler cartridge and flush syringe disposal in the world of home hemo? I don't think red bag disposal services are coming to everyone's home each week. A 2 gal sharps container only lasts us 2-3 weeks. Everything else is going into black bags. Oddly, my pumpkin plants seem to love leftover dialysate fluid from our SAKs  
Have I stumbled onto the dirty little secret of home hemo? 

This is about all I have been able to find online. http://pubget.com/paper/15698463

You should be able to take your sharp containers to your clinic and they will dispose them. You shouldnt put them out in the trash. ( Not sure if you are or not)  This can be a liability is someone comes along looking through your trash and gets poked with a needle.

[donster]

You should be able to take your sharp containers to your clinic and they will dispose them. You shouldnt put them out in the trash. ( Not sure if you are or not)  This can be a liability is someone comes along looking through your trash and gets poked with a needle.

Oh no, we are taking the sharps in monthly. The little bucket just fills up so fast.

[dialysismomma]

My fiance is on home hemo and I understand the whole trash aspect of it. Here is how i deal with it. I have 2 trash cans one for his stuff and one for the other trash in the house. The boxes we break down and take them in to the clinic when we have to many and they will let us through them in to the dumpster there. The sharps containers you can also use old bleach bottles, or laundry soap bottles or ask for a bigger sharps container or more of them in a month. I know the trash is the hardest part of it for me to deal with. I understand all the other aspects of hemo because I have been trained to and have been a dialysis tech for almost 10 years now. I hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to drop me a line I will help you any way I can!

[cookie2008]

I have a big sharps container when it is full we take it to our center, the cardboard boxes we break down and tie them up and our garbage company takes them to recycling, and the used cartriges and tubing and empty bags we put in black bags then take them to the center and put them in there dumpster.