had enough of this!

[sullidog]

today wasn't a good day at dialysis, I didn't even run!
On Mondays run I ran beautifully for about 2 hours, then all the sudden my arterial stops and we couldn't get it started again, when we pulled the needle, there were two big clots! Then today every tech and nurse tried and tried to get my arterial to run, no luck, all we did was pull clots, you could even see them and calcium deposits floating around in the needle, so we tried a wet stick, same thing. We called the doctor who insisted we keep trying, well no luck, same thing, clot city and calcium deposits prevented me from running, there was a push and pull but it was very slow. We called the doctor again because we wanted to get me in to have it looked at, I even opted for a catheter until he could look at it just so I could have treatment. well the doctor said well since there was a thrill present which there was that he can't put in a catheter that the vascular surgeon couldn't look at it until Monday. Then they drawl my blood just to see my electrolites and sent me home. I guess we'll try again Friday but damn if I can't run at all isn't that an emergency? I can almost guarantee that Friday I won't be able to run either, even though it seems to have a pretty good thrill and bruit if there's calcium deposits and clots floating around then we've got an issue. What do you guys think I should do? I hate to miss treatment, even if my labs come back good. My doctor doesn't seem to believe that we're pulling clots and stuff since we have a thrill.
Troy

[boswife]

dang!!  i have no advice just  simpathy... that  has got to be aggravating and scarry.. sending well wishes to get this straightned out....  Better day tomorrow......and ok, cant help but give you my thoughts.... I think you should go in anyway!! 

[rsudock]

see if there is an independent vascular clinic that can squeeze you in and get your access looked at....your initial feeling of, "uhhh I don't know if this doc is right?!" is right on, go with your instincts...get it checked out. I know I wouldn't want to keep missing D.


xo,
R

[okarol]

This may seem like a dumb question, but why wait so long? You have had trouble since MONDAY! Saturday is Christmas so dialysis centers schedule is probably changing and Friday will be busy, won't it? Did they start you on a blood thinner to prepare you for Friday? I dunno, if it was Jenna I would either get in to see a vascular doc or go to the ER tomorrow and see about getting a chest catheter. Doctors go on vacation, this is not a good time to delay treatment. I hope all goes well. So sorry you're having to deal with this. 

[Bruno]

From my experience clots are hard to deal with...if your fistula is OK (and it seems to be) the answer must lie in your blood tests.

[Stoday]

When I had a problem with one of my needles, they reset the machine to work with just one. Not as efficient as using the two, it did get me partially dialised that night. It must have cost, because they had to replace the lines before restarting the machine.

[sullidog]

Well they did get me dialyzed last couple of days but they have to stick around the upper surgerical connection where it's tunneled under the skin, I did see a new surgeon who is going to do a duplex before jumping straight to the fistula gram like my last surgeon did, by feeling it and what I've told him he thinks that there might be a builtup of plack on the walls of the access as well. As for a chest catheter I tried that but they are refusing to put one in because my access still has some function.