PD Environment

[Geiser100]

Looks I'll be getting my surgery for PD. I'm afraid I might be rushing things. I realized my living quarters might not be the best environment. I still live with my dad and stepmother. She basically pushed me into the basement. It's a finished basement but after living down there for almost a year I came to realize it probably isn't the healthiest place to live. The dehumidifier runs ALL the time. Im afraid there might be mold down there. Also I just discovered mouse droppings the other day! Now I'm afraid of my health. My stepmother seems to have control of my father and thus they don't seem concerned about this. There seems to be no way of moving back upstairs to my old room since she transformed it into an entertainment room for her personal use. My health seems to be last on her list of importance and whatever she wants, she gets. My other option would be to start living with my grandparents since their house is newer and cleaner. I just don't want to put any pressure on them. Can I still do PD as long as I sterilize the machine and keep it as clean as possible? I'm really streased out about all of this.

[Simon Dog]

Part of the prep for PD will be a home visit by your RN.  If you have concerns, ask him/her to do the home visit now rather than waiting until it's time to deliver the machine.  That will give you more maneuvering room.

Rely on the RN's advice.  They are trained to help you be paranoid about sterility when it comes to PD.

[Cupcake]

PD is much more flexible for a young person such as yourself, I think you'll like it after you get adjusted. I, too, had too much time to worry/fret over how I would do the set up at home before starting. There are some YouTube videos showing people's set up at home, and in no way would I say they were palaces. In my set up, I find the following things important- a table that I can wipe off with a Clorox wipe where I spread all my supplies out; good lighting to check connections/exit site care; a large area to stack/sort all the supplies; and a system to handle all the garbage and boxes for recycling. It's important to not have a vent or fan blowing while doing the hookups. I was worried about leaks, so I moved my area rug before I started. Only once did I have a machine malfunction and a liter or two of salty sugar water dripped out overnight; it was a mess but would have been a disaster if it had soaked the 10x13 oriental carpet with a queen sized bed on top! I couldn't have moved that before the floor was ruined. They sent me a new cycler the next day.

Simon Dog is right, your PD trainer will do a home visit. I drain the cycler into the shower, and with my 20 ft hose I can get to the bathroom, washer/dryer and mini frig in the hall. Not sure if you'll have all that available in your basement setup. Best of luck and keep us posted how it all works out.

[kickingandscreaming]

Hello Geiser.  I have been doing PD for 3+ years.  My house definitely did not just tumble out of Martha Stewart's magazine.  I have a dog and i'm a crappy housekeeper.  And it's all the worst because I'm usually so tired that house cleaning is never at the top of my list of what i will do with my available energy.  But I do manage to keep the areas where I do the PD connections neat and clean. And I'm scrupulous about cleaning my hands and keeping a one-pointed focus on the process at hand so I don't slip up.  You can do it.