stopping your blood after your done?

[sandygrooms]

I read about the training for the nxstage, and was wondering if when you pull out your needles do you have to hold it until it stops bleeding? If I was ever alone, how would I do that? I guess you could never be alone.
When I was in hemo it took a while for my site to stop bleeding.
This way seems to be something I would love to try. Just need to work out the help I need.
Thanks
Sandy

[jbeany]

They won't actually train you to do the Nxstage without a partner, so they won't train you to pull needles on your own either.  It can be done, though.  Depending on where your access, is, it's simply of matter of getting coordinated and getting creative.  One of the people I've talked on here mentioned using her chin to help tug the needles free.  If you leave some of the tubing still attached, it gives you enough length to help pull them loose with the hand on the access arm.

[Adam_W]

I'm able to pull my needles and stop the bleeding with no assistance. My graft is in my upper left arm, and I can do it all one handed. I prepare all my tape and gauze before my treatment is done, and I remove one needle at a time. Once I remove all the tape from the needle, I use my index finger to press a folded 4X4 over the site, then I grasp the needle wings with my thumb and middle finger and slide it out, while pressing the 4X4 down with my index finger. I hold the needle with my thumb and middle finger, and carefully drop it into the sharps box. Once the bleeding stops, I repeat the whole process with the other needle. It takes twice as long as pulling both needles at the same time, but it makes it possible for me to do it all with no help. Now, if I could only master cannulation. (I came VERY close to infiltrating myself yesterday).

Adam

[kidney4traci]

 (I came VERY close to infiltrating myself yesterday).   How ?  With the buttonhole needles I thought infiltration was near impossible?  I too pull out my own needles.  I get the tape and gauze ready, hook the syringe at the end and with my free hand hold the site with gauze and with the left hand (my fistula arm) gently pull back the syring which pulls everything out.  Then I hold it for a minute, tape up and do the other one.  Buttonhole sites do not bleed as long as regular sites do (I have done both).  IT is very easy to do alone.

[jbeany]

You can't buttonhole a graft.

[kidney4traci]

I didn't realize there was a graft involved, sorry.

[Adam_W]

I didn't realize there was a graft involved, sorry.

Yeah, my surgeon tried a fistula, but my veins and arteries are too small. The inability to do buttonholes is the main thing I don't like about a graft. Kind of related, I've heard of some centres that don't allow you to do home dialysis if you have a graft instead of a fistula. Something about not wanting patients to handle sharp needles or something. I'm sure glad my centre isn't like that.

[jbeany]

There's no reason not to do NxStage with a graft or even a cath - the rep who was here for the first few days of training said as long you you can handle at least 300 pump speed, you can still use the system.  The man who is next up for training at my center has a perm cath, since his fistulas never lasted more than a month no matter how often they tried to clean them.

[kidney4traci]

I do most of my dialysis alone.  My center knows, my husband only had to go to training once.  He is a chiropractor and they knew he understood alot already, so they just showed him emergency stuff.  So I put myself on and off.  (I have an older daughter that is here, or my husband, I am never "alone").