Dialysis in Japan (dialysis in foriegn countries)

[Jaybird]

Anyone that read my intro knows I came down with kidney failure in Japan.

I was living there prior to getting sick and met my wife there. Once I became sick, my wife's sister was in nursing school and decided to become specialize in urology and nephrology. That was 3 years ago. Anyway, she works with some dialysis patients in japan now and she is totally freaked out by what I am telling her I am doing in the states.

In Japan they do not have home dialysis. Furthermore they don't use needles bigger than a 19 guage for dialysis. Also, only doctors are allowed to stick patients. Yeah, thats right doctors with PHD's. She doesnt understand how I can be trained up by a nurse and sent home with just me and my wife sticking me and using a machine at home. They do dialyis for 4-5 hours for everyone that does dialysis, there's no 2hr treatments in Japan.

We may think Japan is crazy, but they have some of the longest lasting ESRD patients in the world. This could be because they are extreamely strict in every procedure, including diet. I was in a Japanese hosptial for a while and was on the ESRD diet.. Oh MY GOD! It sucked! I never filled up, and I had to keep sneaking sweets and food from my guests.

I would love to hear stories of other countries and their dialysis procedures. If anyone has one, please share it.

-Jaybird

[angieskidney]

Furthermore they don't use needles bigger than a 19 guage for dialysis.

Holy crap seriously? Wow! They started me off on a 17 gauge needle! Does the 19 gauge work well enough to get a good clearance in the 4 hrs?

There is no home hemo in my city but there is that in my country (Canada).

[Jaybird]

19 guage is for special circumstances in Japan. At my sister-in-laws hospital, she's never seen anyone use a needle bigger than a 20 guage.

All the nurses do there is monitor.

Also, I use the button-hole technique. My sister-in-law never heard of "blunt" needles. But that shouldnt suprize me, the nurses at my first clinic never heard of "blunt" needles either. I don't know why they call them blunt. I could still cut myself with these needles. they are bevelled. 

-Jaybird

[BigSky]

It must be because due to size of the patients in Japan or maybe its their supplier.?

20 gauge isn't too big.  Even used for some IV's I believe.


We use medisystems and I believe the smallest gauge they make is 17 and the biggest was 14 for cannulation sets.

[Rerun]

I would rather live a shorter life than adhere to strict rules and dialyze 5 frickin hours three times a week.  No wonder they are skinny!

[Rerun]

Here is an article from our front page under Dialysis News (Located right above Kidney Kick-Ups)

From Arab News:

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=88218&d=15&m=10&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

[Jaybird]

interesting.

[angieskidney]

oh wow the whole world is going non-related transplants now eh?

[Zach]

oh wow the whole world is going non-related transplants now eh?

Tell that to stauffenberg!