Touching

[murf]

Been on PD manual exchange for four weeks. In my manual it has pictures of people reading a book or on the mobile. I am wondering about the cleanliness of this practice. I have been told not to touch anything once you start.

[george40]

Hi there, its near impossible not to touch anything. I do all of the above, even hold my baby boy once connected. I used my laptop alot once connected also. Thats why before you disconnect your supposed to clean hands with the hand cleanser / sanitizer. So far all has went well. The only thing I distinctly remember is that do not touch the floor or pickup anything from it once you have started the treatment.

[tyefly]

You should be able to touch anything after hooking up ......    as long as you wash your hands or wear gloves the next time you unhook....  Hooking up and Unhooking should be treated as equals.... and before you hook up you wash up and practice aseptic practices so you should be able to do the same just before you unhook.....so go do what you want....  touch it all.....

[Hanify]

Yep - as long as  do another aquirt of hand cleanser stuff I think I'm OK.  Obvioulsy - I stay away from my nose and stuff (ewww)

[murf]

Been given a new sanitizer called "germ free 24". You only have to sanitize your hands only once - before you hook up. Don't like that tho'. I feel I should sanitize at the end as well. It's a trial prescription. But what happens if they get it wrong?

[jennyc]

clean your hands before you disconnect and you should be fine. when i was doing manuals i used to cook, do dishes, bath my son. I have showered whilst doing a manual exchange (numerous times), play on the computer, move around, play ps3, stack the dishes. I've never (knock wood) had peritonitis.

Don't just use sanitizer. you have to do the whole 1-3 minute hand wash then use the sanitizer, only use paper towles to dry your hands as well after washing.

[billybags]

My husband reads books, plays with his brick game, in a morning after he has connected up he comes down for breakfast, as long as  you wash hands and anti them before the next stage, it is ok.

[looneytunes]

Murf...if you are on a 4 hour exchange, it would be pretty difficult to not touch anything for that long.  Go ahead with your life, that's why PD is great.  Just cleanse good before unhooking.  My spouse would go outside and work with the cattle during his dwell time.  Some people hold down full time jobs and are dwelling. 

I agree on the "trial" rx for sanitizer...I'd hate for my trial to be the one to cause it to fail the test!   

[*kana*]

It always hits me funny how different the advice is that we are given by our clinics.  I mask, wash for 3min and use the hand sanitizer right before hook up.  When I disconnect I don't wear a mask, wash or sanitize my hands.  My fury friends are even in the room when I disconnect.   

[tito]

Yes, I too use the sanitizer before disconnecting. The cycler is in the bedroom and I have to get up at 5:30 am to go teach. I don't kick my wife out of bed to disconnect. She usually sleeps with the covers over her head, so I think everything is ok. The dog is in the room, too - don't want to kick her out. She's on the other side of the room with her face toward the wall. For the two seconds I'm without a cap, I don't see any problem.

[billybags]

Alan is back on to the over night cycler, has been for two weeks. I smile because you have to do such a lot of hand washing, alcoholic hand jelling although the process of setting up the machine, he connects up for the night and then in the morning after scratching his ba**s and ar** and what ever else his hands touch (not me) he rubs in hand gel and disconnects. Whats that all about. I said this to his nurse and she said the jell is fine it would kill all the germs, yea.

[lunadatura]

my clinic teaches a rigorous routine for hygiene that i almost complete ignore and have not had PD. Use common sense like hand washing or sanitizer during connects and disconnects and you will be fine. I do all sorts of things whislts doing a manual exchange.

[renalpenguin]

My center teaches us not to touch anything, hardly even the pole the fluid is hanging on! Being as by-the-books as I am, I try to listen. 

Speaking of contamination, in my last exchange, I accidentally left a fan on in the room. Could I have contaminated myself?

[peleroja]

Like I tell my neph, there's adequate preparation and there's optimum preparation.  I'm doing adequate.  When I was doing manual (and even now on the cycler), if I'm cold I have the heat on; if I'm hot, I have windows and doors open or the overhead fan on.  The only peritonitis I got in 6 years is because I developed an abdominal hernia which got infected and then infected my dialysate.  I'm actually considered a "virgin" by my clinic, as my peritonitis was beyond my control and was not due to lack of cleanliness.  Try not to beat yourself up about it!