More PD Questions

[TaylorMN]

Hey thanks for all the advice on PD catheter placement.  Now my hubby has more questions for you.  Here we go:
How much extra liquid weight are you carrying around?
Did doing PD impact your pants size?  If so, how much?  (He is not heavy at all)
Did you gain weight after starting PD?
Do any of you swim in a pool?  If so, how do you prevent infection?
This sounds like all negative things, so can you tell me what you like about PD too, to round things out?
Thanks for all the information!!!!!   
Rita

[HouseOfDialysis]

I only carry 2 liters of fluid after I disconnect from my cycler for two hours, then I drain out and go dry until I hook up that night. But it's about 4.5lbs of weight.

I'm 6'1, so that fluid spread out in my body and I haven't increased in my waistline at all. That said, my weight goes up and down within ten pounds each week. I haven't gone beyond 200lbs, but I never drop below 190lbs, either.

I don't swim anywhere, because I can't swim.  So that's a moot one to me.

I like PD for a few reasons. I get to control when I do it. No needle sticks. No stringent diet restrictions. I can travel anywhere and dialyze anywhere. I throw some bags in the trunk and hit the road for a week or a month... I can do it. No calls to other centers or any such things as that.

[Lillupie]

Now for me, I have in 1500ml of fluid. THat is only 500ml less then HouseofDialysis. THey say that is about 3lbs of weight. I am never dry. I am 4'11". I started Pd almost 4 years ago at 106lbs, and now I am like 117lbs

 I dont know how to swim either. You might be able to get away with swimming in a private pool with a ton of cholorine, I do know however, they would like you to only swim in the oceans if you have to swim. But if you do you have to use some sort of colonthingy bag. Its that type of bag that you get from medical supply companies/supply store and its the kind of bag that I think people who have either colon cancer or bladder cancer have. But the bag is able to hgold the PD cathater.

What I like about PD you ask? Well I like the freedom. Besides coming on here (my choice), and going to the center twice a month, I feel like a regular person who is unemployed. lol. But seriously. I can pretty much get away with what I want to eat. I have to eat Potassium foods! Its on my time and my schedule. Yes I can travel. Three years ago I went to Sicily on PD, and next month Im going to Germany. There would be NO way of me traveling on hemo. I personally really dont like hemo. PD is the lesser of the two evils. I have done hemo because I have had a few hernias. I spent a total of almost 5 months on hemo and did not like it. Dont care to have needles in my arm, and you really dont want the cathater that is with hemo.

Hope this helps,
Lisa

[cath-hater]

I'm been on PD for 9 years and have developed a little of a belly, but not much. I was a 30 and now I'm a 33 waist.  Considering it took 9 years of PD to increase 2 pants sizes isn't that bad I think.  I haven't been swimming in years. I sure do miss it. The bag that Lisa is talking about is a colostomy bag. It basically seals up your whole catheter inside a bag which is attached right over your exit site.

I agree with House on the traveling advantages of PD.  You don't need to find a center and arrange for appointments. You basically have everything you need with you. More freedom I think.  But that's a matter of opinion. I'm sure you'll find HD people here who will disagree.

[peleroja]

I carried 2500 ml, which is equal to 5.5 pounds.  I never gained any pant sizes as the fluid is kind of spread out.  I did ultimately gain 50 pounds, but that was all over my body.  You can swim in pool or ocean as long as you have a colostomy bag in which to put the catheter and over your exit site.  Hope that helps!

[Alisa]

Hi
I have been on Pd for just over  5 years, from 25 to 30 years old and counting. So at first when I started I was very skinny from being very ill and not eating , like at all.  For some perspective I was a size double zero.  Then after feeling better and gaining an appetite I leveled off at size 9 for about 4 years.  You do develop a tummy, this is just natural, I remain empty during the day but fill with six exchanges of 2800ml for 10 hours a night . Everyone is different according to there level of clearance Kt review test will determine this.  Now for the last year as I become less active for a number of reasons I have been packing on the pounds.  The doc says this is to be somewhat expect with my new appetite and the number of calories you get from the dialysis solution itself.  Oh and yes over time you will get a belly, just natural.

About the swimming ,,, I have done it a lot.  You need Holster colostomy bags, they are a sample bag with the perfect cutable adhesive opening. If you want the serial number of the bags let me know as there are thousands of different ones, trust me a nightmere to find.  Remember when you put it on you need to wait at least an hour for the glue to set, also to fatten it out and make sure there are no gaps or bubbles as water will fill it.  Also and this is the worst part, taking it off.  Make sure you brace because it HURTS,  it's some strong glue.  So make sure you swim to your hearts content because it is a bit of an ordeal all in all.

Life on pd,  well you don't have to deal with hospitals and nurses as much as with hemo.  therefore avoiding the normal hospital infections floating around. I'm always aware of that but I think that may just be my personality.  Freedom to choose when to hook up and disconnect.  The ability to travel, been to numerous places on pd . Baxter will ship your stuff to almost anywhere .  Daily dialsys means no high ups or downs, no needles.

I hope some of this helps feel free to ask any questions no matter what,
things are gonna be scary at first but don`t worry you`ll get through it and it will become the routine you hate.

[Des]

I asked on another thread but I will bob in here as well.

Can you do PD when you have had any abnominal surgery???

[Kong]

@Des, I had two surgeries in the abdomen area before I started PD. You would have to ask your nephrologist or a surgeon to be sure though.

[Willis]

I had my gall bladder removed about 15 years ago and it doesn't seem to have had any effect on the PD.

 

[bluesgirl]

I was told that they had seen in previous operations that i have too much "joined tissue" ( not sure what you actually call it) in my stomach for me to probably be able to do it successfully. They said of course they could open me up and try it, but it wasn't recommended, so in the en I had to go with hemo. of course, I have had 6+ operation in my abdomen and a large "waterfilled" cyst and also, I think 8 was too young to acctually be told) peritonitis. I hope you can have PD if that is what you decide is you should try.

[Marina]

Hey thanks for all the advice on PD catheter placement.  Now my hubby has more questions for you.  Here we go:
How much extra liquid weight are you carrying around?

I  carried   2lt   equivalent  to  4.4lbs  during  the  day
But  when  I  worked  (nite time)  I  only  carried  500cc  (1.1lbs)

Did doing PD impact your pants size?  If so, how much?  (He is not heavy at all)

  OH  YEAH!!!!!    I wore  size  6-8  pre-dialysis.   But once  on  PD  I  went  up  to  a  size 10-12,  but  only  around  the  waist  due  to  the   dialysate.    My  pants  were  always  baggy on  my legs.

Did you gain weight after starting PD?

I  might’ve  gained  a  couple  pounds  in  6 ½  yrs.

Do any of you swim in a pool?  If so, how do you prevent infection?

  I was  told from  day  one,  no  swimming  pools  and  no  baths.

This sounds like all negative things, so can you tell me what you like about PD too, to round things out?
Thanks for all the information!!!!!   
Rita   

 
I liked:  

1. Flexibility to  do  my  treatments  on my  own  time.
2. I  was  in  control  of  my  treatment  at all times
3. No  fluid restrictions.
4. Diet  restrictions  were  few.   
5. No  need  to go  to   the  unit,   but  once/month.
6. No   needles ,  except  for  labs  1x/month.   
7. My nurses  were  available  24/7  if  I  needed  them.         

[Atooraya]

Hi 

I've been on PD for 10 months. I like it because I have very few limitations. I have to travel for work a lot and this fits in with my job.
Weight gain is a challenge for me. I have to watch what I eat like a hawk. Food and I get along well. Plus PD gives me about 500 calories every day. So I gotta subtract the 500 from my total daily calorie intake.
In the past three months I started putting on some weight. I'm about 10 lbs heavier than when I first started PD.
However, I've leveled off and need to concentrate on losing the 10 lbs.
Good luck.
Fred

[CHeatherS]

Hi guys, I have only been on PD for about 2 months, and hopefully I will get a transplant in 2 months.... so I am kind of a short timer.  But I sure could have used some advice before I started, as I didn't know things I should have. 

Because I have PKD, my kidneys and liver take up a lot of space in my small midsection, so my doctor and center's director have let me go dry in the daytime, and I can only get in 2200ml at night, where as they originally wanted me to have 2500 both day and night.  Thank God, because I couldn't breathe and couldn't bend over to tie my shoes. 

I think that I have gained weight in the middle mostly because of my enlarging kidneys.  But also, I have had an issue in that they put the exit site way too low, so I can't wear my old pants any more anyway, because the waist band would rub on my exit site, and the tunnel.  It's just way to sensitive for that.  Most days I wear overalls, and when I have to dress up a little better, I wear pants that are very low cut, although I don't feel comfortable in them.

I was told that after a year you can swim in the ocean or salt water, but no baths or hot tubs, pools.  It takes quite a while for the healing to seal off in the tunnel area so that you wouldn't get any bacteria in there. 

I also like PD because I know it's less hard on your body, it doesn't leach all of the minerals out.  It is a lot less restrictive if you are very fastidious about not getting infections.  Also, I can do it at home, on my own time.