So, NxStage it is for us!.......now what?

[The Noob]

yes, he will do short daily treatments while we do training. i'm thinking he will start to feeling alot better.

before we head out for the day, wood stove must be loaded and set down so its warm when we get home. horses, chickens, all other animals tended to. extra wood brought in to be ready when we get back. everything loaded in the car. son set up with whats needed for the day so he can keep it going while we're gone. its not that hard to do but i'm pooped out from the move and finishing getting things set up here. DH tends to get flustered so i basically have him go sit in the car while i finish the morning routine. i'm quick about it.
i am hoping the daily treatments will alleviate some of this fluid. its hard to focus when one is coughing, sneezing blowing nose constantly. nurse says its the fluid.
someone here posted what i thought was the most interesting revelation about this:
normal kidney cleanses 138 hours a week
in center is no more than 12 hours a week
home hemo 20+ more hours a week

i hope i got that right? i mean, it made me really make my mind up about this because think about the differences. wow..
this place is much larger, plenty of room for supplies. thats one reason i wanted to move. we're downstairs in one large great room. almost 2000 sq. ft. son is upstairs with same. no more cramped quarters.

well i passed out and let the fire go out so getting coffee to wake up and fix that. but its still warm in here. great thick insulation. the other place had almost none! my neighbor used to say it was easier to heat the outside over there than the inside..LOL

[alewis328]

Hello all. Sorry about starting a post and then falling of the face of the earth. Things have been so crazy. D has been back in the hospital. He is home now thank God, but still feels like crap and I feel like I am running on nothing but fumes anymore. I breaks my heart to see him so sick. Its hard to keep my thoughts positive anymore except for the when I am around him.  We are doing the NxStage in the future but that seems like it can't come fast enough..fistula is going to be placed on Nov 7th. And until then he will continue to use cath he already has. I just keep going. One day at a time. I guess that's all we can do anymore.

[The Noob]

  can we all relate or what?

receptionist at the clinic just had her husband in ICU for 8 days. she's still on adrenilin. she said she got a real eye opener of what we go through often. we haven't had anything but outpatient since march, am grateful for that.
and for coffee..

ps: what was he in for? (being nosy)

[alewis328]

Hello all. Will have more time later. Just wanted to drop in and say hello. D just went back to have his fistula placed. Im nervous and can't really concentrate. I have no idea what to expect. Just trying to stay positive...
hope everyone has a great day.

[alewis328]

Hi Noob,
just realized that you had asked me what he was in for and that I never replied. Im sorry! I sweat I am such a scatterbrain sometimes. He went in for the same thing we have been going in for since august. A mixture of fluid overload, hard time breathing (real bad), non stop vomiting and severe dehydration. Reason? Your guess is as good as mine. They never really did define the main cause. Shocker. He had his fistula placed on friday and starts nxstage training on Thursday. Last hemo on weds! Yaay! Im am so hoping and praying that this version of dialysis makes him feel human again and brings back the light in his eyes. I miss it He did a 3 day trial of nxstage a couple of weeks ago and it was the best 3 days in a long time. Hopefully, that trend continues when we switch full time!

[The Noob]

i'm hoping for same too! hey there is a facebook site for Nxstage users. i am on it and others here also.
i watch these clinic patients after D and they look awful. i am hoping that we'll get a glimpse of the difference next week when he is getting a treatment every day.

the winter forecast for michigan looks like a repeat of last winter. for this one reason i am grateful for HH! i can't even think about doing that driving to the clinic 3 x's a week again. going to save us a ton in gas money too.

i've got this place all ship/shape and a dedicated area for the HH. i am a little nervous but we have been watching the videos on the process. no one tells you this stuff in the beginning. most likely they don't want to scare the holy heck out of you. and its just too much to digest at once. there is so much about hemo vs pd that i don't know. have to do a search every time they tell me something.
  lets keep reporting back in!