"Supplies" and etc. req'd for extended NxStage?

[Dannyboy]

Hi,
OK, I have gotten an ok from my Neph, and from the center I'm connected with to do "extended".   They have limited experience with "extended", so I'm doing due diligence on the following topics: 

Got these questions at the moment regarding switching to extended with NxStage:
1.    Currently, i'm not taking any Heparin, but I notice many extended folks are taking Heparin, and even have a Heparin pump....can someone enlighten me on when/why/if this would be needed by me for extended?   
2.    I'd appreciate brand name references to the "baby leak monitor" thingy that many/all of you use to wrap around the needle area as additional alarm for blood leakage.
3.   Any other "supplies" recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Dan

[amanda100wilson]

Great news.

[justjen321]

Yay for you!

We are still training for it, so I don't have fantastic answers, BUT... on the leakage alarm.

It's called an enuresis pad, and there is one that wraps the arm, somehow. I've not SEEN it yet, but I'm also told our clinic will supply us with one. Ask them, perhaps?

Jen

[bevvy5]

What we have is a hemodialert.  Here is their website so you can take a look.

http://www.hemodialert.com/

We just tape the little black pad to his arm right beside the needles and run the cord up with his lines.  He keeps the monitor in the pocket of the t-shirt he wears.

Gives a lot of peace of mind to both of us overnight.

[cassandra]

Well, I'm not an expert but human blood (that's ours ha) tends to react to the tubing after a while (well, mine did yesterday, cos of a mistake by the nurse (in-centre). That was after 3 hours so, that's the heparin bit explained in simpletons talk.

good luck Cas

[Dannyboy]

Thanks to all who responded.
---Dan

[M3Riddler]

Thanks to all who responded.
---Dan

Dan,

Just wondering if you ever were able to switch to Extended treatments?   

[amanda100wilson]

the leak detector that I have seen and heard of is made by a company called Redsense.  you need heparin to be pumped because it has a short half life of an hour.  so if you start with 2000, the amount available is halved.  an hour later it is halved again.  so on an extended treatment, you simply run-out of heparin if you rely on a bolus.  by using a heparin pump you will get a continual amount of heparin through the treatment.

[Dannyboy]

Brian,

>>Did you ever switch over to extended treatments?

No, haven't done so (yet).    I would still like to, I sort of got overwhelmed trying to figure out how to do it (as in specifically).   Although the doc has "signed off" on me doing it, that is the extent of the doc's interest....no tangible support, which is kind of the same as the doc being opposed to it.

So it is up to me to figure it all out, and well, I have been very busy with work and life has gotten in the way.

I still want to do it, but the present clinic "environment" makes it very difficult to pursue.

---Dan