Tegaderm

[KatieV]

I use buttonholes to access my fistula.  I use Lidocaine/Prilocaine cream to reduce the pain and soften the scabs.  It's applied about 3 hours before and a Tegaderm covers it.  My husband stopped by the dialysis center yesterday to get some more Tegaderms (and chux).  They gave him a couple, but said they were almost out and wouldn't be able to get more.  He believes it's because of cost (not sure if they told him that). 

The nurse told him to tell me to wrap my arm in Saran Wrap!  Because I can carry around a roll of Saran Wrap in my purse so easily....    I could keep a roll in my cubicle, but I also have to apply it while I'm out and about. 

Any suggestions?  Besides purchasing it myself as it's $34.50 for a box of 50.  Oh, and my skin is sensitive to tape.  I can handle silk tape during dialysis and overnight for a bandage, but get a rash if I leave it on for half a day.

[frankswife]

Frank has used saran wrap from day one. It works really well for him. He puts on the cream and wraps it up about an hour before he leaves. I guess it works pretty well for him. The only thing I am concerned about is it seems he is using an awful lot of cream, about a tube every 2 weeks, and our insurance will only pay for it once a month.

[Lillupie]

The nurse told him to tell me to wrap my arm in Saran Wrap!  Because I can carry around a roll of Saran Wrap in my purse so easily....    I could keep a roll in my cubicle, but I also have to apply it while I'm out and about. 

  lol

[amanda100wilson]

you can buy a 100unit box of tegaderm for $30.00 on Amazon.  it is fairly standard dialysis unit practice to suggest Saran Wrap,so I think that you were just lucky to get it in the first place.  I prefer tegaderm as they stay in one place whereas the Saran Wrap would move around.  I would rather pay than money than have the hassle of Saran Wrap.

three hours seems a long to e to leave the cream on.  it works in about an hour, after that it starts to lose its effect.

[Alex C.]

BTW, larger grocery stores sometimes carry a half-sized roll of Saran Wrap. sounds like it might be the ideal size. Otherwise, household moving supply places have rolls of shrink-wrap in sizes from 2" to 6" wide.

[sullidog]

Just get a big box of tegaderm from amazon, that's what I did when I had a catheter, the wrap just comes off and it's hard to keep on

[Simon Dog]

I am on PD, and got tape burns from the silk tape but found paper tape (3M Micropore) much gentler on the skin.

[Riki]

I go to the drug store and buy 15 to 20 of them at a time.. 34 cents each.  I use the 6x7cm ones, one at a time, cutting them in half, and putting one half over each access site

[amanda100wilson]

cheaper from Amazon

[Riki]

Can't get them from Amazon in Canada

[amanda100wilson]

Amazon won't ship to Canada?

[Riki]

They won't ship from Amazon.com to Canada, but they will from Amazon.ca, but they only have books, movies, music, and some electronics.. not the wide selection of products that the American site has

[stringbandbeth]

Bear discovered that he gets the same results from just using band aids. Plus they are included in his home hemo supplies so no out of pocket $.Never could get the hang of saran wrap.

[Riki]

saran wrap hates me.. so I'd much rather use the tegaderm.. when I didn't have any, I have used cut up sandwich bags and taped it using plastic tape.. it doesn't stick to itself like saran wrap does