holding one needle site at a time, is it ok?

[sullidog]

I'm a person who is only able  do to the strength in my hands can only hold one site at a time after the needles are pulled, otherwise I will make a mess and I don't use clamps because I'm afraid they will clot my graft, however there was a nurse at our clinick who told me and I've also seen it somewhere online (can't remember where) that holding one site while a needle is still in the graft could damage the graft, but I've also read where this is ok. For me this can't be avoided unless the techs hold it for me, and usually they are busy and can't, and like I said I don't like clamps. What is your take on this?

[Riki]

it's how those on home hemo do it.. they can't hold one site and take the needle out of the other site at the same time.. unless they happen to have 3 hands.. *L*

[MightyMike]

I have a fistula and if I was told holding both at the same time it would cause a clot.  Think about it if you hold both at the same time where can the blood between the two holes go?  No where so the space between would cause the blood to stay till you release which can cause large clots.  It made sense when my clinic explained it to me.  This is why I only ever hold one at a time and never ever use clamps unless physically unable.  Best wishes.

[Rerun]

I have held one at a time when I've had a surgery and don't have the strength to hold both.  I just hold one for 10 minutes and then hold the other for 10 minutes.  I think it is fine.

[Desert Dancer]

Like Riki said, if you do home hemo it's the only way you can do it. Theoretically (if Andy were home) he could pull the arterial while I hold my venous, but since I only have to hold for about a minute on each site it wouldn't save me more than 30 seconds anyway.

[noahvale]

*

[sullidog]

I don't really like other people holding my sites either because I find they tend to put too much pressure on the access.

[Riki]

The centre that I go to doesn't have enough staff to have someone else hold the sites, so I've always done it myself.. I never used clamps because my arm is an odd shape and the other end of the clamp would dig into my arm.

[MommyChick]

I never use clamps, I always hold my own sites.
At my clinic were only allowed to hold one site at a time, until its done bleeding. I've never had an issues with it & my fistula is still going strong 

[jbeany]

I couldn't hold both at the same time either.  I bleed for a really long time, so the nurses tended to grumble on the days I was having problems with getting them to stop (sometimes I was there for 45 minutes), but there's no reason you have to hold both.