How to make your dialysis tech turn white

[G]

Before my fistula was healed I had had too many perma-cath's to count. Not long after I got home with one of my very first catheters I ripped the sutures out while asleep. After about a week I noticed how the catheter kept working its way out. In my ignorance I would just push the catheter back in the two inches it had slid and go about my day. One morning while in dialysis the tech is irrigating my catheter. As I am watching him do this I notice the saline began leaking around the catheter and the opening in my chest. Realizing my catheter was not all the way in I grabbed it and pushed it home a good two inches. Dustin (my tech), turned white, hollered for the charge nurse and almost fainted. In my ignorance I did not understand the seriuos if not fatal potential consequences of my actions. Needless to say I was well educated a couple ours later in pre-op at the hospital. For those new to perma-cath's: If it starts to come out....see your doctor.

[monrein]

Yeah that would do it to get them to turn white.  Wouldn't you have thought someone would have mentioned to you that shoving it back in was a no-no.

[G]

I never thought anything of it. So, I never said anything! Sheesh!

[kitkatz]

Holy smokes!   I had a catheter fall out of my chest once.  Scared me spitless!

[David13]

I have heard of people with temporary hemodialysis catheters that just "fall out".  This supposedly happened to one guy while he was driving in on his way to a dialysis treatment.  There was no bleeding, so he just put the catheter in his pocket and continued on his way.  When he got to dialysis, he reached into his pocket and handed the catheter to his tech.  Talk about turning white!

[G]

Too funny! I would have paid good money for a front row to that scene.

[Adam_W]

I've had my sutures come loose a few times when I had a catheter, and I even had the catheter turn completely around backwards from the pressure inside it, but fortunately I never had one fall out.

Adam