cycler

[Ohio Buckeye]

Well, I had my cycler class yesterday and today and it is ready to go on.
Had one alarm go off during priming because I had forgotten to take the big
clamps off of the solution bags. Sure hope it goes well.  Doesn't seem to
make much noise so far. Hope this works well for me.

[goofynina]

Hi O.B.   I am sure you will be very pleased with the cycler once you get the routine down.  It's not hard at all, just a little time consuming setting it up but it is soooo much more better than hemo.  When i first started PD, i was doing manual exchanges, and that didnt work for me, but once i got on the cycler, (and with the help of my PD nurse, Lori)  everything is working out just fine.  Had my labs done and after 3 years of hemo, i am finally getting some good results,  of course my phosphorus is still a little high, i just hate eating them damn binders,  i am on fosrenol (the chewables) blecch, nasty as can be.  But, if they do what they are supposed to, i guess i best be eatin' them huh?  Good luck to you and keep us posted, k? K!

[angieskidney]

Hey OB, I forget, are you on Fresenius or Baxter's Cycler (CCPD) ?

[Ohio Buckeye]

I'm on the Baxter.  It was very quiet.
I got thru the night with no alarms. It was really late when I got
on it.  I goofed on one step hooking up the solution bag
and called the nurse and she said to throw everything away and start over.  ugh.
I'm sure it will become routine and faster to do with time and practice like
the manual did.
Had some stomach pain with 1st and 2nd drain. Woke me up. Did not wake
me up on last drain which surprised me.  I used 1.5 solution for the first
night. It was disappointing. I actually absorbed 105ul instead of taking
off any fluid.  My nurse told me to use stronger solution tonight.
I was surprised because I always take off fluid with manual drains and have
never had pain draning manually.  It is nice today tho not to have to do any exchanges.

[JerseyGirl]

Very good!  It'll get a wit bit easier every time you set it up.  Yeah!

[Ginger]

O.B., When you have finished the last drain, arrow down on the cycler to 'manual drain' and you will probably pull off more fluid. I only use 1.5% bags and this morning my UF was only about 300 and when I did the manual drain, I got almost 400cc more fluid out. By doing the manual drains each morning, I have managed to keep my weight from rising. I was gaining weight from absorbing too much sugar in the solution that was left in me before I started to use the manual drain on the machine. I have averaged anywhere from 100-500cc on the manual drains.

[Ohio Buckeye]

Thanks Ginger.
That is good to know.  I will try that.
I am sure tonight will go smoother as I work into a routine.
I may use one bag of 1.5 and one bag of 2.5.
See what kind of results I get from that.
I am on an 8-1/2 hr. cycle with 3 exchanges.
She said it can be changed if needed.  That is for starters.
Thanks again....

[goofynina]

Wow,  i am on a 10 hour cycle with 5 exchanges,  i usually use 2 greens and 1 red but lately with the heat, i have been drinking more so i have been using 2 reds and 1 green.  my UF ranges from 2400 - 2700 and when i get off, i have a manual drain 2 hours later with about 200 - 400 depending on the solution i am using.  I use the 6000 ml bags, how 'bout you?

[Ohio Buckeye]

Last night I put on 2 - 1.5 bags.  They were 5000 each.
When I was doing manual I used mostly 2.5 bags, an occasional 1.5 or 4.25 but most
2.5.  They were 2500 bags.  I always took fluid off with any of those.  Except in the
beginning, on long dwells I would absorb fluid.  Then I quit doing long dwells and went
dry at night. Things really improved then.  Last night my average dwell was 2.18 so I don't know why I absorbed iso of taking off fluid last night. I hope I get some good numbers
as I get into this.  I was taking my potassium and some of my meds
at night when I would be dry so now I figure I should be taking them in the morning after
I come off so I don't dialyze them off during the day.  Is that right?  I always wonder which
meds I lose some of in dial. and if some I don't lose.  Have you ever heard anything about
the bp meds, etc. and when is a good time to take them?  I also wonder if the binders
affect any other meds.  That probably sounds crazy, but I'm on a lot of meds and I'm always
trying to space them so they don't affect each other.  I think binders and iron should not be
taken close together.