Third week of buttonholes

[monrein]

So this is the start of my third week doing my buttonholes.  I've managed to do it myself every time but one, and am feeling more confident.  The arterial is dead easy,  definite little tunnel, then into the vein and it pulls itself in, literally.  My venous is a bit trickier.  The angle is funny to begin with but I'm getting the hang of it I think.  I'm not a hundred percent confident that my venous is a true buttonhole yet since only two out of five times do I get it in first try. 

Today was also another milestone for me at the clinic.  I did my own needles, then I hooked up my own lines, turned pump up, gave my bolus, then took myself off at the end.  I did need someone to stir the dialysate jug at one point and another to turn on a fan but that was it.   

[pelagia]

You are an inspiration!  Congratulations on week three. 

[xtrememoosetrax]

  Bravo, monrein!

[Sluff]

  good for you Monrein.

[Zach]

Fantastic!!

[del]

    

[Earlinda]

I have used buttonholes for 3 of my 4 years on dialysis.  I find it very empowering and I praise you for doing so well!!!!!!!!     Great Job!

[willieandwinnie]

  monrein. Good for you. 

[cherpep]

Good for you, monrein!  Doesn't it feel great to take more control over your own treatment?!  I think it's fantastic. 

Glad to hear your arterial is working great.  That's a good sign that your venous will get there too.  I tried buttonholes for several months, they never took.  I'm too fast of a healer.  Even when I got ear piercings, they never took either, after months of trying to keep the studs in my ears and taking care of them - the holes never healed, and as soon as I removed the studs, they closed up within hours.   Too bad my kidney doesn't heal the way my skin does!

Keep on pokin!

[devon]

Really Inspiring!!! Thanks Monrein! 

Perhaps in a few years, I'll be where you are.... if I can get over the sticking myself problem! LOL!

[Jay72]

Good Girl!!  My nocturnal is finally starting to go well.  I have slept throught the last two nights.

Did you pull both your needles when you came off or did you get a nurse to do one just so it would be a bit faster?

[monrein]

I'm now doing everything myself, pulling needles, taping, putting on my wraparound glue free bandages.  The bandages are the trickiest with one hand cuz you need to hold one end in place to wrap the rest.  I'm using my right toe, so it's right toe to left upper arm for that, luckily I'm flexible.

As I say at the clinic now to anyone who'll listen  "Ahhh, sure feels good to be nurse-free".

[pelagia]

Are you pulling my toe leg about using your toe?  No, it's possible.  I hope your feet are clean. 

[monrein]

Yep, clean toes happen because I shower and scrub the little piggies every day right before D.  I worry most about having the foot cramp so I test first for crampiness, then I go to it.  I used bandaids for a bit but I'm so allergic to the glue.

If I'm crampy I hold with my left b**b. 

[del]

Monrein hubby has been doing buttonholes for a little over 2 years now.  Yesterday Oct 16 is 2 years for home nocturnal  He does not wrap his sites. When he was in center he would not let them wrap his arm because he was afraid that it would start to bleed when he was driving and he would not know which site was bleeding. He folds up a 2x2 and puts on the site then tapes it over with 1 inch tape so that the tape goes around his arm.  has never had a problem with this.  The few times that he has bled it was easy to see which site was bleeding and he just put his finger on it and held it gfor a little while then changed the 2x2 and retaped it. he doesn't leave it on his arm for long usually no more than 2 hrs because his arm gets red from the tape. he can only use paper tape . the other stuff makes his arm sore.  He usually tapes his own sites in the morning.

[Razman]

You're an inspiration to all of us.  I hope that when its my turn that I will be as successful as you are.

[monrein]

Congrats to you and hubby, Del, two years is a real milestone.  I get reactions even from the paper tape I use during D.  I like the wrap around gauze bandages best, but even so, like your hubby, I take them off ASAP.  I only hold with gauze for about two minutes.  I clot pretty fast apparently.

Razman, you already know everything there is to know.  I don't think any dialysis patient could be better prepared ahead of time.

Thanks everyone for cheering me on.

[del]

Hubby only takes a couple of minutes to stop bleeding as well!!!  His arm gets really sore from even the paper tape too.  We have to keep moving the tape around on his arm where we have to tape the lines for overnight.  He has to use a 2 x2 underneath the tape when he tapes where the needles are.  Just leave a little tape on the end to stick to the skin.

[Sunny]

Wow, you are really catching on quickly and make everything look possible. I am not yet on dialysis, but reading your posts helps me to see it is within my abilities to learn how to take care of myself with dialysis. Thanks for being enlightening.

[monrein]

Sunny, you definitely can do it.  One bit at a time, and you know we're here to cheer if you need it and problem solve with you if you need that.   

[paris]

Monrein, You deal with every situation with such grace.  You never complain. You take control and help us all feel that we are capable of doing it also.  You give us all  HOPE!   Glad the buttonholes are working so well for you 

[monrein]

You're very kind Paris but I must confess...I just read your post to my long-suffering husband who is still chortling and muttering..."Fooled people again have you?"   He's the official receiver of complaints. 

[G-Ma]

you go girl...monrein..I envy you being able to do the buttonholes....I still have to throw a rope over my vein and corral it to just be able to stick it somewhere...next time I go for a rotor rooter I want the Dr. to stitch it into place...so there....

[kitkatz]

You're very kind Paris but I must confess...I just read your post to my long-suffering husband who is still chortling and muttering..."Fooled people again have you?"   He's the official receiver of complaints. 

Aren't hubbies great.  They get to hear our gripes and groans, but to other people we say "Oh I am fine."

[monrein]

Well, today was very exciting for me at D.  I used 15 gauge blunts for the first time and it all went smoothly and I had a good run.  I found it easy to insert the blunt and wiggle it in then I needed to push really hard to pop through the vessel wall but I got both in first try and the nurses were impressed.  I'm the first patient (since 1989) to be using the blunts.  One other patient does buttonholes but with sharps.  I think he's built up too much scar tissue over the years.  Another patient (also originally from Jamaica) who has been on D a long time, saw me doing my own needles one time and I told her she should too. She asked the nurses about it and they encouraged her to try so yesterday she did and was successful.  She's very jumpy when the nurses stick her but was totally calm doing it herself and told me afterwards that she was completely surprised that it didn't hurt hardly at all compared to others doing it.   I'm so stoked by this it's quite odd but it makes such a difference not having to wait for a nurse to put us on the machine, or take us off for that matter.
 

I also find I stop bleeding way faster with the buttonholes.