My fistula keeps infiltrating.

[Brianna!]

So on Friday my fistula infiltrated. The top one. I think it's called venus or whatever? haha. anyway. So they made me hold the site and poked me again, and everything went okay, and I got my full treatment.

Then today they stuck me and it felt weird so they took out the needle and tried again. that went okay for about 5 minutes, and then it infiltrated again. It. Hurt. So. Bad. It never infiltrated that bad. So then they held it for a long time. And it kept bleeding all over my arm. It stoped bleeding after a while, so they put a bandaid on it. Then they iced it and put heat on it for an hour.

After that hour was up they were gonna try to stick me again. So my nurse took off the bandaid. BAD IDEA. Blood started to gush. It was really gross. So they called the fistula surgeon and he looked at it.

He said I need my permacath back in!!!! He said my fistula needs at least two weeks to heal, and then he's gonna look at it and see why it's infiltrating all the time. I'm about to cry now. I don't want my permacath back in! I've had it out for not even a month.

And now my arm in bleeding again, now that i'm at home.

Great. I just needed to let this out.

My arm feels like there's a giant golf ball in it. It hurts so bad. Luckly the fistula didn't stop working. I can still feel the thrill.

 

[Hanify]

Ow!  What a pain.  Thinking of you.

[Zach]

Find someone at the center who actually knows how to cannulate.

 

[willowtreewren]

Find someone at the center who actually knows how to cannulate.

I second that! Do NOT let them ruin your fistula!!!!

 

[Brianna!]

My venus is really hard to stick. So she's doing the best she can. She's actually the best at it, at my center. She is usually very good at it, but she's been having a hard time lately. There was also a clot in it, so that might have been another reason why it was infiltrating? I dunno. It's just recently that my fistula's been acting up. It usually has good presure's and stuff.

[cookie2008]

I had alot of problems with my fistula, the doctor had the best nurse put my needles in but we still had problems some treatments, my fistula was deep so the surgeon raised it to the surface the best thing we could have done now my hubby is putting in my needles. I know the permacath is terrible but you dont want them harming your fistula good luck.

[YLGuy]

I am soooo sorry!   

[hurlock1]

I think that it's your arm that gets inflitrated. When I first started using my fistula, It happened to me a few times. I think that the venus is the one. Which ever the positive pressure is. One needle sucks the blood out and the other puts it back in. I think (don't quote me on this) that when you get infiltrated the positive side slips out (or something) and the blood doesn't go back into your vascular system. it goes into your arm. I am unfamiliar with the term graft. When I started using my fistula, there were some problems . . . I had to go for a fistulagram and they did something with a balloon, for the life of me, I can't remember the technical name, and I haven't had a problem since. GOOD LUCK!
jmz

[dwcrawford]

They worked with mine for weeks and finally ordered a cardiogram (or whatever) to find out it was just really bad cannulators.  My doctors and I had to make scenes and threats to get a permanent competent "sticker person".  Not pleasant for anyone but neither was  all the bleeding, screaming, etc.  Bet in most cases it isn't the fistula but the fistulator (no, I just made that word up).

[tyefly]

My fistula  infiltrated too a couple of time....   in fact  out of three times dong D  I only did one complete session.... which was my first....    they thought that it was cause it was only 6 week old.... well I have waited a couple of weeks to let it mature.... ( which I dont see any difference) and tomorrow  we are going to give it a try.....  as far as the fistulator... they all say they are the best.....   How would I know.....  I am the new person..... 

[hurlock1]

Brianna,
I hate to be one of those people that "corrects" words spelling and punctuation, etc.. Looking back at my post from earlier I said I wasn't familiar with the term "graft" when referring to fistula, and I suppose a fistula is a graft (I was thinking of trees) As it turns out, one guy used the word "cannolate", then one guy used the word "cannolators". Not knowing what the word meant, I did a search and found several definitions for the word cannolate, some of which could be used in the context of dialysis. The word cannolators was way out there when reffering to the  context of a dialysis tech. It appears that the use of $.25 words is running rampant here in IHD. I believe that, the people at the dialysis center are doing their best and accidents do happen. An infiltration hasn't happened to me since I first, initially, began to use my fistula. Even then it was sort of my fault, because I didn't really know what to expect. One of the things that allowed me to realize whether I was being infiltrated, was the use of Emlacream (SP?) I didn't really feel the stick, but when they put in the syringe full of whatever the liquid is and asked me if it felt alright, I could tell if they were out of the vein. Like it or not, we do have to be proactive in our treatment and we can't just lay there and hope for the best.
jmz

[Ken Shelmerdine]

I know how you feel I have the same problem with my arterial. It hasn't infiltrated yet but it is very difficult to cannulate because it has gone deep in that area. It played up all last week, the pressure kept building too high and they have to keep turning it.

Today they had to take out the arterial needle and give me one needle dialysis If they come any higher up my arm then it's too near my venous. I'm getting really naffed off now as although it's never been as bad as it is at present it has always been a bit problematic from the start.

I'm just mad that this wasn't addressed before they took my tessio lines out 3 weeks ago but after voicing my concerns about it beforehand they assured me that the problem was not severe and I could safely go ahead and have my lines taken out.

[lizabee]

Ouch!  Sorry to hear about all the trouble you are having.  I feel you on the permacath, I was so happy when I got mine out...good luck!

[Brianna!]

3 times successfull with my fistula again! Both needles. They gave it a break for like about a month. Fistulagram on Wednessday. But so far so good! If everything continues to go smoothly, i'm going to get my permacath out by the end of the month!

[hurlock1]

3 times successfull with my fistula again! Both needles. They gave it a break for like about a month. Fistulagram on Wednessday. But so far so good! If everything continues to go smoothly, i'm going to get my permacath out by the end of the month!

The freedom of having the catheter removed! I hated watching my grand-kids swim from the sidelines. When they finally did remove my catheter, it was winter and I had to wait til the next summer.  Then there was the showers. a major pain in the back (only lower) I pulled my catheter out in my sleep, I must have put my arm on it and rolled over. They replaced it with one just sticking out of my neck! I couldn't even go to the store. It was temporary, so I had to go back and get another one. I hate being in the hospital, so it was a nightmare, at least a bad dream. At least I didn't bleed to death.
I'm sure that all this will settle down to "business as usual". Up until a few weeks ago, the TV at my station was out. and I got an mp3 player and a dvd player. The moved me to a station that had a TV and I don't even watch it anymore. I've learned to live without one. I guess I only have high class problems now. HA! anyway Good Luck!
jmz

[Ken Shelmerdine]

I am booked in for another fistulagram next week. Althoough the fistula seems to be just about working it is not maturing as it should. I'm back to red needles and they can only get the pump speed up to 250 before pressure builds. It seems I am developing 2 fistulas sort of branching off Y fashion and it's possible that the blood flow is divided over the two so that no one fistula is developing as it should. I think they'll decide to tie one off.

Everyone assures me that most people have fistula problems in the first year and its only then that it becomes strong and robust but you just dread going not knowing what's going to happen when they cannulate you.