I "dislike" dialysis

[Xbandito]

Ah...first time over and I do not like it. Sitting there for two hours was bad enough, god knows what I will do if it goes to 4 hours. Could not get into any of the films I had on the lappy, the tv was a bit pants at 7.30am and to top it all, I had the mother of all headaches when I got home, spent afternoon in bed.
One of the needle sites is a "bleeder", would not stop, got a special gauze on it to help it clot.
So there ya go, no fluids withdrawn, no heprin used and I am glad I found this site  for I really do hate dialysis after two hours, god help me 

[Stoday]

That's real helpful Xband.

I'm so looking forward to my turn to start HD, which can't be far in the future. 

[Ang]

just  started  5  hours

[RichardMEL]

ha! two hours? I could do that in my sleep. Been going 5 hours for 3 and a half years..... I don't even notice when 2 hours has gone! 

I hope you can keep your D time down, but remember that more is good and as they say - no pain, no gain - in the end it will be better for you to do more d....

[kitkatz]

I have been doing this for eleven years. Still hate it.

[Xbandito]

Ok Ok OK...I'm a newbie I know, not professional yet 
Sry Stoday....only telling as I found it 
Richard....OOerr 5hrs....going by yesterday, I will be going nuts...was watching the timer on the D machine, it never seemed to keep time with the clock on the wall, for it said I had 90mins to go, though the clock said I had 50mins to go and they both ended at the same time 

On a serious note, is it normal for your arm to swell a bit after D ?, for mine went up a bit last night, down to normal now with two little bruises (not huge things like I saw on some patients there).

[coorsbob]

you may hav infiltrated a bit should not swell like that

[willowtreewren]

Infiltration is not unusual for new patients since the fistula isn't tough yet.

Hope it doesn't happen again.

Watching the clock is hard on the psyche. Over time I hope you can find things to keep you occupied. There re some threads on IHD about what different folks do to pass the time on the machine. Worth looking through as there are many different ideas.

Chin up. 

[Rerun]

I helps when you finally relax enough to sleep.  At first I thought people were crazy to sleep, but now it is almost automatic.  Sad.  Thay have to wake me up to tell me to go home.

[Xbandito]

  Sad.  Thay have to wake me up to tell me to go home.

Cannot wait untill that day happens to me 

[tyefly]

 I have  a netbook computer and I use it to spend time....  I really like my netbook....it small and very compact....   

[Xbandito]

Took one with me yesterday but could not get into any of the films or tv series I had on it. Think I will leave that untill I reach the four hour "D", then maybe I will be able to get into a film or two.
Gonna ask about internet usage there, for there is a connection but it asked me for the ssid.....

[tyefly]

  yea    I had to buy a internet card      as they didnt have a connection....  and everything else needed a password.......   but it worth the money in my book.....   I was on D for three hours......  I love the internet.....

[fc2821]

     The internet is grat. I get on here and the time flies, four hours. 
   
      Xbandito hope you can keep the time down and it gets better for you. 

[murf]

When I was on HD for four years (switched to PD), I took a lap top, DVDs, newspaper, chewies, lollies, thermos of coffee, sandwiches and a neck pillow. All bundled into a small case on wheels, They used to laugh at the centre but at least I wasn't bored for the 4 hour duration.

[Bub]

I personally find the discomforts of dialysis vaguely "annoying".

[hurlock1]

I had the same problems. They have a TV, that doubles as a game machine and an internet connection. I go at 6 am and there's nothing that I care for on daytime TV. I'm 61 and I think that 'puter games are a waste of time. I have a laptop, but there's no wifi and I can't type or interact left handed and it's just a pain in the back (only lower) to try to do anything on the computer. I got a portable DVD player ( a better one that the battery lasts 5 hr.) and I have Netflix and for a while I was watching movies the whole time and the time seemed to move by pretty quick. Some of the female caregivers are REALLY pretty and nice and it's always fun to think of something really funny to say to make them laugh. BUT!, the best way I have found to make the time fly is my MP3 player. I get audiobooks that I really like. I just finished a series of 4 books by George RR Martin, each of which were as many as 20 hr. listening. (there's plenty of audiobooks at the library and it takes very little time to rip them from a CD and put on your MP3 player) It takes very little technical knowledge to do this and it's really fun. I no longer have a problem with sitting at dialysis for 4.5 hr. In the past I only read before going to sleep at night. These days I listen to audiobooks while I'm at dialysis. It's gotten to where I Almost look forward to dialysis. I mean if you have to go and sit still some place for 4 or 5 hr., and the sitting is actually keeping you alive, it's best if you can make the experience tolerable. I stopped fighting things that I couldn't possibly win against. I'm sure that if it were possible that I could wish dialysis away, I'd do it. But in the mean time. . .
jmz

[dwcrawford]

Wait a few months and you will come up with many ways to pass the time.  2 hours.  I'd kill for 2 hours.  But then again I've been told the more hours the better.  Somewhere in here is a thread discussing various things you can do to pass the time.  Don't remember what it was.  Who does?

Make friends with nurses (not only yours but various ones walk by).  Learn a new languuage (I learn a Vietnames phrase each day) and take advantage of the multicultural atmosphere.  I usuuallly watch a 2 hour movie, listen to music either on  ipod or HD Radio or Pandora for 1 hour, visit with people another hour and then bleed for  a while after they take me off.  Bleeding can actually be thought of as a good thing because the nurse or tech will hold your hand and arm until it stops.  (when I get one of those big hunky male nurses, I just shut  my eyes and pretend I look like that).  Never hurts to flirt even though you know you either can't or won't do anything about it.  Read long boring posts from IHD.  It will all happen and you won't be so bored.  In the meantime, cuss and stuff.  But the main thing is that you share with us any new things you come up with  to pass time.

[Xbandito]

quite like Sat for D, the hospital has freeview tv and there are some decent "repeats" on a Sat morning, like top gear (can watch that all day). Yes I am making friends with some of the nurses, always up for a laugh is me  but the other patients just sleep, maybe it is because they are already on 4hrs and are used to it.  As for the internet, got a little problem, can only get on it if I use one of the "ancient" laptops supplied by local computer shop, they wont give the ssid  ....and I mean ancient, 450mhz cpu 1gb ram 80gb hd and running win xp home basic = slow.
But I will work on them with my charm 

[dwcrawford]

True the other patients just sleep.  One way to pass the time I guess.  I find if I put on my noise reduction ear phones everyone will suddenly want to talk.  Sometimes I just wear them as a fashion statement.  But I promise you it will get better and I really like that you said "dislike".

[RightSide]

I have  a netbook computer and I use it to spend time....  I really like my netbook....it small and very compact....

What do you do, balance it on your knee?

With the dialysis chairs in my dialysis center, there seems to be no place to rest a book, let alone a laptop.  I have to hold my book against one knee.

[dwcrawford]

Still trying to figure that out.  I do  balance my laptop on my knees but it isn't  comfortable for long.  I'm think maybe some kind of tray like a breakfast in b ed thing.  I'm working on it.  But great questions

[Xbandito]

Dont you lot over the pond get tables on rollers ?, that you can move, the nurses use it at first to hold all the stuff for D, then we get it. Big enough for a lappy...but not quite big enough for lappy and mouse (I hate touchpad).

[*kana*]

When I was on Hemo I would bring a few things to pass the time.  You need to divide your time so it goes faster.  I would sit and chat with the nurses for the first 1/2hr then I would bring out my portable DVD player and watch a movie.  I belonged to Blockbuster..com and received 3 movies a week by mail.  I would finish a movie and then bring out my Nintendo DS.  My mother taught me to croquet so I'd also do that.     I'm sure I appeared to have ADD. 
The key is to plan your day.  Two hours seems like a lot now, but when you get moved up to 4 it will make you wish you were back to 2.  You wont get much sympathy here because most of us were/are on 4 hours or more. 

Best of luck and welcome to IHD!

Ask them for the password so you can surf the internet.  They do have the same rescrictions on the net for pt's that they do for employees so you wont be able to go to chat rooms or forum and etc.

[murf]

Big enough for a lappy...but not quite big enough for lappy and mouse (I hate touchpad)
I use  a mini mouse - about 1/4 the size of a normal mouse.