Had a bad experience today. I was feeling so good about the use of my graft since on Monday everything went very well. NOT TODAY!!!!! The first needle went in fine. Just a little pain and then there it was with the blood in the tube trobbing nicely. The second needle just hurt like the dickens!! I must have made an involuntary movement (at least, that is what she said) and MORE PAIN!! I even cried like a baby. It seems that it went right through. She was probing and trying, but I couldn't stand it. She took it out and said she would have to use another place. But she gave me lidocaine before she did it. I felt absolutely nothing and everything went fine.Tell me, what are the pros and cons of lidocaine usage? I am ready to do that every time, if it stops me hurting.Epoman, I do not understand how you could possibly do your own needles!! I can't even look when they are doing it.
Well, I use EMLA CREAM. you have to put it on at least an hour before dialysis. then you have to cover it with plastic. Most people use Saran wrap type stuff. I'm alone in the morning and I can't wrap my upper right arm one handed with my left hand. I use plastic bags that I cut into strips, and put strips of tape on the sides. and put that on there, where my fistula is. I don't know why, but sometimes the emla cream doesn't do the trick. Some times it numbs my access really well. I've heard that continued use of lidocaine toughens the vien and creates problems. They are using 14s on me, from what I undersand 14s are the larger size needles and the larger the number, 15, 16, the smaller the needle.