What to wear/bring beginning dialysis...

[carol1987]

Well I was going to wear my best dress and pearls...    for my first treatment....

but i really would like to know if there are any helpful tips about what to wear or bring to your dialysis sessions.

I tour the clinic tomorrow and will begin shortly...

I know comfort is key... and Dh bought me a Nook so i can have plenty of reading material....

should I bring my own blanket?  a small pillow?   can you eat/drink?

Thanks , carol in NJ

[thegrammalady]

definitely take a blanket,dialysis centers run with the penguins and it is always cold.  i take a pillow for my back and a small pillow for for under my arm. i also have a travel neck pillow but don't always use it. i usually take a snack and a bottle of water/can of soda. some units frown on eating. wear loose fitting clothing made of light weight material. remember you're going to get on a scale twice each session. since i do nocturnal i wear cotton jamma pants and a tank top. but even if i do a 4 hour day session i wear the same thing. some of my pajama pants don't really look like pajamas and i really don't care if they do. take anything that will make you more comfortable and give you something to pass the time.

[kamar55]

I always bring a small drink box of iced tea which I've frozen the night before and then took out to thaw 1 hour before dialysis so that it remains cold throught session. I also bring a handful of sugarless cough drops to keep mouth moist. I never wear any "good" clothes, only pants and tee shirt because of bleeding episodes where blood stains soak in. Good Luck.

[carol1987]

Thank you!!

[Trikkechickk]

When I was in-center I brought the usual things to do.

I basically wore the same thing all the time - light weight pants (fit like sweats) and a t-shirt.  It helps to keep clothing consistent because you get weighed before each session.  Since I still peed, I didn't want too much fluid removed.  A few times, it was, and I was miserable.  Also, I wanted to protect the last of my kidney function.

[FindingNeverland]

I usually wear light weight lounging pants, a t-shirt and my hooded sweatshirt because I know I'm going to be freezing and so I usually end up pulling the hood on to help keep me warm. I tend to wear older or darker stuff that I don't mind getting stains on, those betadine swabs can get messy and so can my sites. In general I bring a blanket and a small pillow, I also bring a heating pad... I know I'm not supposed to have it but the staff is nice enough to let it slide, I use it to help keep warm, lol. As for stuff to do I bring my iphone which serves both as a computer and an ipod but generally I end up just finding something on television to watch, sometimes I'll bring a book to read if I'm really into it. Before I got my fistula I brought my mini laptop and watched movies, that's a little hard to do now with just one hand so I stopped bringing it, the same goes for my Nintendo DS. And as for food, I usually pack a small snack and a water bottle mixed with Crystal Light Lemonade, I'll get those variety packs of 100 Calorie snacks and bring one or two, otherwise I eat when I get home because I don't do so well if I eat a lot while on. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, hope that helps.

[jeannea]

I did hemo for a few months before switching to PD.  Wear something comfy that you don't mind getting stained. They use a solution to clean your catheter that messes up your clothes. Take a blanket and headphones for the tv. I always took a book and a crossword puzzle book. I tried taking a pillow but I was more comfy without it. Take a bottle of water and a small snack or some hard candies. My unit allowed me to eat and drink but they weren't allowed to bring me anything. They gave me an earbud for the tv but I liked my headphones better. And bring your smile. The techs work hard and often have old senile people yelling at them. They respond well to someone who is friendly.

[RichardMEL]

make it a short miniskirt and a cute top and I'll help you with your treatment.... 

No seriously what everyone else has said is good advice. Definitely try to keep your clothing as consistent as possible when you weigh - that way the readings will more reflect reality (sort of like comparing apples and apples). If you go in and weigh with a heavy coat one week, then shorts and a T the next, well the difference can put things out of whack. For mine I wear jeans and a polo top, which leaves my arms free to use my fistula (you didn't mention if you have a fistula or a catheter for access) - it's lightweight but still fairly warm, so I can pretty much wear it year round.

Absolutely take a blanket. The unit should have some, but having your own is always better. Also a pillow for your back, and maybe for your behind might also help (that's what I do).

Re food - be sure to clarify the position of the particular unit on food/drinks. Some allow it, some do not. Also keep in mind, that if you are/will be on some sort of fluid restrictions, taking a big gulp in or something needs to be considered in terms of taking that fluid off during the session also. Not much point to come in, take 2L off and drink 1L while there and come off still over your target. Eating heavy foods will also affect the end result. And of course keep in mind if you drink a lot of fluid before or during your session, and still pee, then you will probably want to go during your session - not the easiest of things to do.

Anyway end result is dress for comfort, not beauty. Think about what you'd wear on a longer plane flight where you pretty much are confined to your seat for hours at a go. It's the same sort of concept.

[Riki]

something I learned... if you have a central line/chest catheter/whatever the heck you want to call it. *L* wear something that stretches or can be unbuttoned for access.  They'll be wanting to change the dressing and will have to keep the clothing away from it to keep the area sterile.

I have a couple of stretchy t-shirts with buttons down the front that I would wear.  They stretched enough  that they could connect the line to the machine, and they could unbutton it to do the dressing, and I was still covered up

Find out what the rules are in your unit.  I'm not supposed to have my blackberry in my unit, but the nurses let it slide.  I do have to hide it if the biomedical guys come in though.  Some units have snacks, others do not.  Some have blankets, some do not.  My unit has heated blankets, but I found out that is because of a donation from a patient.  My unit has tvs, but you don't need headphones to use them.  The controller has a speaker in it, so you listen to the controller. When the evening news is on, at least 6 of the 9 tvs are on the same thing, so we just turn the volume up on one of the tvs

I bring my blackberry, my ipod, and usually have a handful or more of hard candies, because I don't usually drink anything during treatment.  Before I started using my fistula, I'd take my Nintendo DS or a book.  I'd probably still take a book with me if I had something to either hold the book or turn the pages.  kinda hard to do with one hand. *G*

[murf]

Did hemo for five years before switching to PD. Comfort is paramount. Absolutely no belts. I used stretch pants and a short sleeve jumper so the needles could go in. I used to bring chewies, headphones, a laptop, DVD, a snack and a blanket. If I was going to restart Hemo, I probably would wear a snuggler blanket, The one that is a blanket with arm sleeves. Good luck.

[carol1987]

All of that info was great ! Thank you everyone!!

I have a fistula in my right arm (I am right handed but the doc felt that would be the best to use )

Right now it is making me feel good to think about being prepared... of course the main thing that I am trying to keep under control is my fear.....

[jeannea]

You'll be ok. The dread is always worse than the actual event. That's what I found. There are some horror stories here but in most clinics the techs are really nice and will try to make you comfortable and get through it with no problems. I hope it goes well for you!

[MooseMom]

Right now it is making me feel good to think about being prepared... of course the main thing that I am trying to keep under control is my fear.....

Yes yes yes...feeling prepared is one of the very best things you can do to help you feel more in control.  You just keep doing that!  Once you get into the swing of things, you will find what works for you and what doesn't. 

[Genlando]

I bring:

1) Nice warm blanket
2) A laptop with charger
3) My iPhone
4) iPhone cable
5) My set of bluetooth headphones
6) A warm pair of house shoes (the pigeons in my center are frozen!)

I put all this junk in a rolling computer case that I used while I was working.  It's a little big, but there's plenty of room.  I can then surf the internet, listen to music, watch movies or read e-books during D.  Makes the time go a lot faster...plus the laptop serves as a hand-warmer once it's powered up!

[Riki]

we can't go on the internet in our unit, so I never bothered bringing my laptop.  When I still had a line, I brought my laptop a couple of times, because I was writing and had a deadline. I don't think I'd do well typing with one hand now. *L*  With my blackberry, I can stay connected with my friends, and I tweet a lot. I've been known to take "surveillance pictures" and upload them to facebook, although, now that I have a couple of my dialysis nurses as facebook friends, I may have to stop that.. *G*

[RightSide]

I also bring my own liquid hand soap (in a bottle), because my skin is sensitive to the soap in the washrooms in my dialysis clinic--too drying.

In the wintertime, I also bring a bottle of moisturizing hand lotion.

I also purchased seat covers for my new car, to protect the car seats from the occasional bloodstain.

I have a fistula, and a laptop strikes me as rather hard to control with just my other hand.  At some point, I'm going to be buying a tablet computer to use while being dialyzed.  (No, not an iPad; I need one with USB ports.  I'm looking at the WeTab, among others.)

[murf]

Would like to add that I wear a beanie. (West Coast colors for Aussies). I have a fairly bald head so It keeps the cold out. I have been told to keep your feet and head warm at all times.

[RichardMEL]

Murf you should just go the dreads like Nic Nat - you'd never be cold! 

[pdpatty]

Earphones,bring earphones if your center has individual tvs at your chair. It is so annoying to  be captive for 3 hours listening to someone elses tv over your own  and I have earphones. 

Yes, sometimes I just feel like 

[RichardMEL]

ugh couldn't agree more!! Our unit just got these sexy new lcd tv's for each chair - a GREAT improvement over the old small crappy TV's that not every chair had access too. They get a tick for that. However they get a big fat cross from me for the fact that these new controllers for the tv, light, call bell etc have a bloody speaker in them to listen to the TV.. and they go LOUD!!! Now these controllers also have headphone jacks in them  - but who apart from me and one other guy bring headphones with them? (I watch stuff on my laptop and am considerate to other patients and staff by using them). Some patients have their volume up SO LOUD that I can hear it through my headphones and it bugs me NO END!!

 

[carol1987]

The clinic was very quiet when I toured last week.... i did not notice headphones.
I hope they use them.... I know in the hospital I hate listening to a roommates TV

[kamar55]

I wish headphones were a requirement for everyone. Most in my unit use them, but there are a few who don't and it drives me crazy. I'm on first shift at 6am and many folks would just like to go back to sleep. That's the only way for me to get through my session, but unfortunately, some turn on the tv as soon as they sit down. It's loud enough to keep me awake, but often I look over and see they've fallen asleep with the tv on. But nothing bugs me more than the techs who laugh and carry on and yell to one another across the room. It's totally unprofessional and annoying as all hell.....

[Bajanne]

Our unit has given us all headphones!