frustrating day two

[bigmike]

day two started so well.  both needles went in with no issues, and I was hooked up for two and a half hours before the tape came loose on my arm which I guess caused the needle to come up a bit and pierce the wall of the vein.  So I start feeling this strong heartbeat around my forearm so I look at it and my forearm is like twice the size it should be.  That was the end of day 2.  So I assume I will have some sort of nasty bruise once the area settles? I guess it was bound to happen eventually

[chook]

You have my sympathy. Hope the swelling and bruising are not too bad. Bit of a bummer. At this point you really need things to all go okay.

[boswife]

 Dang it big time!!  Im so sorry!  Seems such simple things can be more harmful when it's so new.  I had forgotton a couple of brused and sore arms my hubby had at the start and though it really made us worrysome, they turned out ok and his fistula is just fine.  Actually it's great at this time and hoping to keep it that way!!!!!  I do  that this wont discourage you!!  It just takes time to get going smooth.  Wishing you ALL the best!   many       for a great next run!!

[kamar55]

Welcome to the world of infiltration  I've had about a half dozen in my 6 years of dialysis. Mine usually occurred due to tech error..not sticking me correctly. But I infiltrated once when the needle popped up, too, so now I tell the tech to use a lot of tape to hold the needles in place. When you infiltrated, did they give you an ice pack to keep the swelling down? The swelling should go down, but the bruise usually lasts a while.

[looneytunes]

Aw BigMike....I'm sorry day 2 was not so good and hoping day 3 goes a lot like day 1.  Infiltrations happen, sometimes because the stick wasn't great, sometimes maybe you moved the arm just the wrong little bit, or maybe the infiltration gremlin just perched over your chair and said "it's his turn today".  Here's hoping it doesn't happen again to you!   

[rocker]

Arrrggggggggggh!

When DH was in-center, he had a couple of bad infiltrations.  And once he couldn't get anyone's attention, and another time the tech stood over him asking "Are you sure?  Are you sure?"  while he was yelling at her to stop the machine.

We are at home now, but I tell him "always know where your clamps are."  You don't have to wait for assistance, if you clamp a line the machine WILL stop and further damage can be avoided. (Though you may piss off a tech.)

And yes, I hope your center gave you an ice pack for the arm immediately.  Most times the fistula will be fine after an infiltration, just bruisey and achey. 

Remember to CHECK YOUR THRILL as often as you can remember to, particularly after an infiltration.  If you don't feel the thrill, call your doctor immediately.  The quicker a clot is treated, the easier it is to treat and the less damage is done.

  - rocker

[nycrtst85]

oo noo that sounds terrible but your dialysis technician should Always secure the lines with tape for me its always the same tape pattern and it Never gets loose Thank God, but if the needle is inserted wrong it is bound for trouble anyway,sleep a little in between but stay awake(if you know what i mean) because when one is fully a sleep you move your arm and that's trouble too.

[Stacy Without An E]

At my clinic, they don't skimp on tape.  They take two plastic strips and divide them into two.  Those are used to hold down the needles at both sites on either side of the needle entrance.  Then a rolled up piece of gauze is placed over the site after the stick with paper tape to keep out dirt and germs.  Not once have I ever had a needle slip out.

I don't know what clinic you're attending Mike, but it sounds to me like they're trying to skimp on supplies.  If you wish, ask them to use the method I describe above.  Having needles slip out is amateurish and sloppy, and should not be endured by anyone.