Here we go!

[drgirlfriend]

Well, after a week of training, the actual manual exchanges at home will be starting tomorrow. The people at the Fresenius center we go to have been wonderful. They fielded every question and have been very warm and funny. The supplies arrived this morning (earlier than scheduled), we got an ice chest last night and this whole kidney failure thing is getting real.  Even though I'm not the patient, I'm pretty nervous. The boyfriend did very well at the training, but he has a tendency to freak out if he makes a mistake or something surprises him. I am not looking forward to that first freakout. I just keep trying to reassure him that he will eventually establish a routine and everything will fall into place. I told him about how basketball players always do the same thing at the free throw line to get their mind and body attuned to what they need to do, and maybe he needs to establish a ritual to focus his mind before exchanges. He seems to be responding well to dialysis and abandoning the annoying alkaline diet the doctor put him on. His weight and energy level are increasing, and his labs are good, so I hope he continues to feel better. Hell, anyone who ate a Honey Bun every day would gain some weight!

Any words of wisdom as we start this part of the journey?

[looneytunes]

Best of luck in the 1st time solo.  My only advice is NEVER fail to wash your hands thoroughly and we also used a santizer after washing.  Your bf will get into a routine very shortly and this will become second nature to both of you.  Let us know how it goes.   

[Desert Dancer]

Congratulations!  You guys are going to do fine.

I second looneytunes advice; you can NEVER be too anal about aseptic technique.

The only other thing I would add: think of this first month or so as your 'shakedown cruise'. Instead of getting upset when things go wrong (and they likely will), realize that "Hey, now that we've made this mistake it's highly unlikely we'll ever make it again. Lesson learned!". It's true! All the mistakes Andy and I made, we only made once and looked at them as gifts of knowledge. After a very short time things will settle down and become routine. Remember, you're in a new environment now and just that change is enough to throw you off a little bit. You'll find a groove in no time at all.

[The Noob]

girl you rock!
wash hands, put on mask, use sanitizer, squirt some of the cleaner on gauze and wipe down tube and over the disk.
before hook up and before un hook. probably overkill but thats what i did.

[drgirlfriend]

Thanks y'all! Desert Dancer - I said the same thing when we would mess up at the training. The best screw up was me putting the drain bag up on the scale before he "unhooked". We freaked for a moment, then I realized that I managed to pee all over him with his own "pee"! Then it was hilarious and we will never forget it!

[HouseOfDialysis]

Oh, the fun of training our loved ones!

[tbarrett2533]

I am a PD newbie 

Just let him know that he will be fine... the first excahnge I did I literally thought I was going to die of a heart attacK!!! now I think I can do them in my sleep!!

PD is now a part of my life, just like putting my shoes on before leaving the house  & it seems to be a better option for me

and although ESRD stinks, Welcome to PD!!! I just love it!!!!   

[drgirlfriend]

Thanks for all the encouragement!! The nurse was here earlier with the rest of our supplies so it looks like we're ready to rock and roll! 

[drgirlfriend]

So in the midst of nervousness that showed as crabbiness, we got thru the first exchange this morning!  Nobody slept well so getting up at the crack of a** (5:45am) sucked. The only real bummer was we overheated the bag a little and had to wait for it to cool some. As we went along I was harboring feelings of resentment because I knew there wasn't enough room for everything to be easily accessible and he didn't take me seriously until now. I am the plan ahead/read a ton/handle logistics girl. I set up the area, got a box and garbage bag to put the empties in, mixed the bleach solution, put up a hook in the bathroom to hang the bags to drain, etc. He gets overwhelmed and doesn't want to hear it. I just keep telling myself he's the patient and he will handle this how he handles it. Who knows how useful I'd be if tables were turned.

Right now he's freaking out in the shower. He damn near passed out just thinking about it. I thought he'd enjoy taking one again but he's too concerned about the new belt and accidentally hitting the exit site to enjoy it. Just gotta give it time, I know...

   Thanks again for the encouragement and advice!

[tbarrett2533]

put up a hook in the bathroom to hang the bags to drain,

Get rid of the hook and just cut the bags open and flush it down the toilet... who really wants to wait until they drain out?? not me.... I got stuff to do 

[tbarrett2533]

As we went along I was harboring feelings of resentment because I knew there wasn't enough room for everything to be easily accessible and he didn't take me seriously until now. He gets overwhelmed and doesn't want to hear it.

Right now he's freaking out in the shower. He damn near passed out just thinking about it.

Please if I may......... take a step back and think how he may be feeling.... if you are feeling this way, I can bet (having kidney failure myself & having my entire life fall apart from it) that he is feeling the same way you are ONLY worst so please, please, please try to be patient with him...... this disease is such a struggle and we all know on here on hard it really can be       Good luck and please use this website as your saving grace that's what I do 

[billybags]

drgirlfriend, It is scary when you first start Pd, you are scared you will make mistakes, you are scared things are not going right. It will all come together and you will wonder what you were worried about. Just remember your training, remember your hygiene, that is most important. Don't get your knickers in a twist if some thing goes wrong. Learn to laugh about it. You will be OK.

[drgirlfriend]

Yeah, mostly things are scary. Intellectually we know that we'll get the hang of it and everything will be fine. But fear doesn't really care what you know or what you don't know. Please don't think that I'm seriously mad at the bf. Like I said, who knows what I'd be doing if the tables were turned. I can't pretend I wouldn't freak out. That would be a lie. I had uterine fibroids removed a few years ago, so I know that feeling of uncertainty about getting in the shower. So I'm very careful to not show my annoyance or resentment to him. I have the luxury of coming here and either reading about other experiences or whining myself. I was just whining. 

[billybags]

You whine away girl.

[jeannea]

Yeah you don't need the hook to drain. I lay my drain bag on the floor of the bathtub take a pair of scissors and slit it open. Drains it right out. Other than that you're doing great.

The whole thing is scary for him. Just be patient and he'll get used to it. None of us like it much but it gets tolerable.

[drgirlfriend]

Not hanging the bag to drain sounds good to me, but the nurse told us that if we put it down a drain, we had to flush the drain with bleach solution every time. Rather just flush the toilet! Are we the only ones that were told that?

[The Noob]

during the winter i occasionally opened the 2nd floor window and tossed them on the ground. when i was outside i cut them open and tossed in burn ring. but we're in the boonies.

just the fact that you love him, are willing to be there for him, have your life turned upside down when you don't have to, is a fact that should be honored and appreciated. i salute you! won't be long before you both are so comfortable about all this that you can vent on eachother safely. thats when you know ya got commitment..LOL
  to you!