got my fistula

[WishIKnew]

It's so ugly I want to cry!

[MooseMom]

Where is it?  Does it look ugly because of the usual post-op swelling and stitches and such?

[Pam]

I cried too! It was swollen and red and as soon as it was healed I had to have the revision surgery and I cried some more. That was almost 3 yrs ago. Today my fistula is pretty flat and I have buttonholes so it really looks like i have 2 big mosquito bites, Give it time to heal. If it is in your upper arm 3/4 length sleeves are the way to go.
Pam

[Subeat]

I felt the same way when I got my first good look at mine.  It was so inflamed...all I could think of was Frankenstein when I saw it.  The good news is that now, about a month later, I feel a lot better about it.  The incision doesn't look nearly as "angry" as it did, and maybe I have come to grips with it more as well.  As we seem to hear all to often, it will get better with time.

[MooseMom]

Once the bandages came off and I had to have a good look at it, it didn't look bad, but what it represented was what devastated me.  I couldn't bear to look at it again for days.  But then I figured that now that I had it, I wouldn't have to worry about needing D and not having an access, so I began to feel relief.  Now, a year later, I have a nice smooth scar which is actually fairly large, but I don't really care.  It's just one more battle scar to prove that I'm a survivor.

[WishIKnew]

Coming to grips with it.  However, the tech at D yesterday could not hear it and were concerned.  I have an appointment tomorrow with the surgeon to see if it is working.  I might need another surgery??

[sullidog]

could it be felt or heard after they put it in? Can you feel it? it should feel like a cat perring.

[Ang]

Coming to grips with it.  However, the tech at D yesterday could not hear it and were concerned.  I have an appointment tomorrow with the surgeon to see if it is working.  I might need another surgery??
[/quote
should be able to hear it with a stethoscope,could be deeper than normal

[Mr. B 123]

Hope everything works out for you.  My fistula looked funky for a while but now 3 months later, not so bad, I have had worse scars.  Mine did not start to purr for about 2 weeks and now it is going great I am told.  Hang in there!!

[WishIKnew]

The first attempt was unsuccessful, so one week later, last Monday, they opened it up again and tried to gove me a working fistula.   It worked in the hospital but yesterday at dialysis it could no longer be hears.  I completely broken.  What will I do if they can't get a fistula to work in me.  The surgeon says I have very small veins and weird tissue.....

I'm lost!

[sullidog]

You may be a better candidate for a graft wich is what I have. I'm on my second one and it's been working for a little over a year now.