Is starting dialysis easy?

[MooseMom]

Absent of advanced age or a lot of co-morbidities, is there anyone here who has found starting dialysis to be pretty easy and uncomplicated?

Thank you.

[Desert Dancer]

Yep.

[Joe]

Considering, I think my starting PD went pretty easily. From the stay in the hospital to working with the PD team at the dialysis center we really didn't have too many hang ups. The biggest issue I had was the night I crashed while doing my PD. in retrospect, not eating all day and not having any fluids most of the day was probably not one of the smarter things I've done. And I learned from it! The rest has just been getting into the routine of manual exchanges then over to the cycler. Not too bad an experience.

[Cordelia]

I've never crashed while dialyzing-not once.......been on D for over a year now.  My clearances are really good. 

I just wish I found the renal diet easier             

[tbarrett2533]

NOT even FRIGGIN close!!

 

[cattlekid]

I didn't have too many problems starting dialysis, other than the fact that it had to be done on an emergent basis with a permacath instead of having a fistula right away.  The first few treatments were shaky as they were establishing dry weight, but once we figured out that I could take off no more than 2.5-3 kilos at a time, things were pretty smooth sailing.

[jbeany]

Nope, I was one of the rough starters.  Trying to find my dry weight was misery.  I was loosing weight both from fluid and fat at the same time, and it was a constant guessing game.  It got better, though.

[jeannea]

I'm afraid it wasn't easy for me. Coma, vented, days of 24 hour dialysis. But that doesn't mean everyone else has it like that.

[Whamo]

I started about a month ago, and I have good days, and I have bad days.  Today I learned my dialysis time is going up, from 3 1/2 hours to 4 hours, and they want me to start taking a binder called Phospho.  Mondays are hard for me. 

[galvo]

No worries. Much easier than I anticipated. I still hate it though!

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Starting PD was a bit daunting at first with all the supplies taking up a quarter of my garage! But I soon got into a routine and my catheter worked well from the start apart from the initial drain pain at the beginning. The worst part was getting pseudomonas peritonitis .Thought I was going to die. The catheter stopped working and had to be removed because this type of peritonitis contaminates it and can't be made clean by antibiotics.

I refused for 4 weeks to have a neck catheter put in. Could not come to terms with having to do haemo. Funny thing is during those 4 weeks of no dialysis I did not have any ill  affects. Eventually I had a catheter put in and started haemo.

Haemo and I won't beat about the bush is crap. I feel fine and always have except the hours after I have had dialysis. The whole process makes me so cold from the inside out. Yesterday the clinic was heated to 80 degrees and during the last hour I became freezing cold and had to have blankets.

When I had my fistula put in it took quite a while to mature and I had both lines and a fistula for 6 months. Fortunately I don't have a needle phobia so all I had to get used to was the momentary pain as the needle goes through  the skin. Some nurses are better than others for doing this. With some you hardly feel a thing.

To sum up: I myself should not really complain because I still have my energy levels and I am still able to work 23 and half hours a week but I think it's because I feel so well that I feel cheated. Cheated of my time and freedom and as long as I feel well I will always be constantly frustrated by this tremendous restriction to my lifestyle .

[Iwannabean]

Starting Dialysis was an emergency session at the hospital, I crashed in my vehicle (passed out) and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.  My first two treatments were at the hospital after that I went to a Davita clinic.  Although pretty uneventful with the exception of being stuck by huge needles I can remember the intimidation factor.  I felt all alone in the world. I was scared wondered what happened to me.  It was a very strange feeling in deed.  The nurses and techs were wonderful though, and after awhile, I felt less intimidated and started settling in.  Quite a few patients have died since I started dialysis so I kind of keep to myself, I dont like to see people suffer and die, so my own way is to not make many friends at dialysis.  Thats funny because I am a very social person, but none of the patients at my clinic would say that.

Bean

[Subeat]

I began dialysis in the hospital with no "prep" time.  For the most part it went smoothly, I had my first session immediately after the insertion of my permacath.  I was still very anemic, and constantly cold anyway, so dialysis just exaggerated that feeling.  I could not get warm enough.  Those first sessions also made me very sleepy.  I experienced my first blood pressure crash while in the hospital as well.  Since being in center, things have gone much better.  I don't freeze anymore (just a little chill), couldn't sleep if I tried, and we watch my bp like a hawk to head off any big crashes.  Still using the cath though, so I'll get back with you after my first needle stick!

[Katonsdad]

I start back on Hemo today after 12 yrs of being transplanted.  I am a little apprehensive as it has been 12 yrs a=but I am sure it will go well/  I want toget it started wso I can get a per menant site installed and get rid of my tubing I h We will see about all that as timea I want to do home hemo or pd again so I can get my butt back to work.

[daveosaurus]

Mentally it was really hard at first. Just coming to the realization that I'm really sick and need dialysis to survive was hard. I even pulled out one permacath in a fit of frustration and almost killed myself. I won't be doing that again. As much as I hate dialysis I hate dying more. Took me awhile to realize that.

[boswife]

wow, some amazing stories here..  and Daveos, glad to have ya with us      So, i am only speaking second hand but for Bo, he had gotton so ill and while in the hospital (he had a brand new fistula at the time) they said he needed to start dialysis.  They wheeled him down to one room for cath, and then strait over to D.  I was so afraid of the cath, but that and the D went well.  Fortunatly, (but really unfortunatly) Bo was so awful feeling that any fears didnt have a chance to surface.  That part was left up to me    He had one more session in the hospital (and transfusion as well) that went as well as the first, then feeling better, his blood looking better, we went home and started incenter the following week.  That all went smooth as well and had a great nurse man that took such good care of him all through his start, and then the same one who started his button holes. Mabie we lucked out, but it seemed to all go just as it should.  (i was still in denial that he even needed it so that was hard for me, but he felt so much better that he didnt fight the fact that he was to do this D stuff)

[Amiel]

Mentally it was really hard at first. Just coming to the realization that I'm really sick and need dialysis to survive was hard. I even pulled out one permacath in a fit of frustration and almost killed myself. I won't be doing that again. As much as I hate dialysis I hate dying more. Took me awhile to realize that.

That's exactly what happened to me. Although I didn't try to pull my cath. I was depressed and thinking about my wife and kids and how long I can endure this. After a while, I realize dialysis is better than dying. But I hate it.

[beachbum]

I'm doing PD and so far everything has been ok. Way better than I expected. It's not fun but not nearly as bad as what I had built up in my mind. I think it probably depends on the nurses working with you. One nurse at my PD clinic is great. She takes everything slow and explains the process to me. Another nurse is just the opposite and makes me nervous. The only real issue I've had so far is a build up of fibren because I had to wait a month to actually start dialysis after my surgery because I had a hernia repaired. I can't speak about other types of diaylsis but PD hasn't been too bad. I would rather not be on dialysis at all but if this is what keeps me alive and somewhat healthy I can live with it.

[noahvale]

[^

[Genlando]

My HD experience in the center was a little rough for the first few treatments, but I quickly learned the ropes.  Moosemom, you're way more prepared than I was.  You should do fine.

[Cordelia]

MM, what form of dialysis do you think you might want to seriously consider, if given a choice to choose?

[Riki]

Starting dialysis the last time was rather uneventful.  I was more angry than anything else, because I'd only had 3 years with my kidney.  I had my PD tube put in, and came back 3 weeks later when it had healed and had my first exchange.  I had no issues except for a crapload of fibrin. It actually looked like pieces of wood going into the drain bag.

Starting hemo was a little different.  I really don't remember going for the first time, since I was so sick from the peritonitis.  Starting for the first time at the unit I go to now, I remember.  I was freezing, and I pretty much slept through the whole treatment.  The team lead did everything with me, which they're supposed to do with new starts, but it was helpful for me because I already knew her.  She was one of a handful of the nurses that did the home visits for PD patients.

I think it's more nerves when you're first starting out, but after a while, you get into your routine, so that even the sticks with the drinking straw needles become very routine

[MooseMom]

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to reply.  I am on the transplant wait list and had consented to being on the extended criteria donor list because I had it in my mind that the initiation of dialysis was so traumatic, both physically and mentally, that it should be avoided entirely if at all possible.  I had the opportunity to ask a nephrologist (not my own) if starting dialysis was "dangerous", and he really took me to task and made it sound like it was a really stupid question.  OK, maybe "dangerous" was the wrong word, but I've read so many posts from people just starting and having trouble with infiltrations and establishing dry weight, etc.  But this neph made it sound like it was akin to attending a tea party, and I know THAT can't be true.  I know I've probably built it up so much in my mind that I've lost all perspective, but I also know that you don't know how well you will adapt until you have to (as you have pointed out, noahvale...thanks for that!).

I know that everyone has a different experience, but it had never occurred to me that starting dialysis could actually be uncomplicated and straightforward like this neph claims it can be, so I thought I'd consult the font of all knowledge...IHD members!  So, thanks again, everyone!

[RightSide]

Yep.

I went to the hospital in the morning, they inserted the chest catheter, and I had my first treatment (two hours) that afternoon.  No crashing, no nausea, no ill effects.  I felt pretty much the same after the dialysis as before it.

[beachbum]

I posted yesterday how smoothly everything went. I guess I spoke too soon. I've had a rough 24 hours since but some of this is my fault. I think a lot of this is trial and error. Even with all my training I wasn't prepared for everything. At first I was pulling off fluid. Not a lot but about 200 to 300 cc every exchange. Then last night I retained 800cc. I got really scared and called the PD nurse. She thought maybe I forgot to fill but I knew I had. She also said it could be that I need to do shorter exchanges. That's what I found works for me so far. If I wait too long I absorb most of the solution. Especially after 6 hours. Last night I felt awful. I was retaining water. I felt swollen. I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours and when I tried to sleep the pressure in my belly was keeping me awake. My BP was ok and my weight was stable but I felt worse than before I started dialysis! Then I took the clamps off too soon and made a huge mess all over the floor. Just a learning lesson I guess. But now that I got my heating pad and I've learned from a few of these mistakes and how my body is reacting to the dialysis, I think I'm getting the hang of it. It also helps that I finally slept.