Our first solo PD

[highway61]

Whew! What a week. Lots of treatments and training.

Tonight my wife and I did our first solo dialysis exchange. We got a lot of fluid drained which is great. My noon fill at the clinic was 2000 ml of dialysate and we drained 3500 ml.

This process really sucks, but it feels good to be fighting back against the disease and have an active roll in combating it.

We are on our way. We will continue with CAPD for another day and switch to the cycler tomorrow night. We have rearranged our house to accommodate it. We moved our bed into the guest room so the drain tube can reach the toilet at night.

Thanks everybody for your help and support. This message board rocks!

 

[okarol]

I hope all continues to go well! 

[Atooraya]

Sounds great. In the long run the cycles is less intrusive to the typical patient. Good luck.

[highway61]

Thanks okarol and Atooraya!

This morning's exchange wasn't so easy. I experienced my first slow drain. What a drag. I have been draining pretty well. Today, after about 500ml it stopped. So I tried some of the things from training and what I have read here, like trying different positions, shake, and rattle myself around a bit, roll around on the bed. After about 40 minutes I managed to get out 1900.

The subsequent fill seemed longer than normal but I may have just been anxious after the drain. The drain bag is clear and didn't see any sign of fibrin<sp> in it.

Sure would appreciate hearing from others who have experienced this.

[Willis]

You may be having fibrin issues. Adding heparin to your dialysate would help that. Talk to your PD nurse.

 

[highway61]

You may be having fibrin issues. Adding heparin to your dialysate would help that. Talk to your PD nurse.

I remember that from class. I will ask our PD nurse and probably stick some in my next fill.

Thanks a lot Willis.

[highway61]

Well, another bad drain. Could only get 1300ml out after 50 minutes. So on the fill we put less to keep the total inside at 2000ml. We did stick in some heparin. It may be where the inside part of my catheter has settled.

Tonight will be my first night on my new Liberty Revolution cycler. Hopefully all will go well. If my catheter is out of position I hope it moves in my sleep.

I am feeling very full. That is great for my diet as I ate less at dinner. :-) I just hope it all works itself out.

[Joe]

highway, it took em a while to settle down to a good in/out routine. Have pattience with it, it will get better.

[highway61]

highway, it took em a while to settle down to a good in/out routine. Have pattience with it, it will get better.

Thanks Joe. You rock. I will try to relax and let it take it's own course.

[Willis]

I am feeling very full. That is great for my diet as I ate less at dinner. :-) I just hope it all works itself out.

Just don't make the mistake of eating a big meal when you are dry and then trying to do a new fill! 

 

[kporter85db]

Just don't make the mistake of eating a big meal when you are dry and then trying to do a new fill! 
 

Yes, I found this out the hard way.


Highway, I have to use Heparin every exchange but I rarely see any fibrin.

[highway61]

My first drain on the cycler was close to 4000ml, that is almost a whole bags worth of UF. Too cool. I don't have the exact number since I haven't cleaned the machine up yet and looked at the report.  My wife is still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb her.

I put some heparin into my last fill, but also moved around a bit. I was even on my hands and knees drilling a hole in the wall to put a TV cable through. My sweet wife didn't want to go another night without TV in the bedroom. :-)

I am not sure which cleared it up, but I am glad it did.
 

[tbarrett2533]

Welcome to PD!!

some tips:

1.  give yourself and your body time to adjust and work out all the kinks
2.  Enjoy your life despite of this crap!!
3.  take control you are the boss, this is your body, your health if something is not working you adjust here, move there, not put so much in, etc.


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE PD and I hope and pray that I can do it until transplant
I do not do the cycler for my own reasons CAPD works best for me b/c its very portable and since I do not absorb I can have very long dwells and still manage to get great UF's so lucky for me!!!  (plus a typical exchange for me last 15-22 minutes and thats gathering my supplies, so CAPD takes no time at all for me)

use us here as you sounding board and support system!!
Kidney failure friggin sucks, but PD makes it tolerable!! If I have to have kidney failure, I will take CAPD as my treatment option!!!

good luck!!!

[billybags]

it is early days and you sound like things are going OK.

[highway61]

Thanks billybags, the support is appreciated. It is indeed early days for my wife and I. This is all new. This chat board has been such a big a big help.

Hey tbarrett, thanks for your support and advised. Coming from you it means a lot.