Home hemo and having to pee

[MooseMom]

I know this has been asked before, so apologies for being redundant, but doing a search has not yielded any good results.

I have pretty much decided that I will eventually go on home hemo, probably with NxStage unless there is some new whizbang technology that comes along.  In thinking about short daily vs nocturnal, am I correct in thinking that short daily might be better if you are still peeing and nocturnal if you are not?  How many of you do nocturnal yet still pee?  What happens if you need to go in the middle of the night?  If I do nocturnal, I'll probably set myself up downstairs because our bedroom really wouldn't accomodate a machine; we have much more room downstairs, but there is no bathroom (it's a finished basement and laundry room.  It's very nice, but there is no bathroom.)

So, should I plan on doing short daily if I am still peeing?

Thanks.

[willowtreewren]

Oh, MooseMom, I'll have to let the experts weigh in on this one! 

But I can tell you that when Carl started dialysis in-center, he was worried about not being able to go for 4 hours. He found that he did NOT need to go during dialysis.

I'm eager to hear from other folks. this is a good question.

Aleta

[Desert Dancer]

I still pee, though not much. I find I pee more when I dialyze every third day as opposed to every other day.

However, I've never needed to come off the machine for any reason (yet - having to have a bowel movement worries me a lot more than having to pee).

In any case, if you DO have to come off the machine for some reason then all you need to do is use a recirculation connector. This is a little plastic doodad that connects the bloodlines to each other so they're a continuous, recirculating loop. In the case of the Baby K all I have to do is pause the treatment, connect the recirculation connector, lower the blood pump speed to 200, open the saline and then flush the cannulas with saline (so the blood doesn't clot in them). The machine will beep every two minutes to remind me I'm in recirculation mode. When I'm done I just do everything in reverse and resume the treatment.

[willowtreewren]

Right!

Carl had to come off the machine once because he had a stomach bug and just could NOT WAIT.

That doo-dad thing came in handy. One of the nurses gave me one when we started at home, kind of as an after-thought. When I used it, I ordered more....

Still have them.

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

MM, my J doesnt pee, but he does do the other from time to time.  If he knows ahead of time, I just bring a porta-potty in the room for him.  Otherwise, a bed pan is close by incase he cant make it.  I would think the same could be done for you if you needed.

Now when he was on PD, he had long lines that reached the bathroom, but he also had both feet at that time.  When that time comes (hopefully later than sooner) just put a portapotty or a bed pan by you, for those little emergencys!

lmunchkin
 

[MooseMom]

oooh, I had never heard of a "recirculation connector." 

[boswife]

hummmmm,,,, recirculation connector???  i have not heard of this.  I was taught a LONG and awful process of "temporary disconnect" if one of those emergencies came about.  I've warned my hubby that he  will  use porta poty or bedpan in that situation, or ......... we'll just be done for that teatment...lol  I would love to hear more  of that connector

[Desert Dancer]

oooh, I had never heard of a "recirculation connector."

Yep, here are a couple of pics: one with the caps on, one with the caps off. It doesn't matter which way you connect it; the ends are interchangeable.

[willowtreewren]

If I remember correctly, you can use Mr. Peanut, too. But it has to still be aseptic.

My recirculating connector from the nurse came in a plastic aseptic bag.

Aleta

[sullidog]

I try to hold it til the end because I would infiltrate my needles going to the bathroom.

[boswife]

aww, i recognize mr peanut    Im going to ask at nx visit about usimg for "emergency".. Thanks

[MooseMom]

What is Mr Peanut?

[Trikkechickk]

I would love to do nocturnal HH but I still pee normally (and 2 to 3 times/night).  So I decided not to do nocturnal at the present.  Don't want the hassle of unhooking/rehooking up.

[willowtreewren]

Mr. Peanut is a little attachment the comes in the cartridge package each day. It is normally thrown away. It can be attached to the ends of lines if necessary.

It is NOT wrapped separately, so unless a-septic practices are maintained it can become contaminated once the cartridge package is opened.

Aleta

Maybe someone who is still doing NxStage can post a picture. Mine are in storage at this point.

Aleta

[Gerald Lively]

I use a large clothes pin.

[boswife]

aw YEA gl,, gonna follow your lead on  this one.. uh huh

and hum,,,wonder if i remember how to post a pic here..  but,,,,MM, they look very muich like the pics you see in the beginning of this thread.  Always wonder (and still do) why we get one with each cartaridge...

[amanda100wilson]

The only thing that I've used Mr peanut Man for is when I've accidentally discarded the needle or needle cover when drawing up a med.

[MooseMom]

But, what's the purpose of Mr. Peanut? 

@trikkechikk, see, that's what I'm thinking, too.  Four hours after I fall asleep, I awaken, not because I have to pee, but, rather, because I just wake up.  And THEN I decide I have to pee.  I go back to sleep, and then two hours later, I awaken again and then go pee.  It's like a Pavlovian response.  Back to sleep, two hours later...wake up, pee.

I've had that same sleeping pattern for as long as I can remember.

[amanda100wilson]

I don't know what he's for

[MooseMom]

I don't know what he's for

   Well, that's just odd.  The Mysterious Mr. Peanut.

[Trikkechickk]

But, what's the purpose of Mr. Peanut? 

@trikkechikk, see, that's what I'm thinking, too.  Four hours after I fall asleep, I awaken, not because I have to pee, but, rather, because I just wake up.  And THEN I decide I have to pee.  I go back to sleep, and then two hours later, I awaken again and then go pee.  It's like a Pavlovian response.  Back to sleep, two hours later...wake up, pee.

I've had that same sleeping pattern for as long as I can remember.

MM, if you have to pee, you are going to have amazing sleep disruptions.  It takes some time to go thru the process of interrupting a treatment.  If you do HH during the day, you might be only doing 20 - 25 liters
(1hr 41 min or 2 hrs 15 min respectively), your not working - I think you would certainly feel better,

Setting up the machine in the am, I do that while having my coffee, shower, etc so it doesn't feel like its alot of
extra time.  Set up, if done all at one time may take 30 min (after you learn how - there is a bit of a learning curve, but not too steep.

[lmunchkin]

I do have those come with Cartilidge.  I assume you would stop machine, attach those, go pee, and reconnect and start machine!  I really don't know!  But I use mr peanut to attach to a 30cc syringe filled with water and Clorox to rinse my waist line on Pure Flow.  It can get real "Ripe" sometimes.

Is that how you disconnect to go Pee, DD?  Just connect to V&A lines coming out of you, stop the machine, then proceed after your visit to the Loo?  I also, did not know that that is what they are for.  Interesting!  But I think we will stick to the portapoty & bed pan, so as not to screw up!!!!!!

lmunchkin
 

[boswife]

same here with the 'peanut' Imunch...  I use to flush the pureflow lines... I guess it's a multifunctional  peanut, but it seems that there must be some other purposes as well as to get one a day seems odd to me...

[KraigG]

Yikes! Either way sounds like a hassle.

I made them disconnect me once at the center when the TV set wasn't working....lol

[lmunchkin]

Yea, I never understood why just "one" with cartilidge, if it is meant for "rapid" disconnect for those emergency's.  You would have to have 2 peanuts: one for each line!  But then again, Im just a Caregiver, so what do I know! It is nice to know now, but will remain to use them to clean out waste line.

lmunch