Do you stick your own needles?

[jbeany]

Congrats Matt!

The NXstage rep was at our unit today, getting things started for doing home hemo for the first time at our center.  He said they expect everyone to learn to self-cannulate if they want in the program when it starts in April.  Guess I've got a deadline, now!

[charee]

Good one Matt hope i can do it when the time comes ..

[Sluff]

Rock on Matt.

[Rerun]

Passed out -     Reading about it.   I'm proud of you Matt. 

I think if they said "you have to put the needles in yourself or you can't go on dialysis"  I would die with the needle in my hand.   

[Ohio Buckeye]

Wow, Matt.That is great.
You are brave and courageous.
I cannot even let my mind go there.
I'm glad it went well for you as far as pain, etc.
Especially the first attempt.

[Zach]

Great!!!

[Wattle]

I am on PD but have been following this thread knowing one day I may/will have to move to HD. I have mastered giving myself Arenesp in my stomach... took a while but I got there. The fear of the needles is all in my head. I watched my dad self-cannulate for years as a child and I think that made me worse.  Anyway, I have to move on and not be such a baby. So I have watched the video of Bill and have read all the posts about the button hole method. I am like a rabbit stuck in the head lights  and Reruns pasted out next to me. I understand why its best to do it your self... but how did you get there mentally?

[jbeany]

Keep watching the video.  I must have watched it a couple dozen times before I started dialysis, until I could stand to look all the way thru without getting queasy.  Now that I'm on hemo, I had to force myself, bit by bit to watch what I could of the nurses working on me.  At the beginning, I couldn't stand to see them do it all.  I got lightheaded just pulling the needles.  Now I'm over that, and I can watch them stick me most of the time, at least until they screw up and start fishing around.  I'm getting better even when they are doing that.  (Some of the nurses actually like it better when you don't watch them - it makes them nervous!)  To get over a phobia, you have to keep exposing yourself to to it in incrementally larger doses until you are desensitized to the problem. 

[angieskidney]

Finally got 2 blunts in my arm last dialysis (Wed) so I know I am one step closer to cannulating myself. I am scared to death to do it but I know we can all do what we have to do. I used to be afraid to give myself my Aranesp and I learned to do it. Sure cannulating myself means bigger needles, but I learned with the Aranesp needles that it is always easier once you start to do it yourself. I just have to get over the initial fear.

I really think that Epoman should make a whole page on his site about the best way to learn to cannulate yourself and how to do it right (including speed, angle, everything). It would be a great thing! Maybe with those videos we have been waiting a long time for already (*hint hint*)

[MattyBoy100]

but how did you get there mentally?

I used anaesthetic when I first started HD about 8 months ago (sorry, I said it was 6 in my post) but when that wears off there is a horrible throbbing sensation around the sticking area and those injections sting like hell so I thought I would try one without the anaesthetic.  Much to my surprise, I found that there was only about a second or so of discomfort without the anaesthetic and no throbbing sensation either.  So that was it, no more anaesthetic.

That was stage one of mental prep.

Over time, I have become accustomed to one nurse sticking me each session.  Over the last couple of months, she hasn't been doing it and I have had to get used to different nurses sticking me differently which got me out of my comfort zone with my preferred nurse ( I think this was a deliberate ploy to get me to self - cannulate as the guy in charge kept going on about me self - cannulating).  So, as you can imagine lots of people doing it differently kind of gets you worried about who is going to do it next especially when there are quite a few new trainnees in my unit and I have already had a blown fistula which was painful!

That was stage two of mental prep.

On Wednesday, I wasn't even thinking about self - cannulation but knew I would do it soon but not that night.  I was meant to do it last Friday but didn't feel brave enough at the last minute.  So on Wednesday the nurse said to me "You're doing it yourself tonight."  I said "No, I don't feel ready yet." She said "Why don't you just try one, I will be here for you so you don't need to worry." And that was it, I did one and the rest as you all know is history.

That was stage 3.

Remember guys, it wasn't planned to schedule it was more about how I felt and if I wanted to go ahead or not.  I was gently pushed in the right direction but was never forced and had help around me at all times.  I just want those of you out there who have a mental block of the needles and can't see past it that it is just you and it's nothing to worry about.  We get ourselves in a state about them but I believe we worry because it is someone else that is inflicting pain on us.  If you do it yourself you are in full control and can feel if you're hurting yourself and stick to your own pace as well.  Some are too slow or too fast or too soft or too hard.  Just imagine what it would be like if you did it and could control what you were doing. Remember, it's taken me 6 months ( I spent 2 months dialyzing with a line while my fistula matured) to get this far, those of you who have been waiting for years, do it soon or you never will.

[angieskidney]

2 nurses were disagreeing about if my buttonholes were established yet or not (because I asked why I was having different nurses when it wasn't established yet when it says HERE at THIS link to have the same cannulator each time). The reason they were arguing about it is because I asked if and when my buttonholes would be considered established. Once they are established I will learn to self-cannulate. Right now they have decided they are not established because when they use blunts (especially after a weekend) the blunts just push the fistula around under my skin. The nurse said that if I cannulate myself I would have to have the nurse hold the fistula in place.

Gizmar told me that if I pull my arm along a table the skin will be more taunt. Any more advice on how to do this yourself when you have a fistula that rolls and "runs away" from the blunt?

I assume that once it is established that it will be a lot easier to cannulate??

When I pick off the scabs with a blunt (how my unit does it even though the only guy I watched in person take his scabs off his buttonholes he used tweezers) I poke at my holes to see how gutsy I would be to stick the blunts in myself. I think I could do it but it is scarey as I figure I would probably do it too slow and squirt blood all over the place.

[BigSky]

2 nurses were disagreeing about if my buttonholes were established yet or not (because I asked why I was having different nurses when it wasn't established yet when it says HERE at THIS link to have the same cannulator each time). The reason they were arguing about it is because I asked if and when my buttonholes would be considered established. Once they are established I will learn to self-cannulate. Right now they have decided they are not established because when they use blunts (especially after a weekend) the blunts just push the fistula around under my skin. The nurse said that if I cannulate myself I would have to have the nurse hold the fistula in place.

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

[jedimaster]

I have seen that most of the people that self cannulate don´t use a tourniquet, as they have been advise that it will damage their fistulas. I use a tourniquet that keeps the fistula in place. I don´t squeeze hard, but it works for me. That is the way they show me on how to self needle. When I started they told me that my fistula was a ¨giggler¨, which means that it moved a lot. With the tourniquet it stays put all the time. I hope this info helps...
I was trained with sharps, and I was the one who moved to blunts, with my nurse´s supervision.

[angieskidney]

2 nurses were disagreeing about if my buttonholes were established yet or not (because I asked why I was having different nurses when it wasn't established yet when it says HERE at THIS link to have the same cannulator each time). The reason they were arguing about it is because I asked if and when my buttonholes would be considered established. Once they are established I will learn to self-cannulate. Right now they have decided they are not established because when they use blunts (especially after a weekend) the blunts just push the fistula around under my skin. The nurse said that if I cannulate myself I would have to have the nurse hold the fistula in place.

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

I have seen that most of the people that self cannulate don´t use a tourniquet, as they have been advise that it will damage their fistulas. I use a tourniquet that keeps the fistula in place. I don´t squeeze hard, but it works for me. That is the way they show me on how to self needle. When I started they told me that my fistula was a ¨giggler¨, which means that it moved a lot. With the tourniquet it stays put all the time. I hope this info helps...
I was trained with sharps, and I was the one who moved to blunts, with my nurse´s supervision.

So are you saying since mine moves a lot that I SHOULD use the Tourniquet??
We are already talking about that subject here: http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=2584.0

[renal30yrs]

I don't quite understand why some medical professionals are so non-supportive of buttoholes.  Took me opposition of 2 nephrologists, red tapes, and 5 months of wasted time with sharp needles.

[angieskidney]

I don't quite understand why some medical professionals are so non-supportive of buttoholes.  Took me opposition of 2 nephrologists, red tapes, and 5 months of wasted time with sharp needles.

Ya I know. I had to fight for months of them sticking me in the same spot for my arterial (lack of spots due to how my fistula is) anyway!!   Finally 4 months later they finally started! Then I still have to argue with them as they said I would have the same nurse all the time .. and then I get different nurses and when I got this one, I asked about that and she said, "oh you are doing buttonhole?" 

[BigSky]

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

If that is the case the buttonholes are established and it does not matter what nurse "sticks" it.

Your fistula is fairly new and you should be moving to blunts because you wait too long and the only way you will be able to use those buttonholes is with sharps.

As Epoman has suggested to you many times it is time you stuck yourself, especially since you have buttonholes. 

Hate to be "blunt" Angie but sink or swim, sink or swim.----------------Yes I know that was a very very bad pun.......


You CAN do it !

[angieskidney]

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

If that is the case the buttonholes are established and it does not matter what nurse "sticks" it.

Your fistula is fairly new and you should be moving to blunts because you wait too long and the only way you will be able to use those buttonholes is with sharps.

As Epoman has suggested to you many times it is time you stuck yourself, especially since you have buttonholes. 

Hate to be "blunt" Angie but sink or swim, sink or swim.----------------Yes I know that was a very very bad pun.......


You CAN do it !

Really? They are established? Then why does the main buttonhole nurse of my unit who has done this for over 20 years insist that they are not yet established until a certain amount of days straight in a row have been done with blunts successfully?


Oh boy now I am so scared thinking of how close the day is here and yet at the same time all excited! oh the mixed emotions and butterflies!

[BigSky]

Really? They are established? Then why does the main buttonhole nurse of my unit who has done this for over 20 years insist that they are not yet established until a certain amount of days straight in a row have been done with blunts successfully?


Oh boy now I am so scared thinking of how close the day is here and yet at the same time all excited! oh the mixed emotions and butterflies!

The buttonhole itself is merely the tunnel to the fistula vein itself.  Much the same as the tunnel that is formed when one has their ears pierced for earrings or any other body part pierced.

If the blunt slides into the tunnel, as I previously just confirmed with you, then that tunnel is established.  If it was not yet established, the blunt would not slide in  because blunts "slide" in, they do not "cut" their way in as sharps do.

[angieskidney]

Really? They are established? Then why does the main buttonhole nurse of my unit who has done this for over 20 years insist that they are not yet established until a certain amount of days straight in a row have been done with blunts successfully?


Oh boy now I am so scared thinking of how close the day is here and yet at the same time all excited! oh the mixed emotions and butterflies!

The buttonhole itself is merely the tunnel to the fistula vein itself.  Much the same as the tunnel that is formed when one has their ears pierced for earrings or any other body part pierced.

If the blunt slides into the tunnel, as I previously just confirmed with you, then that tunnel is established.  If it was not yet established, the blunt would not slide in  because blunts "slide" in, they do not "cut" their way in as sharps do.

Awww man! That means mine is not yet established Becuase it does NOT slide in..

[BigSky]

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

 

[jedimaster]

I DO use a tourniquet, takes me about 20 seconds to cannulate both needles and I undo the tourniquet. They do that at my clinic also. It makes the giggler stay in place and the blunt just slide in, no problem. I do not squeeze the tourniquet hard, though. AS soon as the second needle goes in, the tourniquet is released....now, remember that I was trained with sharps and I moved to blunts when I felt they were sliding as butter!

[angieskidney]

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

 

I gues you have never had that happen?? If you did you would know what I mean.

I DO use a tourniquet, takes me about 20 seconds to cannulate both needles and I undo the tourniquet. They do that at my clinic also. It makes the giggler stay in place and the blunt just slide in, no problem. I do not squeeze the tourniquet hard, though. AS soon as the second needle goes in, the tourniquet is released....now, remember that I was trained with sharps and I moved to blunts when I felt they were sliding as butter!

Yeah I used a tourniquet today as well after what you said and it worked better!

[BigSky]

So are you saying the blunts go into the skin but once they hit the fistula vein itself the blunt pushes it away?

Yeah that is exactly what I am saying !

 


I gues you have never had that happen?? If you did you would know what I mean.

No I do not  know what you mean as it seems you have said two different things.   First it say the blunts slide in then you say they do not.

[angieskidney]

No I do not  know what you mean as it seems you have said two different things.   First it say the blunts slide in then you say they do not.

I have never said they slide in as they never have. Not like butter anyway. I said they go in the skin no problem in the 2 holes but then when it comes to the actual fistula the blunts push the fistula around under my skin.

But if I get a nurse who actually listens to me it does go in .. at least it went in easier last time. So now I have some hope. As soon as it does go in like butter and anyone can cannulate me including myself (a noob) then I will stick myself