Training starts soon

[newgrl]

I will start my training for Home Hemo on the NxStage One on March 11th!!  I am super excited and I am very scared about sticking myself.  Both my mother and my daughter will be care partners.  However, I am hoping that I will be able to do most of it myself.  My mother lives across town and i don't want her to drive to my house everyday.  I have watched the three part video on the NxStage machine.  Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for me? Will it really take three weeks fro training?

[Angiepkd]

Hi newgrl! I don't have an answer to your question, but I start my training on March 4th and will post about my experience. I am very excited to get the whole process going! There is lots of help and answers from experienced NxStagers on IHD.  They have helped me prepare in so many ways. I am very thankful for the tips and advice! Good luck!

[amanda100wilson]

Take all the training you can get as it's a little overwhelming at first, and you need to feel comfortable once you are left to your own devices.  you will make mistakes,but stay calm and there isn'tanything that you can't solve if you do so.  the worst thing that can happen in most instances that you will lose the blood in the lines.  check and double chevk clamps.  It is very easy to leave a clamp closed when it shouldn't be and then get air in the lines, which is fixablebut best avoidedin the first place.  NxStage Technical Supportare very helpful in most cases.  Good luck

[cdwbrooklyn]

Hi Newgirl,

First I would like to congratulate you on joining NxStage.  You will get the most out of it.  Sticking yourself becomes very easy as you will get buttonholes.  If you follow your training experience very closely, you will get the hang of it quickly.  Once you learn how to operate the machine, you will become very comfortable with sticking and hooking yourself up.  At first it will seem like a lot to learn but once you get the hang of things, it’s smooth sailing.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions when you run into trouble once you get home.  The more you know about Nxstage, the fewer problems you will run into. 

Best of all, 

[newgrl]

Hi newgrl! I don't have an answer to your question, but I start my training on March 4th and will post about my experience. I am very excited to get the whole process going! There is lots of help and answers from experienced NxStagers on IHD.  They have helped me prepare in so many ways. I am very thankful for the tips and advice! Good luck!

Thank you!  I look forward to hearing how your training goes next week.  Good luck to you as well. 

[newgrl]

Take all the training you can get as it's a little overwhelming at first, and you need to feel comfortable once you are left to your own devices.  you will make mistakes,but stay calm and there isn'tanything that you can't solve if you do so.  the worst thing that can happen in most instances that you will lose the blood in the lines.  check and double chevk clamps.  It is very easy to leave a clamp closed when it shouldn't be and then get air in the lines, which is fixablebut best avoidedin the first place.  NxStage Technical Supportare very helpful in most cases.  Good luck

Amanda,

Thanks for the advice.  I definitely want all the training I can get.  However, I am worried about missing three weeks of work.  But it is a small price to pay to get out of the center and be able to do my treatments on my own schedule.  Hopefully I will be able to travel as well. 

Newgrl

[newgrl]

Hi Newgirl,

First I would like to congratulate you on joining NxStage.  You will get the most out of it.  Sticking yourself becomes very easy as you will get buttonholes.  If you follow your training experience very closely, you will get the hang of it quickly.  Once you learn how to operate the machine, you will become very comfortable with sticking and hooking yourself up.  At first it will seem like a lot to learn but once you get the hang of things, it’s smooth sailing.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions when you run into trouble once you get home.  The more you know about Nxstage, the fewer problems you will run into. 

Best of all, 

Thank you so much!  I am so excited about NxStage.  I want to be in the warmth of my own home.   And be able to eat if I want.  Also, I hope it will lessen the fluid restrictions.  I am sure that I will catch the hang of it soon.  Right now it is a little overwhelming.  But I am ready and I can do it!  If I have any questions along the way, I will be sure to ask.

Newgirl

[KatieV]

Thanks for the advice.  I definitely want all the training I can get.  However, I am worried about missing three weeks of work.  But it is a small price to pay to get out of the center and be able to do my treatments on my own schedule.  Hopefully I will be able to travel as well. 
Newgrl

Is your center at all flexible with your training times?  I trained 4 weekday afternoons and Saturday morning.  Work allowed me to skip lunches (eat at my desk while working) to gain an extra hour of work.  All together I worked 37.5 hours a week while training.  It kept me out of trouble with HR.  However, my center was willing to train late - we usually left at 8 pm.

Maybe it's something you could ask? 

[Speedy1wrc]

Training will take 3 weeks, and generally 1 week at home with your nurse there to help you as an observer and consulatant. No worries as they won't push you out of the nest unless you are ready to fly.

There is a lot to learn about many aspects of home care, dialysis, and care management. Take it all in and ask more questions no matter how trivial they may seem. You may uncover an inadvertent answer to a question you didn't know you needed to ask.