Graft Clotted

[Rerun]

I have 2 accesses.  A left arm fistula and a right lower arm loop graft.  My right loop graft clotted and here it is the weekend.

Anyone know how long a graft can go before a declott procedure will still work?

I am not an emergency because I still have a working access.  But, I'm stressed that I may lose the loop graft if they don't get on this.

[cassandra]

Jeeeeezzz sorry Rerun, can't help you, but wishing you strength and all the love and luck in the world, Cas

     

[Vt Big Rig]

Go to ER and have them call vascular. Don't take chances. Good Luck.

[Simon Dog]

I am not an emergency because I still have a working access.

As VT Big Rig mentioned, this is an emergency.

[Rerun]

They don't consider this an emergency because I can still get dialysis through my other access.

A vascular surgeon called me and he said a graft can go 2 weeks and still be declotted....??   I wanted to say we wouldn't even live 2 weeks how the hell do you know it can go 2 weeks.

They said they will get me in on Monday.

[PrimeTimer]

Question for anybody: If a fistula or graft becomes clotted, isn't there a risk that clots may break off and travel through the blood stream? 

[Rerun]

They said they were not worried about that.

But YEA I am worried about That!               

[PrimeTimer]

They said they were not worried about that.

But YEA I am worried about That!              

I'd be worried about that too. Interesting. Wonder what their reasoning is, unless you're already on some sort of blood thinner or aspirin therapy for something else. Hope they fix you up nicely Monday.

[Charlie B53]

Pardon my stupidity, I am on PD an know little about hemo other than what I am learning here from all of you.

Rerun, you have BOTH arms with access',  I was under the impression that you could NOT have blood draws, needle sticks, blood pressures, etc., in the arm that has the access.  Yet you have BOTH arms made available.

Read me as confused.

Thanks,

Charlie B53

[TheLivingWater]

Do people who have AV graft take blood thiners such as plavix or coumadin?

[Michael Murphy]

Charlie B53. The one good thing about hemo is blood draw are usually taken from the tubes connected to the needles in the machine.  I haven't had blood taken directly from me in three years.  Just from the ports put in the blood tubes.

[Vt Big Rig]

They don't consider this an emergency because I can still get dialysis through my other access.

Only an SOB that does not worry about the frailties of a fistula or any access would say that.

[Rerun]

So, I have BP cuff on my leg and any blood or IV stick in my hands.  No BP cuff on either arm or arm draws. 

I am still alive and it is Sunday.  I am also trying to get over a bad cold.  It seems like my life runs just above water and any one thing just sinks me.   

[cassandra]

It's about bedtime here. Thinking of you and wishing you all the best for tomorrow.

Love, Cas

[Rerun]

Tomorrow, (Tuesday) check in at noon with the Vascular Surgeon that I want. 

This just started here but my Nephrolorist group no longer has priviledges at the hospital that does vascular surgery or transplants.

Creates quite the bottleneck...

         

[cassandra]

How are you?

Love, Cas

[Rerun]

It was a bigger surgery than I thought.      but it is working.    thank God.   

[PrimeTimer]

Glad to hear the good news! Vascular surgeons are excellent plumbers!

[Vt Big Rig]

Good to hear Re run .... A sigh of relief!!!

[Michael Murphy]

I am happy it went well,  it's good to hear good things about good people.

[cassandra]

Good news, that it's working

Love, Cas

[Charlie B53]

Finally, GREAT news.

Glad the scary wait is over.  That constant worry "what if..." has got to be one of THE worst things that many face.  I don't doubt you had your times till it was finally completed.  I know my blood pressure would have stayed at least 30 points higher all the time.

(big sigh of relief)!

Keep taking Care,

Charlie B53

[Rerun]

Thanks guys.  I am really tired and no energy.  I guess it will come back one day at at time.  As the song says.

[kitkatz]

I do not like it when they have to roto rooter the fistula or graft.  No matter what they tell you it is painful and you tend to not bounce back as quickly.   I hope all is better soon Rerun.

[Charlie B53]

Now you got me curious as to how they do clear that.  A physical 'reamer' or a chemical cleaner to desolve the clot.


When I had a total blockage of my right iliac, shutting off all flow to my right leg I was in HELL. for FIVE days. Well, actually ten if you counot the five days at home and work as it was plugging up.  But onoce ono the table Dr weent in the left femeral and ran a solid wire up over the left iliac across into the right, poked a hole through that mass then went on down inside the femeral to the right knee where another portion of the mass had broken off, traveled down and plugged it off again.

I spent five days in ICU with a TPI drip, that chemical clot desoling drug.  That was administered through the same route as the wire through a hose put in immemdiately after the wire was drawn out.

I swear, this procedure was a whole new torture designed to get me to confess to the murder of JFK, or something.

FIVE whole days, and nights, of torture.  It felt like they had buried my whole right leg in a barbecue pit piled high with charcoal, and set it on fire.  Every few hours adding a few more bags of charcoal.

But it worked.  And they saved my leg instead of cutting it off, as they said would have happened if I had gone ahead and gone home that Friday, it would have been cut off long before Monday.

So I am Thankful.   Since then they have had to go back and placed stents in both lilacs to keep them open as they have kept trying to close up.

Any clot always has a potential for serious problems and must be treated carefully, and speedily.