Started home dialysis training - day 5 today

[kidney4traci]

Wow, it has been a busy week!  I started training this week for home dialysis  (Nxstage) and I love it!  I love all the control you have.  I feel like there is so much to learn and happy now to see they have a four week training program.  Don't know how you super smart ones did it in less.  I put myself on as of Wednesday and they pulled the needles out today myself.   Sticking myself has been the least of my worries, and has actually been fine.  The button hole is already starting to develop and it is really painless.  I had to run off the bags today and the nurse forgot to tell me to turn on the heater for the bags and I started to get really chilled in the first hour.  She wasn't checking on me since I was taking my own stats, etc with no problem.  Then she felt bad and got me a heater.  But that has been my only problem, no alarms or anything so far.  I do have to drive over an hour to get there and coming home is awful (esp. Friday traffic) - Houston is so big but this is the only training for home dialysis right now.  They are looking to add four more by the end of the year.  She said that it is really taking off.  Thanks for the input in the site, I appreciated reading up on this before going in.  It really helped to see the support you all give.  Blessings!

[Adam_W]

Good job and good luck with the rest of your training. I'm still waiting to get the call for my start date for NxStage (my nurse was supposed to call at the end of this week, but it looks like it will be sometime next week). I'm really looking forward to it. Freedom for a dialysis patient is spelled N-X-S-T-A-G-E.

Adam

[Black]

Congratulations, Traci.  Don't worry about forgetting things; it happens.  My husband Mike has been on the NxStage since he started dialysis in Feb and we still occasionally forget things.  Fortunately the machine is "idiot proof" and will tell you when you forget something and tell you what to look for to solve the problem.  You will surprise yourself.  It gets easier very fast.

[Chicken Little]

That's great.  When do you get to start home treatments?

[Sluff]

I'm glad training is going well Traci..too bad you have to contend with Houston traffic but I'm sure it's worth it.

[charee]

I'm impressed your doing great, I started home training (not on nxstage we don't have it here) and I'm  in my 4th week and still can't cannulate myself my arm  has been really painful they keep hitting nerves Iam pulling my own. The last 3 days have been better so hopefully i am on the right track. I can set up and strip the machine and know some of the alarms. How long will it take before you at home doing it?

[tamara]

Congratulations Traci, as a fellow homie, believe me it is great when you finally get there !

You Go Girl !     

[kidney4traci]

Sorry it is taking so long to get back to the boards to catch up!  I am now week 2 day 2 and did much better today.  My regular nurse was out today, so I did most along with my "cheat sheet" all alone.  I should be getting supplies soon and then the nurse will come here on my last day and we will do all dialysis from home on June 1st.  I am getting my closet ready!!  Thanks for the feedback, I do think this is gentler than in center hemo was.  Just think that it will be taking up alot of time, more than I thought.  But, I do have alot of driving time now too as I said, and probably will have things done faster once I get a routine down and am at home.  Thank Goodness it is idiot proof, I will need that.  My husband said he would be there to help, but he hasn't been able to go to the training yet.  I think I will be doing most of it alone. ( omeone will always be home...) Didn't realize how much I prefer sticking myself and pulling the needles too.  It doesn't hurt as much as when the nurses do it and it really feels great to have more control over it all after over two years of nurses doing their own thing.  Thankfully I haven't hit a nerve in a long time, but I do remember how painful that was! 
Will keep you updated!