I think in-center will be my only option

[Deanne]

Am I right about that, given these circumstances? I'm still hopefully a few years from dialysis, but it tends to be on my mind more & more lately.

- I have 5 cats, 2 dogs, so I think this rules out CAPD / CCPD (I can't imagine having the bed to myself!).
- I live alone, so I think this rules out home hemo.

Does anyone here with similar circumstances do any form of home dialysis?

[Chicken Little]

I do CCPD and have one hairy dog and a husband that travels on business a lot. 

The dog used to sleep on me, but he's not fond of the noises the machine makes and he sleeps in a corner where he can see me now.  My PD nurse said other patient's pets also don't like the machine and it tends to  keep them away.  I used to tell the dog to leave the room when I was connecting, but now he gets up and leaves on his own when it looks like I'm getting up.  He's a smart one.   

I just make sure to keep the area clean, follow all the sanitizing procedures when connecting and I haven't had any problems.  It is work though.  I didn't like the 5 weeks I did in hemo, but it certainly was easier than dealing with the cleaning and the supplies. 

[Adam_W]

As for home hemo, some clinics will train you with no partner if you can safely do everything yourself, but it's kind of hard to find a clinic that doesn't require a partner. Some patients can do nocturnal home hemo alone if they use a conventional (non-NxStage) dialysis machine that has remote monitoring capabilities. I do NxStage, and I have a partner, but he rarely does anything because I do it all myself (I have him go through the process every now and then so he doesn't forget how). But like Chicken Little said, PD would probably be better for you as long as the cats aren't all over you while you're connecting and disconnecting.

Adam

[Deanne]

Thanks Chicken Little and Adam! It's great to know I have options! 

[goofynina]

I do PD and i have a cat and so far, everything has been good,  I would definetly look into PD or NxStage 

[mariannas]

I do PD and have a VERY hairy dog.  I used to have a cat, but she lives with my mom right now...less because of the PD and more because I just had a hard time keeping up on the litter box when I was feeling so bad before I started dialysis. 

Basically, I do PD in my bedroom and the dog knows that that room is off-limits.  She sits in the doorway, but knows she can't come any further inside.  We are moving to a bigger apartment in the same building and will have two bathrooms.  One is going to be MY bathroom and where I'll do my PD since I will keep it very clean and not have to worry about my partner cleaning up after himself.  I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure Ginger will be thrilled to be let on the bed again.

[kruep]

DaVita At Home clinics must train you alone if you can get your doc to write a specific order to do so.  They can't turn you away with the order.  Just don't tell them that I told you their secret.  You can manage PD with your animals, its all in the hook up and disconnecting.
Let me know if I can answer any questions for you, remember I just left DaVita and I had 5 of their home units and a PD unit as well.  USE ME!!!!!
kruep

[Redbomb]

I live alone and have just started Home Training on the NxStage!

While it is true that a lot of the hookups are going to be tricky, especially since my fistula access for the Venus is so high up on my arm, I think with a nice pair of Hemostats I'll be able to get it done!

My worst case is I find out I can't do it, and have to go back in-center.  Best Case, I'm at home! 

[Deanne]

Whoo hoo! Thanks! I'm feeling so much more hopeful now. I have this weird feeling that dialysis time is creeping up on me even though my last labs showed me at 25%. I hope I'm just being a hypochondriac.

[thegrammalady]

i do in center hemo and am very happy with it. if i did something at home i would probably never leave the house. the point is you do have options. and don't let anyone tell you you don't.

[KT0930]

I also have a very hairy dog and do CCPD. Like Chicken Little's dog, when he sees that I'm getting ready to connect, he gets up and leaves the room. Once I'm connected I open the door and let him back in. He's never slept on our bed, as he's about 60 pounds, so that's never been an issue.

The only thing I was concerned about was that there's a drain line that is supposed to go from the machine into a toilet or sink all night. The dog tends to wander around at night, so I was worried he would pull the drain line out of the toilet and I'd have a big mess to clean up. I got a 5 gallon bucket, cut a small hole in the lid to put the tube through, and just empty that in the morning. Problem solved.   Best of luck to you. I know pets become members of the family.

[Adam_W]

I have a dog and I don't have any problems with her when I'm doing my dialysis because she is afraid of my machine. She doesn't like the noise that it makes, and now when she comes into my room, she instantly sees that big white and black noisy thing and she turns and leaves, even if the machine isn't running. I think she also dislikes the various medical smells that always permeate my room.

Adam

[Deanne]

One of my dogs thinks the vacuum cleaner is her playmate.   I don't think I'll have any luck scaring her away with equipment noise! Luckily, she's also very independent and doesn't normally come to bed until 5am. My other dog fears everything and *must* stay on the bed where I can keep an eye on him, even in my sleep. He has to be crated all day when I'm at work and it would be mean to crate him all night, too. He has "issues," including a huge tendency to lift his leg whenever he's nervous. He's *always* nervous!

[KT0930]

He has "issues," including a huge tendency to lift his leg whenever he's nervous. He's *always* nervous!

This may cause problems with PD, due to the possibility of bacteria, infections, etc. Make sure you have a really good steam cleaner that you can use on his spots. We have a nine-year-old boy and have discovered the Bissell Spot Bot (available at Target for around $130). It's really small and portable and does all the work for you. Even with all the fluid in it, it only weighs about 12-15 pounds. You can buy cleaning solution for it that's specifically for pet stains. Best of luck!!

[xtrememoosetrax]

He has "issues," including a huge tendency to lift his leg whenever he's nervous. He's *always* nervous!

This may cause problems with PD, due to the possibility of bacteria, infections, etc. Make sure you have a really good steam cleaner that you can use on his spots. We have a nine-year-old boy and have discovered the Bissell Spot Bot (available at Target for around $130). It's really small and portable and does all the work for you. Even with all the fluid in it, it only weighs about 12-15 pounds. You can buy cleaning solution for it that's specifically for pet stains. Best of luck!!

Spotbot:  !  Worth every penny, especially if you have pets!

[Deanne]

I have a whole collection of carpet cleaners -- vacuums, steam cleaner, and a spotbot. :-)

The leg-lifting doesn't cause any major issues because I a belly band on him at all times, except for when he's crated, in bed at night, or outside.

[Ang]

a   nurse told  me  about  12  months  ago ,heres  her  perspective,you  have  the  freedom  to  do  dx  as  you  please  but  sacrifice  will  be  made.
you  can  go  in  centre  and  have  2  seperate  lives,  dialysis  days  and  non  dialysis (living  your  life) days,esrd  is  never  far from  your thoughts  on  the  off  days.
home  haemo  has  its  positives,freedom  to  do  dx  anytime  of  day,  but  for  me  the  big  negative  is  i'd  be  staring  at "pumper"  basically  24/7.
on  my  off  days  from  in  centre,if  i'm  cranky  or  whatever  i  can  forget  about  esrd  for  a  while ,  invariably  i  get  dragged  back  to  this  place   to  see  how  my  mates   are  doing and  occassionally  put  my worth  into  the  thread.

[KICKSTART]

I live alone and as most of you know have several large hairy mad dogs and did have my beloved GSD as well till recently. I do CAPD and i just use a spare room to store all my supplies and do my dialysis in  and bless 'em the pooches know they cant go in there!!!!