Why did you choose the type of dialysis you are on?

[hyperlite]

So why did you choose the type of dialysis that you are on (ie: hemo, PD, home, nocturnal...etc)? Or if you could choose, which would it be, and why?

For me personally, I chose hemo, because I didn't like the idea of having a tube hanging out of me for PD. I hated my central line when I first started hemo, and wanted it out as soon as possible. If I could do PD the same way I do hemo, I'd switch for sure (so a needled access). I don't do home, because I'm away at school, and there's no room in my house. Plus I don't needle myself.

[Epoman]

So why did you choose the type of dialysis that you are on (ie: hemo, PD, home, nocturnal...etc)? Or if you could choose, which would it be, and why?

For me personally, I chose hemo, because I didn't like the idea of having a tube hanging out of me for PD. I hated my central line when I first started hemo, and wanted it out as soon as possible. If I could do PD the same way I do hemo, I'd switch for sure (so a needled access). I don't do home, because I'm away at school, and there's no room in my house. Plus I don't needle myself.

I chose Hemo 13 years ago for a few of reasons:

1st, I hated the idea of a tube sticking out of my belly and doing exchanges.
2nd, Home dialysis was not really adopted yet in the USA as it was in canada and europe.
3rd, NxStage was not even a dream yet.
4th, When I first started there were no sites like this one to inform patients of their choices and inform them of their options. MAN THIS SITE ROCKS 

- Epoman

[Bajanne]

MAN THIS SITE ROCKS     It sure does!
I didn't have a choice.  In our little country, this is the available way to dialyse.

[kitkatz]

No choices given to me. I have had surgeries on the belly so PD is out.  Hemo is the only way.  I may try Nx if I can stick myself.  I am waiting with bated breath to see how Epoman does with Nx before I look into it.   

Katherine

[kevno]

The choice I made was CAPD but after being on CAPD for 12 years I got EPS (encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis.) Which I was in Hospital for 5 months with. So I am now on Haemo and I hate it. Can never go back to CAPD.

Kevno

[Naggy6]

when I first started i was looking into CAPD but with three kids it didn't seem like a good idea. I didn't like the idea of a tube from my belly not only that but I live for the summer weather. If I couldn't go swimming when ever it wanted I would go nuts.

I have since heard that swimming was OK but you have to be extremely careful about it.

[Sara]

Joe chose hemo because we were worried about infections and hernias associated with the belly one.  Also our house is not near ready to do at-home hemo, so he's stuck with the center for now.  Hopefully (knock on wood) he'll get a transplant sooner than we can get setup for at-home treatments.

[Rerun]

when I first started i was looking into CAPD but with three kids it didn't seem like a good idea. I didn't like the idea of a tube from my belly not only that but I live for the summer weather. If I couldn't go swimming when ever it wanted I would go nuts.

I have since heard that swimming was OK but you have to be extremely careful about it.

Now why is it CAPD patients can go swimming with a catheter in their abdomen, but Heom patients can even take a shower with a catheter in their chest?

[Epoman]

when I first started i was looking into CAPD but with three kids it didn't seem like a good idea. I didn't like the idea of a tube from my belly not only that but I live for the summer weather. If I couldn't go swimming when ever it wanted I would go nuts.

I have since heard that swimming was OK but you have to be extremely careful about it.

Now why is it CAPD patients can go swimming with a catheter in their abdomen, but Heom patients can even take a shower with a catheter in their chest?

Maybe because the chest cath goes straigh into your heart.

- Epoman

[Panda_9]

when I first started i was looking into CAPD but with three kids it didn't seem like a good idea. I didn't like the idea of a tube from my belly not only that but I live for the summer weather. If I couldn't go swimming when ever it wanted I would go nuts.

I have since heard that swimming was OK but you have to be extremely careful about it.

Now why is it CAPD patients can go swimming with a catheter in their abdomen, but Heom patients can even take a shower with a catheter in their chest?

On PD you can only go swimming if your tube is covered with something water proof. Plus, the catheter only goes into your abdomen, where are a permacath goes directly into a main blood vessel right near your heart. Infections in both the peritoneal cavity and the bloodstream are serious. However it is more dangerous in the bloodstream,as the bacteria is carried around the bloodstream and can colonise in your heart. I cant remember much more than that 
When you have peritonitis, it can usually be fixed with antibiotics. If you get an infected permacath, it has to be removed.
One more thing, if you ever notice signs of infection in your fistula, you absolutely do not dialyse until you have sought medical advise. I know of a patient who had a pussy access and instead of seeing someone about it, they dialysed and ended up in hospital with sepsis and died.


Anyway......
At first I chose PD because I had been on it before, and I didn't want to do hemo because I didn't like the sound of it. PD ended up not clearing me properly so I had no choice but to do hemo. I started off in centre, not even aware that you could do it at home. Two weeks later I was told I was to do it at home. I don't remember being asked if I wanted to or not. I did 5hrs 4 days a week at home for 2.5 months then I was asked if I wanted to do nocturnal. I knew it would be better for me, so I didn't mind. Been on nocturnal for 6 months and would highly recommend it for any home patient. However if I could, I would of stayed on PD.

[kevno]

Yes Capd was  the one for me, I felt 10x better than on Haemo but can never go back to CAPD. At the end CAPD did nearly kill me with (EPS) Will never get used to haemo. I just hate it so much. To many bad memories for when I was a child on haemo.

[Ginger]

I chose PD because I still have a bit of residual function and wanted to keep it as long as possible.
Keeps my body in a more even state.
I HATE needles.
Found a way to continue to go swimming!
Do not have time to sit on a machine for 4hrs 3x/wk (have to pee too much to sit still that long)
Know that I may have to do Hemo at some time hopefully in the far far future.
With PD, can still work my 4 day in a row schedule.
Ginger

[kitkatz]

I am on hemo and still work a five day regular work week.  My work schedule is 7 to 2 so it works out to go to dialysis from 3 to 7 for me.

Katherine

[kevno]

CAPD I still did a Six day week, had a special room at work to do my exchanges. If away and no time to get back. Did my exchange in the car.

[Rerun]

Kevno, I worked too and did my exchanges in my boss's office.  He would leave because he couldn't handle it.   

[kevno]

Thats one of the worst thing about Haemo. You are trapped on that manchine. At least on CAPD you feel a bit more independent. Boy do I hate Heamo

Kevno
( the HAEMO Hater )

[Panda_9]

I liked that about PD too. I sometimes did an exchange while I cooked dinner 

[Mrs. BF]

My husband chose PD for one reason. He is a huge needle-phobe. He also has chosen to do the manual exchanges over the cycler, due to the fact that he was in so much pain during the night time when hooked up to the cycler. He likes the control he has over the manual exchanges, this being the fact he can stop the drain when it begins to hurt. He compared the cycler to him being one of those capri sun juice drinks, like when you suck all the air out of the drink to get the last bit. He did the cycler for only 4 nights, this was enough for him to learn it wasn't for him. he currently does 5 manual exchanges 7 days a week. This works well for him.

[jdat]

I was put on dialysis in France in emergency with a catheter for almost 2 months starting jan-february 2005. I quickly understood that was not for me.

Then came the time to make decisions about a fistula or Pd. The first time I had heard about Pd several months before when I still lived in the US I thought heck no.
But when came the time to compare with haemo my decision was made .... also with a lot of pressuring from the hospital to go on PD ( I'm young independent blah blah I am an ideal candidate ). I only realized it later that the decision wasn't truly mine.

In the end being on PD I HATED IT. Yes I loved the fact I had more flexibility than on haemo ( changing session times here in France is a pain and you very rarely do it ... you don't "skip" like so many people seem to do in the US whenever they feel like it ).

I started with the manual exchanges 4 times a day and felt like my whole day was organized around that thing and bloody hated it.
Then I started the cycler .... now my nights were gone ( I love to go out late late late )!  I was never fully content with it but with time I guess I just stopped caring and realized that my life would be like this no matter what so I would just have to accept it.

Fast forward to a little over a month ago and the thought crossed my mind that one day I would have to go back on haemo for whatever reason ( me thinking it would be after I get in transplant and that kidney fails ... in many many many years ).
And what do I know, a week later I see the replacement nephrologist ( my regular nephro was gone on maternity leave ) for my monthly appointment and he tells me I have to go back on haemo. In the year and couple months I have been on PD the blood results barely improved if at all.

Now I have a tunneled catheter, go in 3 times a week and have some of my "liberty" back but now I want to sleep 95% of the time.

Ain't dialysis great???

[Bajanne]

Sho' is, honey!

[Panda_9]

Mrs. BF, what sort of cycler was your husband on?? I had one of the new gambro cyclers (was trying it out for a trial), and I had no pain with it. It can detect when the drain phase is complete (by flow rate), so it automatically goes into a fill. On the odd time it took too long to detect it, you can override it and put it into a fill.
When I went into hospital (which was often at the time  ) I was put on a Baxter cycler and OMG it was sooooo painful. As soon as it started draining it hurt like hell. And continued to hurt until a couple of hours after it finished draining and filling. I had to nag the sh*t out of the cranky night nurses to get me some pain releif. Which even that didnt really help, it just put me to sleep. From then on if I was admitted I took my own cycler in, which meant having to lug all the bags as well, which was a real pain. Plus it was added stress because my partner had to bring it all in, and he was working shift work at the time, and he wasnt happy doing it (which pi$$ed me off as well).
Thankfully now Im on hemo and I do everything myself, and if I go in hospital, all I take in with me is a couple of cannulas and some tape!

[Epoman]

Mrs. BF, what sort of cycler was your husband on?? I had one of the new gambro cyclers (was trying it out for a trial), and I had no pain with it. It can detect when the drain phase is complete (by flow rate), so it automatically goes into a fill. On the odd time it took too long to detect it, you can override it and put it into a fill.
When I went into hospital (which was often at the time  ) I was put on a Baxter cycler and OMG it was sooooo painful. As soon as it started draining it hurt like hell. And continued to hurt until a couple of hours after it finished draining and filling. I had to nag the sh*t out of the cranky night nurses to get me some pain releif. Which even that didnt really help, it just put me to sleep. From then on if I was admitted I took my own cycler in, which meant having to lug all the bags as well, which was a real pain. Plus it was added stress because my partner had to bring it all in, and he was working shift work at the time, and he wasnt happy doing it (which pi$$ed me off as well).
Thankfully now Im on hemo and I do everything myself, and if I go in hospital, all I take in with me is a couple of cannulas and some tape!

 

[Panda_9]

Oh dont get me started on that Epoman LOL

[tlove]

HOME HMO HOCTURNAL IT IS SUPPOSE TO BE BETTER FOR YOU AND LESS STRESS ON THE HEART

[Epoman]

HOME HMO HOCTURNAL IT IS SUPPOSE TO BE BETTER FOR YOU AND LESS STRESS ON THE HEART

I never heard of HMO HOCTURNAL is it some new treatment? Sounds interesting.

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=411.0

 

- Epoman