Extension lines for PD

[goofynina]

Has anyone ever used 2 patient extension lines with the cycler?  12 feet has given me more freedom but i think 24 feet would be so much better...

[Ginger]

Nina,
I get 22ft total with one extension line and was told that the machine could not handle more than one. I can double the drain lines but not the patient extension.  What machine do you use? Mine is the Baxter Homechoice. If you use the Fresenius one, could you use a longer extension cord?  With the Baxter model, could you put it on a rolling table with a longer extension cord to give yourself more room to wander? Just some ideas. Another idea if you want to get farther away from the machine--why don't you just disconnect after the first fill and then reconnect just before the first drain time.    Ginger

[MiSSis]

Has anyone ever used 2 patient extension lines with the cycler?  12 feet has given me more freedom but i think 24 feet would be so much better...

Nina,

I have a Fresenius PD+ cycler and use one 10' patient line extension along with 2 multiple tubing segment sets each night.  I have a longer than normal prescription for my dialysis since I've had peritonitis a couple of times in the past and am a slow exchanger because of the scarring which resulted.  I do 6 exchanges every night, each with a 1 hr 15 min dwell.  My entire dialysis will take at least 13 hours so there's no way I can stay in bed that long!  By using the MTS sets, I get 2 extra snap-disconnects each so I'm able to disconnect several times during my long dwells.  I usually spend about 9 hrs hooked up while sleeping but the rest of the time I'm free. 

My husband and I have traveled quite a bit while I've been on PD and I don't always know how far the bathrooms will be from me in those cases so I always take extra  10' extensions along when we travel.  And I have hooked up two before in order to be able to reach.  The only problem that I've encountered is that it takes a little more fluid to prime the lines so my last fill might not total 2000cc exactly but I've only been short maybe 30cc or so.  Not enough to make much of a difference in the long run.

I too love the extra freedom the longer patient line gives me.  I can reach anywhere in my bedroom, bathroom or closet and am not so confined as I'd be without it.

[Ohio Buckeye]

I've been on the Baxter for a week and I have no extension line of any kind.
I can't even get into the bathroom. I don't have a drain line but drain into a drain bag.
What kind of extension lines are available for the patient line?  Do you call Baxter to
get one or just ask dialysis nurse about it? 

[Ohio Buckeye]

Also, how do you disconnect and go back on?
Do you have to do anything with the cycler or just unhook, check time left
on dwell and get back on before the drain starts?  Just put a flexicap on the
patient line until you hook back up?  I haven't tried that yet.

[Hephs-little-lady]

I've been on the Baxter for a week and I have no extension line of any kind.
I can't even get into the bathroom. I don't have a drain line but drain into a drain bag.
What kind of extension lines are available for the patient line? Do you call Baxter to
get one or just ask dialysis nurse about it?

My Husband Heph is on the Baxter homechoice cycler and he had to ask the nurse at the unit and have the extension lines put on his prescription which they send to baxter, he did call baxter and ask for them but was told the nurses had to request them. That is in the UK though. He has drain bags too!

[goofynina]

O.B,  your PD nurse needs to prescribe it for you, she/he needs to call baxter and add it but you really should tell that PD nurse that you cant reach the bathroom and she should have no problem ordering it for you,  it is a 12' extension line and i love it and as far as the other question you asked regarding the disconnecting, i know (but havent done it yet cuz i havent had the need to)  at the beginning of the dwell time, you hit stop, disconnect with mini cap on you, flexicap on machine and then i believe you hit start again so the dwell time can run,  right before your dwell time is up, you need to stop the machine, reconnect then start up again and it should drain and so forth, at least that was to my understanding,  if you see anything wrong with what i have just said please let me know so i dont continue to give the wrong advice to others, i appreciate it   good luck to ya...

[MiSSis]

I use a Fresenius machine and supplies and am not familiar with Baxter.  I do know that when I first came home, I also didn't have the additional extension lines and also didn't know how to disconnect during my treatment or if it was even possible.  Only by discussing my needs and wants with my dialysis nurse was I able to get the supplies I needed.  Hopefully your nurse will be as understanding and helpful as mine was.  Even though she wasn't able to answer my questions initially, she took the time to make a few phone calls to find the answers we needed. 

[goofynina]

Please dont get me wrong, my PD nurse is the most awesome lady (shout out to Lori, HOLLA) lol,  (i watch too much Ellen)  if it wasnt for her, i honestly believe i would be in hemo instead of doing PD,  we had so many complications in the beginning but she really took her time with me and didnt give up for one second and i am so very glad she didnt. 

[angieskidney]

I use a Fresenius machine and supplies and am not familiar with Baxter.  I do know that when I first came home, I also didn't have the additional extension lines and also didn't know how to disconnect during my treatment or if it was even possible.  

With the Fresenius IQ Cycler there is 1 emergency quick connect. Other than that, I never heard of extension lines for Fresenius. I figured that was just a Baxter thing.

I had wished there were more quick connect things on the line but there was only one (on Fresenius)

[MiSSis]

I use a Fresenius machine and supplies and am not familiar with Baxter.  I do know that when I first came home, I also didn't have the additional extension lines and also didn't know how to disconnect during my treatment or if it was even possible.  

With the Fresenius IQ Cycler there is 1 emergency quick connect. Other than that, I never heard of extension lines for Fresenius. I figured that was just a Baxter thing.

I had wished there were more quick connect things on the line but there was only one (on Fresenius)

Fresenius does have what are called Multiple Tubing Segment Sets.  These have either two or four providone-iodine gel connectors and Snap Disconnects per set.  I use either one of two of these each night depending upon how early I start my treatment.  It gives me the ability to unhook while my machine is either in Pause or Dwell mode.  It's a great feature that I use a lot because I have a pretty long prescription for my dialysis (about 13 hrs total).

[angieskidney]

I use a Fresenius machine and supplies and am not familiar with Baxter.  I do know that when I first came home, I also didn't have the additional extension lines and also didn't know how to disconnect during my treatment or if it was even possible.  

With the Fresenius IQ Cycler there is 1 emergency quick connect. Other than that, I never heard of extension lines for Fresenius. I figured that was just a Baxter thing.

I had wished there were more quick connect things on the line but there was only one (on Fresenius)

Fresenius does have what are called Multiple Tubing Segment Sets.  These have either two or four providone-iodine gel connectors and Snap Disconnects per set.  I use either one of two of these each night depending upon how early I start my treatment.  It gives me the ability to unhook while my machine is either in Pause or Dwell mode.  It's a great feature that I use a lot because I have a pretty long prescription for my dialysis (about 13 hrs total).

Ya the snap disconnects were great but they didn't give me anything to be able to do additional disconnects. What a pain in the @$$ when I was having the runs all night