Phlebotamist?

[mysty]

So in going thru our community college website for my son getting fees and registrations and stuff.. I was curious.

I never quite finished college. I was going for a 4 year RN degree when in the beginning of my 3rd year the whole AIDS thing came up and being stupid or not fully informed yet in the medical community what and how it was transmitted.....I quit.

So.. I was looking thru medical classes and such..they have a phlebotimist vocational thing.
I checked thru it and it's do-able for me.

I'm thinking about it for two reasons:

1) Once I retire from the Postal Service and start collecting my Civil Service retirement.. I still have to do my quarters for social security.

2) If Keith wishes in the future to do home dialysis..... wont this prepare me to better able to do this for him?

Just curious if I do this will it not benefit him as well.

I would like to know.. if.. this is the correct route to go to be able to.

[del]

To help Keith do home dialysis you need no training other than the way you are trained at the dialysis center when he is trained for home hemo..  I am a teacher and I am my husband's partner for nocturnal home hemo dialysis.  I had never stuck a needle in anyone in my life before this!!!   We do our own bloodwork and spin it in the centrifuge(spelling) before we take it to the hospital in the morning. Home hemo is the way to go if you can. So much more freedom!!   If it is something you want to do though by all means go for it. Never hurts to be have more education and more options in your liife.

[kellyt]

Del, truthfully how difficult was it to learn how to do the sticks?  If I have to go on long-term dialysis I think I want to look into this option.  I'm going to visit a dialyiss center tomorrow morning.

[mysty]

Ok.. so they do train you...but will you know when you do something wrong too and what to do?
Only reason I'm worried is you here all sorts of little horror stories about the techs at the center..
If I can't do it right.. then whats the point...

Do fill us in...for his comfort and if its the way to go.. i'll do anything

[kidney4traci]

Sticks are NOT hard to do.  Actually I think it is easier to do on yourself, you can really feel the cannulation and know where you are once you get used to it.  The first few times are a bit difficult, especially if you are learning to buttonhole because you are trying to get the angel right each time to establish a track.  But it is a fear that many have that I think is just so easy to get over.  I personally hate to go and have anyone stick me for anything else because I am so used to doing it myself now.  You can start practicing on a tube now if you want to feel the pressure of the stick, but I never even did that.  Just like jumping off a high dive for the first time, you are scared but you're there, just jump!

[jbeany]

They will train you, and it's not hard to learn.  It's more of mental hurdle than anything - being afraid to screw up or hurt someone.  Plus, if you are training just for Keith's home hemo, you only have to learn how to stick his particular access.  It's not like you need to learn how to deal with dozens of new patients every day.

However, if you want to learn and can possibly use it as a job opportunity, why not?  I think the world could use a few more techs who have a clue about dialysis patients!

[petey]

Before home hemo, I had never held a needle in my hand -- much less stuck it in someone else.  Now, since late July, I have been the ONLY one to cannulate Marvin's access.  I'm a teacher (and never wanted to be a nurse), but it was relatively easy for me to learn (three weeks of training).  However, I have an excellent "partner" -- my Marvin had watched every single thing that was done to him in the 12 1/2 years he was in-center and he knew exactly what should be done for a treatment.  He also knew how to handle any problems that came up during a treatment.  When something happens that's not supposed to happen, Marvin talks me through fixing it.  He is the dialysis expert in our house, and I've learned an awful lot from him.  In our book, home hemo is the way to go!!!  We love it!

[lola]

Mysty, I was told if Otto decides to do home hemo they will train us. PS give My Keefy a

[mysty]

Mysty, I was told if Otto decides to do home hemo they will train us. PS give My Keefy a

You bet!!!


Okay.. not a mental hurdle at all..just want to do it right.. but.. heck I can learn just like the rest of you..

And like Marvin.. Keith should be able to say... whoooooaaa!!!!!!  lol.. *wicked grins*

[del]

Not difficult at al to learn how to do the sticks.  I cannulate hubby all the time.  He can do it himself but lets me do it!!!  Some people say it is easier to cannulate yourself especially with buttonholes because they can feel the buttonhole better. As for making mistakes or doing something wrong we had done just about everything now.  There are so many whistles and bells and alarms on the machine that it is very unlikely thAT YOUR MISTAKE IS GOING TO CAUSE A PROBLEM. We have hooked up the lines wrong when we connected nothing happened only couldn't get any pump speed.  Figured ut what we had done and fixed it!!  No damage done.  forgot to turn on heparin. Saw clot in line at the end of treatment . No damage. Forgot to put in heparin program but turned the heparin on.  Clotted out with an hr of dialysis left.  No prob.  Lost an hour and a little blood . no big deal.  learn as you go.  If you make a mistake once usually learn your lesson and won't do it again.  Most places ( here in Canada ) anyway have techs (people who fix the machne) on call .  Sometimes they can help you fix the prob over the phone. If worse come sto worse and can't get the problem fixed.  Unhook from the machine and do treatment the next day after the problem is figured out and fixed.  You are trained in what to do in all sorts of emergencies. Power utages are an easy one. Just wash back manually.  We were told if it was stormy and we we afraid we were going to lose the power not to hook up wait until the next night. training is petty intentive. WE spend 5 weeks (Fresenius machine)  Training nurse was sure that we knew hhow to do everything before we could come home. Had to sleep at the hspital for 3 nights doing treatments with her there before we could come home.   The main thing is that everything needs to be clean.

Nothing like home hemo especially nocturnal.  Have all your waking time free and blood work is perfect. Hubby phos now is even a little too low!!!  Needs to eat more phos!!  Quite different than in center when he had to restrict everything and take binders. No binders now.  Can also eat loads of potassium!!!
Creatine was always over 1000 in center. around 400 now when he hooks to the machne and 150 when he comes off!!! Fantastic

[skyedogrocks]

I give my hat off to anyone who can cannulate, let alone cannulate someone on dialysis  .  I cannot do this for Rob, I am way too afraid of infiltration.  Rob isn't too keen on my doing this either. 

[mysty]

Well at the moment Keith goes 3x week..
When he moves down here and after he settles in..
We are considering it..
I can't approach it with fear and he has to trust me..
plus from all I've read.. they fully train you..
I won't touch him unless I'm darn sure of what I'm doing..

Plus .. my understanding is.. that at in center.. they reuse 29 times
where as at home.. its one time use only..
So.. the blood is less watery.. and the hep need is much less which will
be sooo much better for him.

Hey.. I'll do anything if it makes him feel better...I'll get over any fears and do
what needs doing.  Again.. that's us and every couple approaches things
in ways that work for them.. there is no right or wrong way.. just your way.

[kitkatz]

You do realize that he can refuse reuse at the center.  I have had to refuse it because I am allergic to the renalyn or the fiber sin reuse kidneys.  My center used to have to keep a special box of dialyzers just for little old me! 

[mysty]

Oh reaallly?  Well.. he won't be at that center much longer....
We'll start fresh when he move's down here and get him a new neph as well..
till we get him set up at home..

Hmmmm i'm sooo glad I've made all these wonderful friends here..you all are soo
wickedly wonderful!!!

[David13]

The technique for sticking a fistula or graft is much different than the techniques used in phelbotomy.  Although I don't think it ever hurts to gain knowledge and to learn a new skill, I am not so sure it will benefit you in doing the sticks required in performing dialysis if that is your goal.