I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: kellyt on January 27, 2009, 06:03:35 PM
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I went out into my garage this afternoon to get a drink out of the fridge and when I was coming back in I slipped on some clothes and fell! I landed on my left hip, but my left arm - MY FISTULA ARM - hit hard on a wooden dowel from the clothes bin. Thank God I didn't damage the fistula - even though it's not currently working - but it put a hole in my arm that required multiple stitches and 2.5 hours in the ER. Also, where the hole is is exactly where the "buzz" was when my fistula was working. I'm going to see my vascular surgeon in about 9-10 days and he will take out my stitches and do a sonogram on the fistula to make sure there's no damage there. I have no tingling or numbness in my arm, so I'm pretty sure I'm okay. I'll be watching the area closely.
I was/am so mad! How stupid this would have been if it had hit the fistula and I had bled out before getting to the ER. OR, if I had landed differently and damaged my new kidney! Slipping on clothes in the garage! WTH? It goes to show you just don't know. After a year+ of protecting this arm day and night... I'm just furious. Thankful, but furious!
The photo isn't great, but you get the idea.
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:cuddle; Ouch Kelly. That looks painful. Please take care of yourself and let us know what the doc says. :grouphug;
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The ER doc put a call into my post transplant doctor. I'll call him tomorrow, as I'm not scheduled to see him until mid Feb. I'm guessing he'll have me come in. Do you think he'll stop the CellCept for a while? They said something about CellCept slowing down healing for big injuries. I'm assuming this is "big". What do you think?
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Oh Kelly, I can't believe how bad your arm looks. I am sorry this happened. Things happen in a blink of an eye. It doesn't matter how careful you are, stupid stuff happens. Let us know what the transplant doctor says. It hurts just to look at the picture. :cuddle;
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Oh gosh Kelly! I cringed when I read your description! I hope everything will be fine with your fistula!
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Ouch! I hope nothing is wrong with it! :flower;
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Oh Lord Kelly...I just got cold chills. I hope and pray everything is alright. :grouphug;
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:o Yikes Kelly! That looks very painful! I hope they gave you some good pain meds. Keep us updated. :grouphug;
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I wish my husband would have taken a photo of the injury before they cleaned it and stitched me up. It literally looked like a gun shot wound! This gross, but there was fat coming out of the hole! It wasn't just a clean cut/puncture wound at all. It looked like it had been blasted open! Seriously It looked really gross, but fotunately didn't bleed a lot and the pain was, and still is, minimal. Maybe the lidocaine hasn't worn off yet. I still have some pain meds left over from transplant should I need them.
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Be careful girlfriend!
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Oh heavens Kelly. What a scare. It's so lucky you didn't get hurt worse but that's gotta be painful. :cuddle;
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Ouch that looks so painful - hope you heal quickly :grouphug;
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WOW that just looks like it hurts..... OUCH.... Take care of yourself and don't do anything with that arm.
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OMG
Can only imagine how scarey that had to be for ya
Please baby that arm, you have been thru enough,
wishing you well :flower;
Anne
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Dont beat yourself up over this Kelly.
This is why it is called an accident.
But Yikes it looks like and sounds like it hurt like a son of a *^$^&.
I pray all will turn out for the best.
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It's amazing that you cut yourself on THAT spot - what are the chances? If your fistula no longer works it's because it clotted off, and at this point there's nothing a vascular surgeon would do. Our transplant team said not to risk any chance of infection so they did NOT recommend fistulaplasty after the transplant. I hope you are on antibiotics after that cut, because with a suppressed immune system you need to be super cautious.
:cuddle; Poor girl!
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Fistula or not, that had to have Hurt! I Wish You a Speedy Recovery.
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I'm on Bactrim Mon, Wed and Fri. I'm wondering if my doctor will increase it for a while or not. I will see him soon. I'm also wondering if he'll either stop the CellCept or decrease it for a short time because it slows the healing process. It was mentioned to me early on during our "what if" session with the medication class.
I don't think the vascular surgeon is going to do anything to the fistula (like fistulaplasty). I think he's just going to make sure there's no unseen damage. It he does want to do something, I think I'll talk to my doctor first. I don't see a need for it unless it's going to hurt me to NOT do it. Right?
And you're right. The chance of hitting my arm in that exact spot boggled my mind. That is why I was so mad yesterday after it happened. Just a little to the left/right/up/down (whatever) could have been life altering literally! Gosh, do I need to install handrails all over my house? :rofl;
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Ouch Kelly that looks really nasty!! :cuddle;
Maybe hand rails are a good idea and a maid to do the washing! :cheer:
Take care of yourself!! xox
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Ouch. It looks like it hurts. Man becareful and make sure you keep it clean. I don't know about you but I have no problem getting infections.
But on a good note. At least you triped on something. I am so graceful I trip myself. Haha. I hope it dosn't take to long to heal.
Take care
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Wow giirrl... that hurts me just to look at it! Glad you are not in too much pain. maybe your'e protecting your kidney now and no longer your arm? JAT... Take care sweetie... and ake this time to be a princess and have others do things for you!!
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Kelly, today has been a "what if" day for me. What if ----- I don't know, but all day I have been so upset for you. Too many bad "what ifs". Put the drinks in kitchen refrigerator and don't go back in the garage! Please let others do things. I may have to go get Kitkatz and her big stick :Kit n Stik; and come down there to make you just sit and do nothing. I am worried about you :grouphug; :grouphug;
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Oh, thank you my Friend. I've been going through the "what if's" myself and it just frustrates me more. Slipping on clothes is just NOT the way I want to go, you know?
Love you! :cuddle;
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Kelly T. passed away quietly on her garage floor yesterday due to the laundry... :rofl;
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I think it may be a sign that you need to find a good Chinese Fluff-N-Fold!
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That was my big fear, Padd! My God, it would have been worse than Elvis's death on the toilet! :rofl;
"Slipped on dirty clothes, ripped her fistula and bled out."
and.....AND....the thing that ripped her fistula was the wooden dowel of the....wait for it.....laundry hamper!!!!! :stressed;
Actually, just to clarify - the clothes that were on the floor I had just taken out maybe 1/2 an hour before because they were going in the washer next! My hamper is pretty small.
I wonder if there are any Chinese Fluff and Folds in San Antonio? :waiting;
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Here you go----- http://www.myfivestarcleaners.com/_pages/locations.html Five Star Cleaners and Laundry. The will wash and fold and I think they deliver. Check it out. Maybe we need to take up a laundry collection for Kelly :2thumbsup;
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So sorry to read about your accident! You just take care of yourself, girlfriend! You are very important to us. :cuddle; Hope everything heals nicely and very soon!
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And people think riding motorcycles are dangerous... ;) glad you are OK. :cuddle;
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I always knew doing laundry was dangerous!
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In my case NOT doing laundry is dangerous! :rofl;
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I now have an excure for making my husband do the laundry! :bandance; :bandance; :bandance;