I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Pre-Dialysis => Topic started by: DomJDavis1985 on February 27, 2011, 07:07:55 PM
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can some of u who have Fistulas if u don't mind post some pics....i have been reading online for days and kinda of have an idea in my mind as to how it will look but am thinking that maybe i have the wrong idea...any models??? don't be shy
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Here ya go Dom...I think my upper arm left fistula looks worse in pics then in reality but you be the judge enjoy!!
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yeah I posted pics!
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thank you so much...when no one had responded for weeks i felt that maybe i had asked a rude question, lol..i am still kinda new to this Kidney Disease thing so i still don't know whats the etiquette on questions to ask and not to ask...but thanks for the pictures..the fistula doesn't look bad at all..just kinda looks like a mosquito bump or bee sting...i was under the impression that they were way bigger and noticeable
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well I use the buttonhole technque. so the 2 needles go in the EXACT same place everytime. I do have many veins all over my arm though that I don't think you can see very well. I don't think it was a rude question at all...happy to help!! :)
xo,
R
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my fistula is ugly lol
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I won't call it ugly - just used. :rofl;
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i had a teenage girl tell me it looked like an alien baby! lol
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(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b325/buckdropper/fistula1-1.jpg)
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My husband's fistula looks like a bruise. The scars are worse, but could be treated with Retin A. Over a few years, the surgical scar would fade. I would never do more than a pea size amount on my whole face.
Button holes and self sticking are the way to go. Also, avoid getting your blood pressure too low. We lost the fistula on his wrist to clots.
We were told that plastic surgery can be performed to remove the bumps after you transplant. I have been told that AV Grafts are more prone to lumps and bumps.
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This is my fistula after 8 weeks of haemo.
Even though I am normally on PD, my neph insisted I have a fistula 'as a back-up' and I had one about three months before I started PD.
The first fistula was created in my lower arm and was never a real success, even after the surgeon tried widening it. When I needed to use it, it didn't have enough flow, so hence the one in my upper arm.
(My granddaughter feels and listens to 'the thrill' and I tell her it is Granma's magic - which it is. It's my lifeline.
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wow it is amazing how different all the different fistulas looks....i am guessing that the longer you are don dialysis and use the fistula the larger it gets????? correct me if i am wrong....right now i am using a temp chest catheter..but i am sure that in the next few months (i have been using it now for a month and a half) that i will have to get rid of that and go to a fistula...i am kind of nervous and hesitant about that because 1)that means its NEEDLE TIME....with the catheters there are no needles involved and 2) i have to get the Fistula....which i don't really care about the looks..i just really don't want it to be that noticeable...its not that i am ashamed of this disease because i am not...but i am not ready for all the questions that i am gonna get...for now unless it comes to making sure i am sticking to my diet, i try to only think about dialysis for the 4 and a half hours i am stuck to the chair..when i leave dialysis and go to work, school,and out with my friends i honestly don't want any reminders of it..its easy to cover the chest catheter up with a tshirt....not so easy to cover up the fistula...but oh well..... :rant;
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there is a woman in my clinic thats been on d for 11 years with a cath... she refuses the fistula, but its not recomended
i wear tank tops, people stare, peeople make faces, i dont care, its saving my life lol
my son even drew a pic of me, complete with a funky arm LOL it was cute...
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Here is a little video of me self-cannulating my fistula. I have buttonholes as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4-u04Jh3XM
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BTW, not rude at all.
I have been on dialysis coming up on 2 years now.
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YLG, that is so cool. I must have a go.
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Awesome video, Marc! You make it look so easy!
I have to say tht I never, ever let go of Carl's lines during hook up until they were taped down. :bow;
If I had let loose of the arterial line like you did, we would have had a blood bath! :rofl; :rofl;
Aleta
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Normally the tech tapes them down immediately but she was taking the video! :pics; :urcrazy; :rofl;
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Marc..... you mean you dont tape your own needles down..... gee whiz......
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I just really like to see these pictures, as I am Pre-D now. And, I dont really know what to expect. Thank you all for posting. I did see Marcs and he was gracious enough to let me feel it too. * No nasty cracks here ) His is barely noticeable. Rsudock if that avatar is your face, who in the hell would care what your arm looked like anyways. But, anyways, the more informed you are, I think, the better things will be for you.
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You crack me up, Jean! :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
Felt up Marc, did you?
:clap;
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What can I say...I'm easy. :rofl;
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there is a woman in my clinic thats been on d for 11 years with a cath... she refuses the fistula, but its not recomended
i wear tank tops, people stare, peeople make faces, i dont care, its saving my life lol
my son even drew a pic of me, complete with a funky arm LOL it was cute...
11 years with a cath? wow...was it the same cath or has she had it replaced several times??
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im not sure, but probably replaced some, but idk, if i get a chance to ask her, ill let u know!
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Rsudock if that avatar is your face, who in the hell would care what your arm looked like anyways.
aw Jean that was sweet! Thank you! With all the crap I have had and will deal with thank goodness one thing I have is my looks! When that goes I will totally be screwed. :rofl;
Dom I think it is safe to say that the longer you use the fistula the more likely it is to get lumpy and bumpy. I would be interested in our other members who have been on D using a fistula a long time, posting pics of their fistulas.
At first no one ever noticed my arm...now that I use it for D many people notice it, but the only people brave enough to ask me about it are the kids I tutor.
xo,
R
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I know a lady whose fistula looks like a bee stung her, and like the beesting happened maybe a week ago. Just a red mark, that's it.
She's in her first 6 months on dialysis though, so maybe later it will get bigger. Actually I wonder how she even gets the needles in.
Like, how would she find the right spot, you know? She does home dialysis so she does it herself.
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It took 3 operations to get this, but it's a keeper. I'm very proud of it, and I show it off as much as possible. If anyone's looking I pretend not to notice. I keep hoping someone will ask me about it but none have so far.
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now thats what i call an arm hehe
maybe they dont ask because they arent looking at the fistula they looking at those muscles ;)