Itchy HD catheter bandages

[RightSide]

In this heat wave we're having in the Northeast, I perspire quite heavily.  And as a result, the skin around my HD catheter site gets sweaty, and the bandage over the site itches like mad.  I can't wait till my next dialysis session when they clean the area and change the bandage.

Is it OK for me to change the bandage myself if it gets too itchy?  I've got masks, gloves, Tegaderm, most of the supplies that the dialysis center uses when changing the catheter bandage.

Do other folks have this problem? 

[mikey07840]

I have the same itching problem. I don't know if we can change our own dressings. I have all the same stuff from when I did PD.

[peleroja]

Never had the problem, but I see no reason why you can't change the bandage yourself.  I always had a problem with Tegaderm, so my nurse used an island dressing instead.  For some reason the adhesive was much more gentler on my skin.

[YLGuy]

Mine seemed to always itch and I loved when they changed the bandage.  There was one nurse who cleaned it extra good and man that felt great.  I would gently tap on it to relieve the itch.  I never changed it myself for the obvious reason that I was paranoid about infection.  Before I left the hospital I got a blood infection and they thought it was the catheter.  I had to go back into surgery for them to remove the catheter and replace it. No fun.  I still have a scab where the hole was on my chest so it has not been that long since it was removed.  I feel your itch!

[Rann]

Nurses in the pd unit changed the bandage everytime we went in during the pd home training sessions. Then I was told to change the bandage every day. I glove up, mask up and take off the old bandage. Then I reglove and clean the site, dry the site, put some ointment they prescribed around the site and then bandage it with gauze and paper tape. The hardest part is putting tape on the gauze with gloves on...my fingers just keep gettting stuck.

[keefbeer]

You have touched on the best thing about HD. I have used a neckline since my fourth fistula collapsed 5 months ago and I also suffer with the itch compounded by the bear like consistency of chest hair and shaven bald spots of my chest and "moob".
I cannot wait for those cool pieces of disinfected swabs washing my chest followed by the gentle rubbing of cotton towel. In my current health condition it brings back feelings and memories more associated with Lap Dancing bars.

[rocker]

One thing DH found useful was adhesive remover.  We bought a box of "Remove" in individual packages.  He would take one to the unit with him, and when they changed the bandage he would hand them the wipe and they would take off the old adhesive before rebandaging.

He would sometimes change the bandage himself if it looked dirty...just took off the dressing, cleaned the area carefully with Betadine, sometimes a little Neosporin at the entry, and rebandage with a newly-opened gauze and tape.

[RightSide]

You have touched on the best thing about HD. I have used a neckline since my fourth fistula collapsed 5 months ago and I also suffer with the itch compounded by the bear like consistency of chest hair and shaven bald spots of my chest and "moob".
I cannot wait for those cool pieces of disinfected swabs washing my chest followed by the gentle rubbing of cotton towel. In my current health condition it brings back feelings and memories more associated with Lap Dancing bars.

You must have different looking nurses and techs in your Dialysis Center than I do.   

When my techs swab my chest, it brings back feelings and memories of being licked by an animal at the zoo:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3491815571_f6f1cc00c6.jpg