husbands arm swelled up like Pop Eye during dialysis

[smokinbeaver]

Been a while since I've written anything on here. My husband has been on dialysis, in a Fresenius Center since last April. The cathether is still in his chest. In Dec they started trying to use his new fistula. Sometimes they get it, sometimes not and they switch to the catheter, or use both. The Kidney Dr said the fistula had branches and he had surgery to remove them (just a couple). The Dr said it is deep, but should be fine to use. If it needs anything else, he is not capable to do it, and the surgeon has since left to work elsewhere. Theres a Nurse and Tech at the center who can get it hooked up with both needles, no problem. Today one of the lady nurses hooked him up and infiltrated it. Wondering if she stuck the needle all the way through, because Jon's arm was swelling up like Pop Eye. First thing she did was put a tourniquet on it. Could have made it worse. Jon had them just switch to the catheter. So I guess the swelling is blood and fluide pooled up in his forearm and it hurts like hell. Now I have to worry what to do, how to help him, what to watch for, and wonder whether we should go to the ER. We've had a lousy morning already, because he must have hit a vein giving himself insulin because his sugar dropped very quickly afterward. We spent a while giving him orange juice and food till his blood sugar went up to 70 so he could drive himmself to the dialysis center.

Sharon

[KatieV]

I just had an infiltration too.  I was told to put ice on it the first day to reduce swelling.  The next day to use hot compresses as that will help dissolve the bruising.

[Sydnee]

It took Ed's arm a couple of weeks to stop hurting after they infiltrated his fistula.

Those first weeks/months during the switch over from catheter to fistula were hard to watch Ed go through. Every time he went in I worried they would hurt him.  All us loved ones feel this way I'm sure, so hugs to you.

Have your husband request only those 2 that can get into his fistula without hurting him be the ones that start him up. That's what Ed ended up doing.

Hope it goes better next time.
How is his blood sugar now?

[Speedy1wrc]

I've had a bunch of infiltrations and they hurt like the dickens. I have quite a large aneurism so it's a wonder wjy. Actually I know why, and in my case it's a tech hurrying to get it done to move on to the next person.

It'll be painfull to the touch for the forst couple days then it will get sore. It'll also bruise over a very large area. That could take a week or two to go away.

Cold the first day then heat for maybe up to a week?

[Frances42]

Some of these tech's are better than others, my husband has had to have his fistula raised because it was to deep. He comes right out and tells the head nurse not to give him to one of the tech's that seems to hurt every patient at one time or another.
Hope all goes better.

[smokinbeaver]

His fistula is deep, but the surgeon has said that theres nothing else he can do for him. On top of that, the vascular surgeon has left, and there is no one else to do any these kinds of surgeries. The entire bottom half of his arm is one big dark purple bruise from his wrist, almost to his underarm. It hurts quite a bit, and still swollen some. I am waiting to hear what anyone says to him about it at dialysis today.

Sharon