Need help deciding hemo or PD

[RightSide]

For me, the decision was simple.

I don't want ANY catheters stuck into my body.  To me, an indwelling catheter (of any type) plus time equals infection.

I had a urinary tract catheter for a while once, and I developed a nasty Pseudomonas infection that was resistant to all the usual oral antibiotics. 

I'm allergic to the penicillins, the cephalosporins and possibly the clindamycins too.  Hence if I get a life-threatening infection, there aren't a lot of antibiotics left they could give me.  (For the aforementioned Pseudomonas infection, they finally gave me IV imipenem.)

There are just too many horror stories on IHD about peritonitis, which can be life-threatening.

So I decided to go with hemo; and I'm doing whatever I can (four surgeries so far) to get a working fistula, after which I can kiss this hemo catheter goodbye.

I told my Social Worker that win, lose or draw, the fistula is where I will make my last stand in life, after they remove the hemo catheter.  Even if the fistula should fail (and roughly half of them do within the first six months of use), I will never let them put another catheter into me.

[jennyc]

Hi Calypso,

If you feel better on PD give it a go again. There are so many positive points to PD. I am going to miss them on hemo but at least i'll be doing it at home so i'll be able to maintain most of the independance i've gained with pd (in my state in Oz you have to be completely independant to do hhd, your partner is only allowed in the last week to adapt to the machine. I have to be the one to set up and cannulate). I will miss just being able to pack up for a week and travel. The only thing I can't do with PD is swim or take a bath (I can just takes a bit of extra prep, even then....don't want to risk it)

If you've had 6/7 good years on PD with few peritonitis bouts then it is obviously a good option for your body.

I start HHD hopefully in December. Once i'm over training i'll let you know how i go with the transition. I chose HHD so that i could still be in charge of my treatments and dialyse more often than 3x weekly.

But with infection on PD, i think it really depends on your body. If your prone to infection I don't think PD is a good option. I have a pretty strong immune system, even now. I'm the last one in the house to get sick and even then i don't usually seem to get it as bad as the ox's in my house, though it does wear me down quicker. Never had peritonitis (knock wood.....).

[Ken Shelmerdine]

ok what is a tessio cathater? Is it the same thing as a perm cath?

It's a permacath. Just different terms for different countries.

[calypso]

ok what is a tessio cathater? Is it the same thing as a perm cath?

It's a permacath. Just different terms for different countries.

Don't know why it's called a permacath, there's nothing permanent about it!

[MissyKew]

I had no choice as to what kind of dialysis I was going to have.  Right from the start the doc talked about getting a fistula and doing hemo.  I do in center treatment.  I have thought about in home and I know myself and that I would get depressed and slack.  I am very good, even with depression, being able to get someplace I need to be on time.  PD was never mentioned to me.  maybe because I am not a small person.  Sometimes I fel like I have been thrown into a forgein country without a translation book.

Calypso...do what is best for you.