My first dialysis experience...

[carol1987]

 I started Dialysis last Wednesday 10/6 in the hospital and it went really well!!

There were 5 nurses and my nephrologist in the room when I started so there were lots of distractions. I had read about the emla cream online and had it on.  The Nurse placed both needles in my fistula without any difficulty and i was on the machine before I even knew it!   They ran the machine at a slow speed 200 to start and there was some concern that my pressures were running high. the session was only 2 hours  and it was uneventful. 
I stayed overnight and had a second session the next day a tad faster speed and longer.... still  fine except for the pressure, so I had to stay a second night and get a fistulagram in the AM.   

During the fistulagram, the doctor  found one spot that he ballooned and we hoped that would do the trick!  My fistula is a bit deep and my vascular surgeon thought we may have to operate to raise it to the surface if the ballooning did not work.

Went right to dialysis and did not have to get cannulated as the Doctor had left in the access he used for the fistualgram.  The pressure was perfect  and we got the speed up to 350 for 3 hours.
They did not take much water off me  and there were only two alarms... one was about air and  thanks to info found here I did not Freak out  the other was my blood pressure dropping and the nurse added some saline.

I go tomorrow morning to the Center  for the first time....  and have to get some things together today.( Blanket ,pillow, portable dvd player)  Hopefully they can access my fistula as easily as they did in the Hospital!!  If they have a problem because of the depth/angle we may stlil have to do the operation to raise it closer  to the surface.

I felt so good yesterday I could not believe it , we went apple picking, then to the beach and played mini-golf!!!
I know there will be good days and bad days  and I am really appreciating the good days!!!

[Hazmat35]

Hey Carol1987;

Good luck!  My Fistula is rather deep, also, and when I first started, they had a heck of a time trying to hit it.  But, what my nurses did was order the LONGER needles for me.  They are about 1 1/2 inches long.  Now they all know that it is deep and with the longer needles, they have NO issues at all. 

I use the cream as well.  I put it on at LEAST 1 1/2 hours before i go in to the center.  I cover it up with a piece of plastic wrap and some medical adhesive tape to keep it in place. 

When I get a new Tech or a "fill-in" from my regular nurse, I have to tell them that it is deep.  Most of them are use to only pushing so far, and so deep, so let them know.  It might also help if your Surgeon can send them a drawing of where your Fistula is, with the depths.  Mine did, and it made all the difference in the world! 

Good luck! 

[carol1987]

Thanks Hazmat!!   

[RichardMEL]

wonderful news! Hoping things continue along this way for you and all goes smnoothly!

 

[carol1987]

Thanks Richard... you have been so helpful!!! 

[boswife]

i too hope it continues on this 'smooth' path  .  Hubby's has     so we have a pretty good outlook on the whole thing being a 'good' experience.   Will love to hear how ya do in center :-)

[MooseMom]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this!  It is so helpful hearing about a not-too-horrible experience.  I'm really very happy it went so well; I can't believe you felt so well afterwards!  That's brilliant!  Really, you've made my day!  Congrats!

[Riki]

in my fistula, where they go for the venous access is deeper than the arterial.  I travel, so I always tell whoever is needling me this, and they have no problems, even if they've never needled me before.  In NYC, the same tech put my needles in at each session.  The only other place I've traveled is Ottawa, and I only had one session there

[Rerun]

Great Carol, I'm glad it went well.  What did the vascular surgeon leave in your arm after the fistulagram that they could still use for dialysis?

I got lost there. 

Best of luck.         

[carol1987]

sorry rerun....  i really don't know... i was kind of out of it.  i do have an in with the department since my sister is a nurse there and she told them i  was going right up to dialysis... I think the vasc doc used one for the procedure and placed the other specifically for the dialysis.
I saw them when they came out.. they were the same length as the needles... a bit thicker and looked like white plastic...

My sis is not home or i would call and find out what they are right now....  I will ask her tomorrow!

[Bruno]

Excuse me for asking, but what is the cream you are talking about and what is its purpose?
I'm really happy that it is working out for you, I think you can easily forget how good dialysis can make you feel.

[natnnnat]

Wow Carol, I'm so glad to hear it went well for you!  Apple picking, beach and minigolf, that's what you want to hear isn't it.  Here's to more of the same!   

[carol1987]

Bruno... it is a topical anesthetic, emla must be a brand name , mine is Lidocaine and Prilocaine cream.   I hardly feel the needle sticks ....

[Riki]

yes.  Emla is the brand name.  You put it on about an hour beforehand and it freezes the skin so you don't feel the needle going in.  I cover it with tegaderm that the nurses at the dialysis unit were nice enough to give me, cuz them things are expensive, but some people use plastic wrap and tape to cover it.  I have a hard time wrangling plastic wrap by myself, so I prefer the tegaderm. *G*  Also, if your sites are close together, like mine, or you only use one needle, you can get it in a patch.  It's much easier to work with, and it does the same thing.

[jp]

hi carol1987....so you have just started dialysis this month??? and you have a fistulagram??? is that like some plastic inside the arm??? well im glad it all went good for you, lets hope it keeps going like that....

[carol1987]

Hi JP... yep just started. 
I have a fistula in my right arm  , that is when they join a vein and artery and the vein expands to become an access for dialysis, nothing plastic.    The fistulagram is a procedure where a vascular surgeon goes in and can expand the fistula  and help it work better  .

I had an infiltration yesterday.... so there will be some bumps in the road....

[jp]

oh well i think thats what i have but on my left arm.....yeah the infiltration they told me it would get all bruised up, but for some reason when it happened to me it didnt, it just hurt really bad...but lets hope it gets better..