Getting a PD Catheter Soon...

[mallory]

Thanks for the messages, everyone!  I'm doing great.  I have to go back tomorrow to have the catheter checked, but it seems fine.  Kind of weird, but I guess that's to be expected.  I'll be doing CAPD until I'm trained, then I'm going to do CCPD.

Good luck, Fox_nc, hope everything goes as well for you as it has for me!

[imacrash]

Mallory,  I'm glad things are going good!  I had my cath placement on 11/17 and was home using the cycler by 11/22!!  I was a fast learner I guess and they felt comfy with me going home and doing it myself.  I still have lots of pain on my first drain and sometimes my last drain.  I hope you aren't having any pain.  I still rather be on hemo, but I have no choice and must be on PD.  Can't wait for a cadaver to show up....does that sound terrible?? I didn't mean it to.  Anyway, good luck!!  Happy New Year

[mallory]

imacrash, I just got my cycler on 12/26.  It's a lot better than doing all of the manual exchanges.  Would you really rather be on hemo?  I just started dialysis, so this is the only kind of dialysis I've ever done.  Did you used to have hemo?  Did you feel better?  I know what you mean about having pain on the first drain.  It was okay on manual, I guess because I could tell it was done draining so I stopped, but on the cycler I feel like it just keeps going and going, and it does hurt.  Yet, oddly enough, it doesn't seem to get out as much fluid as when I was doing it manually. 

I don't think it's bad at all to say you can't wait for a cadaver.  I am thankful for dialysis, but I'm looking at it as something to get me through until I can get a transplant, and that's what I'm hoping for.

I hope you're doing well, and I hope you have a great new year with a new kidney!

[froggy]

Glad to hear everything went well. I just got my pd catheter too, it has been over a week now and they still haven't flushed mine I go Wednesday I hope thats soon enough. After reading all the post I am nervous because you can see clotted blood in my catheter!!!!!!!   I was never told about any ointment. This will be my second time on PD and the cycler is the best option it frees up a lot of time. I lived on 7% kidney function for a year I was on a strict diet but I was fine. Everyone is different though.

[angela515]

mallory- If your having pain when you drain, heres what I suggest:

Do you only have this pain on the initial drain, or is it every drain?
    - If it's only the initial drain, that's normal, b/c you most likely absorbed some of your fluid, so your trying to empty more than is there. To fix this problem, all you need to do is bypass the initial drain once you drained as much as possible and when you notice no more is coming out and the pain starts, bypass it.
    - If your having this pain every drain, then you have your drain time set on too much and your trying to drain when there is nothing left to drain. To fix this problem , lower your drain time.

What do you mean your not getting as much out on the cycler as you were manually? Do you mean the initial drain? Or each drain?

Once I see your answer i can better offer a suggestion.


imacrash- I would also like to know why you would rather be on hemo, very intereting. Also, why cant you be on hemo?

[mallory]

Angela, Yes, it does seem like it's only on the initial drain.  Sometimes it's not bad, but sometimes it just keeps going and going and it does hurt.  I'll have to try the bypass, if I can figure out how to do it.  My cycler is a Baxter HomeChoice, so if anyone has ideas, let me know.

It does seem like it's not taking as much fluid off as I was getting on the manual exchanges.  I was doing four manual exchanges a day.  During the day I used 1500 ml. of 1.5% solution, and at night I used 1500 ml. of 2.5% solution.  I always got at least 200 ml. of extra fluid off, and sometimes up to 400 ml.

Now, with the cycler, I use 1.5% solution at night.  It goes for three cycles, and the dwell time is approximately 2 and a half hours.  Then it fills with 1500 ml. of 1.5% and I leave that until 5:00 when I get home from work, then I do one manual exchange with 1500 ml. of 2.5% solution.

With the manual exchanges, I was taking off between 800 and 1500 ml. of fluid per day.  Now, with the cycler, I get about 100 ml. on the manual drain I do at 5:00, approximately 200 ml. on the initial drain, and only about 125 ml. on the Total UF.  I asked my dialysis nurse about it when she called, but my weight isn't changing significantly and it doesn't appear that I'm retaining fluid, so she said not to worry about it.  But I did wonder about it, especially since I am gaining a little weight, even if it's only a little bit, nearly every day.

She did say that they are going to change my dialysis so that the last fill that I leave in all day will be 2.5% instead of 1.5%, maybe that will help.

Overall, I am doing really well.  I've only had the alarm go off three times, twice last night.  I think I must have rolled over on the tube.  Having the cycler is so much better than the manual exchanges.  It will just be good when I've been on it long enough to know what I'm doing, so I don't wonder about everything that happens.

[angela515]

mallory- I don't know how to use baxter machines, hopefully someone will chime in on how to bypass, on my machine I just have topress start twice to bypass.

Have you had a PET test done yet? Or do you have one scheduled yet? That will help more, b/c it tells you if your a high transporter or low transporter. I myself am a high transporter, which means the longer I dwell, the more fluid I absorb. So for me, I dwell 45 mins at a time. You dwell 2 1/2 hrs each time, thats a very long time to dwell, either they think your a low transporter, or you are... however, if they havent done the test yet to find out, you may be a high transporter, and your dwell time may need to be lowered, b/c you metioned your not draining as much and your gaining a little weight each day, that kinda makes me think you might be absorbing some of your fluid. Either that, or your just not using a strong enough solution to pull off the fluid. 1.5% usually ain't going to pull off hardly anything, if at all. Of course everyone is different and maybe 1.5 works for them, for me i don't use 1.5% ever, b/c it doesnt pull off anything for me, but thats just me.

So, If I was you, I would find out about the PET test, see if its been done, or is going to be done.. b/c you want to know what kind of transporter you are. Then you can adjust your dwell time as needed to work for you better. That sounds like the issue to me, but i'm no doctor. 

[froggy]

I used Baxter for 18 months but it has been a couple of years so I don't recall how to bypass however they do have a 1-800# you can call any time and they will walk you through the steps it is very helpful!goodluck

[anja]

Hello Mallory,   Isn't the cycler a big change?!!?  To bypass the Baxter I believe you press stop once and then the down arrow twice  ~  it should say bypass, then press enter  and  then press start  Hope that helps and that you have a good evening!

[mallory]

Angela, I had a PET test on the 26th of December, but they haven't told me the results yet.  I have an appointment at the clinic tomorrow so hopefully they'll tell me then.  What you said makes sense to me, so maybe that's what I need to do is either shorten my dwell times or change solutions. 

Anja, Yes, the cycler is a big change.  I like it, but it is taking some time for me to get used to it.  I'm going to try the bypass, two nights ago I thought it was going to keep draining forever.

Thanks, everyone!