Ita an Election year and lots of talk about GRAFT on IHD

[Katonsdad]

I went for treatment on Tuesday this week and all went good. When they pull the needles they ask if I can hold both
spots. I said yes,. Great . I have done this since I started dialysis in October and when I did it in 1999 .
Thursday of this week , I showed up for treatment  , Sat down and the tech felt my graft , cleaned it and
stuck the needle in. She then announced that I was clotted . I said what ? She said I was clotted. She thought she felt something
but got black gunk out. The center sent me to a surgeon (hurry and get there , he's on his way. I arrived at 1100 he showed at 200 pm)
They were able to clean it out , used TPA and a balloon treatmewnt.  I went home slept 4 hrs went to work for 9.5 hrs
and went home slept for 2 and went to get an extra treatment on Friday at 145 pm
Now on saturday I showed at my regular time sat down the tech felt the arm and felt it working. She moved the needle up 
not wanting to use the same spot everyone else has used and got a freakin CLOT. They checked it and they think
they pulled it all out and used a different spot.  It worked fine,
The tech said it was my fault as I hold 2 at atime when coming off and that is creating the clot area. Makes sense to me and it is the first time
I have heard that.  She said she told me the first time shw=e woerked on me and bekieve me if someone told me this was an
issue I would not be doing it .I dont think anyone ever told me this especially none of the techs I have had over the
last 9 meeks  3 times a week, !!!!!!!!

[lmunchkin]

Hey Katonsdad!  Now let me see if Ive got this correct!  When they take your needles out you hold the gauze over both entries to stop bleeding, then they tape it up after it stops. Now they are telling you that this is whats causing the clots? 

That just doesnt sound logical to me!  Do you have a fistula?  If you do, maybe they are sticking the A&V too close together.  I was trained to do at least 2" apart.  That allows the In's & out's to flow freely without any interferece from the two (don't know if Im making sense here).  But still, how can they say you are to blame.

What may help, if not doing already, is have them do saline flushes before and after treatments with some heparin in between!  You might check with VS about some blood thinners too!

Lord, it never stops, does it?
Good luck and let us know what you found out,
lmunchkin
 

[Katonsdad]

I have a graft.  No good vewssels left in this woen out casing!

[looneytunes]

KD, hubby has had the same issue but we were trained to hold pressure on both sites at the same time...Even given some clamps to use at home...go figure!   

[Traveller1947]

Hi, Katonsdad!  Don't let anyone blame you for the clots in your graft--clots happen!  At my very large dialysis center, it's routine for the patients or techs to hold both sites at the same time.  If a patient is frail or weak or uncoordinated, he'll hold one at a time.  If the patient is using clamps, they're also placed both at the same time.  I have a graft, as you do, and I recall that in the first six months or so of using it, they pulled many clots out--it almost became routine.  Not much trouble since then, although on four occasions over seven years, I've had to visit the interventional radiologist because my graft was found to be completely clotted.  But I'll repeat: clots happen.  All the best to you on your journey.