PD catheter placement and colonoscopy

[Deanne]

My colonoscopy is scheduled for August 19. The catheter placement people called Friday and scheduled me for August 15. I wasn't thinking about my colonoscopy. I'll call them to ask, but I suspect I need to change my catheter placement date to have it done after the colonoscopy. Any opinions?

[MooseMom]

Yes, I'd agree with you.  Colonoscopy first (as there is no real "healing" involved), and then PD catheter placement.  Well, that's what I'd do.  I'd want the colonoscopy to be all done and dusted before tackling something like catheter placement and the initiation of dialysis. 

Have you told anyone at work that you will be starting dialysis soon?

What is the latest news re a possible donor for you?  Do you think you will have to be on dialysis for very long?

 

"Catheter placement people".  Is that a technical term? 

[Deanne]

I thought "cathether placement people" sounded a bit better than goons with knives. :-)

I thought so about the order of events. I'm waiting for the letter that has contact information so I can call to reschedule. I sent email to my manager and key coworkers with my tentative schedule stuff. I'm in Minnesota now and trying to work a bit this evening. I hope they see this as good effort/that I'm not just trying to dump and run instead of doing my job (although that is tempting!).

[MooseMom]

"Goons With Knives" sounds like something you'd see on The Discovery Channel.

Good luck in MN.  Take care of yourself while you are there and avoid all Goons with Knives along with any irritating family members.  I hope you have some peaceful moments with your brother.

[obsidianom]

I would definatly do the colonoscopy first. Taking laxatives and cleaning out the bowel is not clean and sanitary. You could infect a newly palced catheter during the prep. Also colon spasms from the prep would not feel good with a recent procedure done in the gut.

[MooseMom]

Good points, obsidianom!

[Deanne]

Hmmmm. I called the goons with knives today and they said all should be well/no issues with the dates. Maybe I'll call the dialysis center and get their opinion. For the moment, my appointment stands at August 15.

[Deanne]

I double-checked with dialysis clinic. No issues with them, either. They said problems are more likely after I start dialysis than shortly after I have the catheter placed. It's reassuring to have both places tell me it's ok.

[MooseMom]

So this means you are sticking with your original plan, ie catheter placement on the 15th (tomorrow!) and colonoscopy on the 19th?

Oh gosh, Deanne, I can just imagine how you must be feeling about tomorrow after all this time being able to avoid dialysis.  Believe me, my thoughts will be with you tomorrow.  I am sure everything will go well, but would you mind popping in to IHD once you are home to let us know how things went (but only if you feel like it)?  Do you know when you will start PD training?

 

[Deanne]

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm really pretty calm about it all. I think it helps that I know this is only temporary for me. I'll reach my second year on the transplant list just after Labor Day and they said I'm likely to be called for transplant shortly after I get that extra point on the list. I'm delayed/inactive until I restart the TB meds, which I can't start until I start dialysis, so the sooner I start dialysis, the sooner I can return to Active status. Life in general has been too chaotic to have time to worry much about it anyway. Between my brother/visiting my family at the same time as product launches at work, at the same time as going through the requalifying tests for transplant... who has time to even think!?

The amount of time and work this all will take kind of took me by surprise though. I guess I haven't been spending enough time in the home dialysis board to learn what to expect. Tomorrow the catheter is inserted. A week from tomorrow and then two weeks from tomorrow I need to go to the dialysis center for dressing changes and to have it flushed. The dialysis center for this is about 45 minutes away - ewww! Then my full week of training starts on Labor Day. At least I'll only miss four days of work for that since I start training on a holiday.

I saw my neph today and she called them while I was in her office to talk to the nurse and get everything worked out for me. I love my neph! She asked them to start me on the cycler immediately instead of starting with manual exchanges and said I should be able to go dry during the day and pointed out to them that I'm independent and able to handle things myself.

The parts that kind of took me by surprise are that I need to go to the dialysis center once a week for a month, and then have a five-hour test there after a month. It all adds up to a lot of time off work in the beginning.

[MooseMom]

I'm glad to hear that you have such confidence in your neph and that she has such confidence in you!

No doubt knowing that this is just a temporary measure makes all the difference in the world!  Dialysis will at least keep you as healthy as possible while you spend just a bit longer waiting for your new kidney.  And I had forgotten that you couldn't start back on your TB meds until you start dialysis.

Good luck tomorrow!