Just Started...What a ride.

[Itool4looti]

Had my first dialysis on Tuesday while I was in the hospital.  Tech was training a new tech.  During the dialysis, BP tanked and the new tech infiltrated the site.  Next day, a different tech tried for 30 minutes before she found the artery, so, lots of sticks, withdraws, start over, stick again, etc.  Pretty freaking painful.  Next day, different tech infiltrated the artery and sent blood flying everywhere.  It resembled a Mafia hit.  Arm swelled and I finally told her to knock it off.  Doctor came in to examine it, decided to withhold dialysis until this coming Tuesday in order to give the arm time to heal.  Yes, it is that bad.  The tech that infiltrated the site put in her notes that "it happened when patient repeatedly moved arm during access attempt".  Not true at all, I was in a hospital bed prone.  To all the techs out there, please take ownership when you make a mistake, it happens, and I would clearly forgive you if you just owned up to it.

Now my arm is still swollen, black and blue and painful to move.  Not looking forward to Tuesday, but I hope the techs know what they are doing. 

[lulu836]

The ball is in your court which is to say that if/when you want to refuse to be the object of a teaching session that is your right.  You can ask nicely or if it were me I would tell your neph about the attempt.  Meanwhile watch  your fluid intake.  You tanked probably because they were trying to remove too much fluid at one time.  Do you have your directions for drinking and eating yet?  You may not have a definite dry weight number  yet either.

[iolaire]

Sorry, that doesn’t sound right.

In my US hospital where I started dialysis there was real nurse who got me started.  She was very careful and taught me what to expect. Also she told me to ask her all the questions as I would never again have that level of care at dialysis.

I would contact hospital staff immediately and ask that you not be used for training purposes until your fistula is well established and you know better how the process works and can tell the staff when they are injuring you.

[Michael Murphy]

As usual great advise from iolaire.  Remember it’s your body it’s witin your control to say no.  It’s a new fistula in the clinic I go to new patients are handled by charge nurses the senior techs until the fistula matures.

[Charlie B53]

Ditto what Michael said.

We used my cath for a year waiting for my fistula to mature.  It needed some rework and a couple of angio's before it finally decided to grow enough.  I could see it, obviously a nice target.  However, my clinic told me for my first month only a couple of VERY Senior Techs and Nurses would be allowed to stick me.

As needle-ohobic as I am I was glas as now a year later we haven't had any even half-serious problem.  (Knock on wood).

Sorry you've had such a tough start.

But you are still very WELCOME here at IHD!

How 'New' is your fistula?

If it doesn't get any easier perhaps talk to your Dr about a Perma-Cath to use and give the fistula unbothered time to mature.

[GA_DAWG]

Did they try to use a fistula for your first run? Here, everyone has a catheter for the first five or six months, some longer depending on how long it takes to get a quality fistula or graft.

[kitkatz]

I had to idiot techs in the hospital screw up my perfectly good graft/fistula and caused it to clot.  I ended up in interventional radiology getting a declot done. Then it was back to dialysis with another nurse to try.  I named the two Fric and Frac.  One of them showed of the next time and I mentioned Fric and Frac and he said he was one of them.   SIgh.

[GA_DAWG]

Kitkatz, on the night I was diagnosed in the ER as having kidney failure, there were two intern with a portable ultrasound came in and asked if they could do an ultrasound of my kidneys. They could not find them. I had to show these med students where my kidneys were. We labelled them as Fric and Frac. The next day, I saw one of the REAL techs that did imaging, and told her the story. She said they were all really a fraid the ER people were going to use the portable machine to make a diagnosis.