Neph says time to start....so what next?

[Shaymon]

Ok so the Neph has said it’s time to start the big D, what comes next? Do you start the next day/week/session? Did you agree with the Neph and their recommended method for dialysis or did you have to haggle. What happens if you don’t agree with the session offered to you (HD only)?

I’d like to hear about your experiences please

Thanks for your time

Shaymon

[phyl1215]

My Neph had me take a class at Davita that discussed all the options for dialysis pros and cons.  After taking the class I decided to do Peritoneal Dialysis and am very happy with my choice.  I would suggest you ask about a class or talk to the nurses at the dialysis center you would go to and see what they have to offer.  There could be a reason Neph wants you on Hemo, ask questions.  It's a big decision and could be a lifetime decision, are you on the transplant list yet?

[Hazmat35]

  First off, WELCOME! 

Next, if you are not in agreement with your doctor I would get a 2nd opinion, and a 3rd if necessary.   

Don't just jump into a Dialysis center.  Do some checking and see what is available in your area.  Some areas have multiple centers for In-Center Hemo and some are limited to a very few.  In my area (Central Florida) we are loaded with centers, so there are a few to choose from. 

Next, visit the center, talk with the staff.  Explain YOUR situation and see if they can accommodate to YOUR needs.  Of course most centers offer M-W-F treatment days, some offer T-T-S treatment days.  Some have early morning, shifts, some have late shifts, even Nocturnal.  You have to see if you and the staff melt well together.  Believe me, you will be spending a lot of time with them and talking about your condition, so you want to make sure you get along and can communicate. 

My DR., had me get an AV Fistula about a year before I started D.  Once I was ready, he had me stay at a local hospital for [4] days, to make sure that the Fistula was working correctly and that there were no issues to start off with (blockages, blood clots, etc).  Then, on the next scheduled day, I had already had my center picked out, after doing my research, and BAM, here I am! 

WHEW . . . no wonder I'm exhausted!!!!!  Good luck to you! 

[lmunchkin]

I agree, phyl, ask about the class that can give you your options and explain the ins & outs  of each. We found it to be very beneficial to a disease that we just had no clue about!
Please continue to ask questions here cause you will get what you need here! Prayers are with you!

[willowtreewren]

When the time came for us we asked if we could "wait" about 2 weeks since there were some things that we needed to take care of first. I could tell that the neph was a bit put out, but hey, we had gone THAT long, so a few days shouldn't make that much difference. There aren't that many clinics around where we are, but Carl met the folks at the two which were his options if he stayed with the same neph group. He chose the one which was closer to work and had the folks with the better dispositions (read that....they had a good sense of humor). From family experiences he already knew that he did NOT want to do PD and had already informed his dr. of that decision. He also knew that he DID want to do NxStage.

He also had already had an AV fistula created about a year before and went into the hospital for his first treatments.

He did in-center treatments for a bit more than a month while they slowly increased the size of his needles. Then we started training for NxStage.

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

Hey W, we are doing Nxstage and so thankful that option is available.  Just hoping they can find away to make it bout 20lbs instead of 75Lbs, but hey, Im not going to complain!  We will take what we can get. It was not an option when we first started.

[willowtreewren]

Lmunchkin,
We took ours on road trips and camping pretty regularly!

I have a travel list that I developed after taking an early trip and arriving without everything we needed. LOL.

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

Aleta,Yea, Im very excited to find out what I may forget to bring, dah, my brain I suppose!
Shamon, just keep us posted with everything, cause you really cant believe everything that they may tell you (maybe unintentionally) they know you need D. that is a givin, but there are alot more obtions than they may be willing to tell you. Just saying!  Just keep checking here and let someone know on this site, and can pretty much quarantee, someone has gone through it.
May I ask, are you the patient or are you the caregiver?