First trip on PD.. Need advice

[Riki]

The Baxter Home Choice cycler, in it's case, fits under the seat.  I don't know about any other cyclers.

[lmunchkin]

Man, I hate to hear of all these problems traveling (Airlines) for D. patients.  We never fly!  I won't do it, so therefore, we just drive, with everything in the Van.

Sorry guys, it really shouldnt be that way flying either!  Idiots!!!!!

lmunchkin
 

[Riki]

I won't do the drive from Charlottetown, PEI to New York City again, not while I'm still on dialysis anyway.  I'd rather deal with the airlines than drive for 15 hours.

[jadey]

Does anyone know if the PD catheter metal piece will make their metal detectors go off???

[billybags]

We did not have a problem with this. We did find that we had to put the cycler on an ironing board next to our bed  because it was to far across the room to sort out alarms and things, but that worked..

[amanda100wilson]

Not sure if you use Fresenius or Baxter, but if you use Baxter, Just a tip, Jadey if you don't want to go to bed throughout your dialysis treatment, probably frowned on butI did it for 8 years with no peritonitis.  Do your first exchange and disconnect while it dwells, using a flexi-cap on the dialysis set.  My rationale was, that if you do CAPD then you connect and disconnect muliple times through a day amyway.

Get the fluids delivered from Baxter evenfor a short stay, as they are heavy.  Get wheelchair assistance through the airport, much easier, and pre-board so that if your machine fits in an overhead you canget it in, in advance of other passengers.

Never used Except for anything, betadine swabs for an injection port.  Apply, wait about five minutes.  Would double swabjust to make  sure.  I never took extra luggage to accomodate supplies.  In fact, as a family of three, we traveled to California for a week's stay, with two hand luggage cases and two day-sized back-packs, plus the cycler.

[Riki]

Does anyone know if the PD catheter metal piece will make their metal detectors go off???

I had more problems getting through the metal detector at The Daily Show than I did going through them at thei airport.  I worried at the titanium end on the catheter would set the alarm off, but it didn't.

Do your first exchange and disconnect while it dwells, using a flexi-cap on the dialysis set.  My rationale was, that if you do CAPD then you connect and disconnect muliple times through a day amyway.

They make caps specifically for that, but I don't remember what they're called.. Multicaps, maybe?  You would disconnect, putting the patient line in the organizer, then there was a minicap on the set, that you connected to your catheter, and the other half of the set was a much bigger cap, that went on the patient line to keep it sterile.  both caps had betadine in them, if I remember right.

I used the Baxter Home Choice Pro cycler, btw

[Joe]

Riki, I use thee Baxter system also. It's called a flexi-cap for the patient line end. I got a box of them with my initial delivery, but was told they were phasing them out as they did not particularly want us disconnecting during treatment. I still have mine

[Riki]

I used to get 2 boxes of those and a box of mini caps with every order.  I thought they were great.  I remember the days when the only way to disconnect from a cycler was to clamp the line and cut it, so there was no disconnecting mid treatment back then.

[billybags]

Joe, I hope you are wrong about them phasing them out. We have had a box for about 2 years, hardly used them, then all of a sudden for what ever reason my husband has to go the the loo in the night. I think I will order a box to be sure.

[Riki]

Joe, I hope you are wrong about them phasing them out. We have had a box for about 2 years, hardly used them, then all of a sudden for what ever reason my husband has to go the the loo in the night. I think I will order a box to be sure.

I'd check the box you have to be sure they're not expired

[Joe]

I'm fortunate billybags in that the loo is about 18 feet from my bed. With my 20 foot line, I can get there while connected without any problem. The only thing that would cause me to disconnect during the night, I think, would be some kind of emergency in the house.

[billybags]

Riki, Just checked and they expire May this year. Thanks for that I never thought of looking. I will definitely order another box.

[Riki]

I'm fortunate billybags in that the loo is about 18 feet from my bed. With my 20 foot line, I can get there while connected without any problem. The only thing that would cause me to disconnect during the night, I think, would be some kind of emergency in the house.

I used to connect, drain and fill, then disconnect with the flex caps and go out for a couple of hours.  If I was a little late returning, the machine would be alarming when I came in the door, but it was just a matter of washing my hands and connecting up again

[billybags]

Riki, You are a little monkey.

[jadey]

I'm fortunate billybags in that the loo is about 18 feet from my bed. With my 20 foot line, I can get there while connected without any problem. The only thing that would cause me to disconnect during the night, I think, would be some kind of emergency in the house.

I used to connect, drain and fill, then disconnect with the flex caps and go out for a couple of hours.  If I was a little late returning, the machine would be alarming when I came in the door, but it was just a matter of washing my hands and connecting up again

Riki.. how long were your dwells? Mine are currently 1.5 hours

[amanda100wilson]

If I wanted to go out, I would set my machine up so that it would do do a day dwell, and make the setting so that I did one less dwell in the night.  Then I would count the day dwell as one of the overnight dwells since the day dwell can be the length that you want it to be.  That way there were no alarms.  I can't believe that they're phasing out flexi caps, not that it matters to me as I'm now on NxStage.

[Joe]

My dwell times on the cycler are the same as yours Jadey, 1.5 hours. I do 3 hour dwells for my manual exchanges. Must be doing ok, my labs were better when I met he Neph yesterday 

[drgirlfriend]

Congrats, Joe!!
The bf has 1.5 - ish hour dwells, too. They tend to change depending on how quickly he fills and drains. I still don't understand it all. His first kt/v test wasn't promising, so they're having him do another one next month.

[lmunchkin]

Correct me if Im wrong here, is that where your drain goes into bags that fan out on the floor.  At the end of treatment, you draw up in syringes and take to clinic?  I always hated that test!  It took up alot of time (and muscle too) to get them done.  And if they were inaccurate, then you had to repeat it. Otherwise, PD was not a bad modality.  Just way too much heavy lifting and storage for me.

lmunchkin
 

[Riki]

Riki, You are a little monkey.

*LOL*  I've been called many things, but I think this one is a first...

I'm fortunate billybags in that the loo is about 18 feet from my bed. With my 20 foot line, I can get there while connected without any problem. The only thing that would cause me to disconnect during the night, I think, would be some kind of emergency in the house.

I used to connect, drain and fill, then disconnect with the flex caps and go out for a couple of hours.  If I was a little late returning, the machine would be alarming when I came in the door, but it was just a matter of washing my hands and connecting up again

Riki.. how long were your dwells? Mine are currently 1.5 hours

Mine were 2 hours

[drgirlfriend]

Correct me if Im wrong here, is that where your drain goes into bags that fan out on the floor.  At the end of treatment, you draw up in syringes and take to clinic?  I always hated that test!  It took up alot of time (and muscle too) to get them done.  And if they were inaccurate, then you had to repeat it. Otherwise, PD was not a bad modality.  Just way too much heavy lifting and storage for me.

lmunchkin
 

Yeah, that's pretty much it. We take the drain bag in their entirety plus 24 hour urine. It's a drag... and heavy lifting!   

[Joe]

Correct me if Im wrong here, is that where your drain goes into bags that fan out on the floor.  At the end of treatment, you draw up in syringes and take to clinic?  I always hated that test!  It took up alot of time (and muscle too) to get them done.  And if they were inaccurate, then you had to repeat it. Otherwise, PD was not a bad modality.  Just way too much heavy lifting and storage for me.

lmunchkin
 

Only one bag lilmunchkin, it's a 15 liter bag that the cycler drains into. For the kt/V test when you're on PD, I save every drop that goes through me for 24 hours; all the manuals, a jug (that's really not got much in it at all), and and the cycler drain bag. It all goes into a lined box and gets hauled into the clinic for whatever they need to do.

I look at moving the drain bag as one of my daily exercises   

[Riki]

I hated moving drain bags.  I didn't like stripping the machine at all.  My mom did it most of the time.  When I lived on my own, my bedroom was directly across the hall from the bathroom.  The back on my computer chair had broken off, so it kinda was a rolling stool.  I'd disconnect the bag, lift it onto the chair, and push it into the bathroom, where I'd drain it into the tub

[billybags]

We have two drain bags joined to make it more or less strenuous to lift. I do the lifting because of hubbies heart and some mornings I am knac*ered lifting them. He uses 3 x 500 bags  plus what he initially drains out, I weigh 7st wet through so you can imagine what weight I have to lift. We are too far from the bath room to have a line,,, plus I like to check the bags in the morning. I do not know how old people go on if they are on there own. I have also become the Queen of box;s I can rip into them like a terrier Oh the joys of Pd