Did I read somewhere on this site where josh mentioned the machine can be programmed so everyone can use a cycler.
I looked through Josh’s posts and didn’t see one that said everyone can use a cycler. Most people can do peritoneal dialysis either with a cycler or manual exchanges. Some people can’t do PD at all because they have too much scarring of the peritoneal lining for it to allow enough wastes to pass for the patient to feel healthy. Sometimes scarring can happen as a result of extensive abdominal surgeries. There can be other causes of scarring.
When someone chooses PD, the nurse will have the patient do a peritoneal equilibration test to determine whether their membrane allows wastes to cross the membrane fast or slowly. This can determine if manual or cycler PD would be best for that patient. Here’s a description of the PET. The Peritoneal Equilibration Test for Peritoneal Dialysis - Home Dialysis Central
Some people prefer to do 3-4 manual “exchanges” daily. They prefer doing this to being connected to a machine for 8-10 hours or more per night. And they do not have their sleep disrupted by machine alarms that can sometimes happen with a cycler if a line is kinked or the machine needs attention. Josh has posted about patients using icodextrin (trade name Extraneal) dialysate fluid for the long overnight dwell in patients doing manual exchanges or during the day for those using the cycler. Here’s info on icodextrin, including cautions. https://www.drugs.com/mtm/icodextrin.html