I usually have my hand tied to a string to that I cannot move it in my sleep too much. I have noticed that this has solved the problem I had of blood oozing from the sides of the needles completely.
Howver, yesterday, I forgot to get this done and sure enough I had blood oozing out and lost quite a lot before I realized.
I had read somewhere that there is a device that can detect blood and raise an alarm if it does. Does anyone use this? If so, where can I get it?
Oh my god kamalshah20, you definitely should not be dialysing while sleeping without a leakage device. I was just talking about this yesterday and another patient here didnt bother putting their device on and actually lost quite a bit of blood. They only woke up because of the wet sheets, as they didnt hear the machine alarming as it had stopped.
We use bedwetting alarms that are normally used for children who wet the bed. You just tape it near the needles and if leakage occurs it alarms. You really should be getting one of these asap, and I cant beleive you have not been supplied one, that is just rediculous.
I test mine with blood before each use just to make sure its working and detecting blood. I also have a certain way of taping it on, using gauze, to make sure if any leakage occurs, it will leak towards the detector. We also are supplied with another alarm to place under the dialyser in case it leaks.
I just thought I would mention once more that the units here have had the company which makes the bedwetting alarms recalibrate the devices to work better with blood. Apparently, urine and blood don’t have the same conductivity. We were all switched to these earlier this year.
Pierre
We were given new ones as well. I still test mine anyway. I already have to withdraw a bit of blood before flushing so I just squirt it on some gauze and test both alarms with that.
Actually I’m in India where home dialysis is still a rarity.
Can you please give me the exact name of the alarm that you use and where these could be bought. I have a friend coming to India from the US in a few days and I can ask him to bring one for me?
Thanks a ton…
Kamal
Hi Kamal
Mine is called a “Dri sleeper” http://www.dri-sleeper.com/ and the chemist imports them from New Zealand.
Good luck with home dialysis in India, it must be very daunting not knowing many otheres there that do it.
All the very best to you. 8)
I use exactly the same as beachy too. If you need help with how to use it, just let us know here.
Hi Amba
we are not supplied with the bedwetting device at all. They said we didn’t need it. but I think it is a good idea to have one. I will be looking into how much they are. I can’t believe the don’t give us one. We also don’t have anything under the machine. It is amazing how different States do different things, and it seems nsw is the worst State when it comes to health…
Queenie2
You most certainly do need one! Obviously the chances of bleeding are slim, but the chance is most certainly there. We were told the one under the dialyser isnt essential, but its there for our own comfort. The fact that a patient recently had a bleed, is enough to get me to wear one. He was very lucky he woke up, and the doctors running the nocturnal program were extremely angry that he didnt bother to wear the leakage device, and they wanted to pull him out of the nocturnal programme. I guess someone talked them around.
I always wear mine, even if I couldnt be bothered putting it on, I still wear it.
The leak detector on the floor under the machine is not so much for water leaking, which would be a mess, but not life threatening. It’s actually much more important to detect leakage of blood from the connections between bloodlines and dialyzer. A gradual leak there overnight could be deadly, and it might not trigger any machine alarm.
Pierre
That is the detector Im talking about pierre. It goes under the dialyser, in case one of the lines come loose, which seems to be a very slim chance. That is why its important to make sure they are screwed in tight. The easiest way to tighten them is to wait until you have attached the fluid tubes to the dialyser and when its primed with the warm fluid, tighten the blood lines.
A gradual leak from the cannulation site could be dangerous as well, if not detected.