Would be interested to learn about the different ways heparin is administered during tx. Also, someone on this board previously stated that it is advantageous to go heparin free, but I don’t recall the reasoning or how it is achieved.
Both my bolus and the continuous heparin is administered via the heparin pump on my machine. All I do is prepare the heparin in an ordinary 10ml syringe, stick the syringe in the holder on the front of the machine, and program my prescription on the touch screen (ie. rate per hour, bolus and time to stop the heparin). That’s all there is to it. When I start my treatment, I go into the heparin screen on the display, and press the “infuse bolus” button on the touch screen. The continuous administration happens automatically once the treatment is started. It stops after the number of hours I set for it.
Pierre
I wonder who said that but certainly I didn’t say that. What I said is that I don’t use heparin at all. I use to but stopped it. If you ask why, the reason for that is because after many years dialyzing my body created antibodies which in turn is attacking the heparin resulting in allergic reactions.
I don’t know if this will happen to other patients after dialyzing for many years…
On the other hand, it has not affected my lab results or treatment at all…I don’t even need to use saline every 1/2 hour…
All I do is take one baby asprin now and then… 
Gus, it was another poster who made the statement about heparin some weeks back. Since you also do not use heparin, do you mean you do your txs without anything more than a baby aspirin to prevent clotting?
Meant to add, I saved an article recently on heparin which I have not had a chance to read yet (something about antibodies). So, I have been wondering if it is necessary/possible to get away from using heparin in the tx.
Keep in mind that the allergic reaction to heparin most likely are the parabens that heparin contains…read more about it here.
If you are not allergic to heparin don’t worry about it. However, if your really inclined not to use any type of drug and want to keep dialysis treatments simple and pure then try talking to your Doctor that you wish to try heparinless dialysis treatments…little by little you reduce heparin dosage until you use nothing and every other day a baby asprin…if signs of clotting start showing in your dialyzer then you may need to take a baby asprin everyday…and even infuse saline to prevent clotting…
Be sure to tak more about this to your Doctor…
Hi Jane, Gus and Pierre,
I use as little heparin as possible … one because I’m sensitive and maybe pre-allergic to heparin and also I’m a vegetarian and don’t want the beef or pork…or any drugs I can possibly do without. However, that being said I heparinze my dialyzer and lines with a minimum amount pretreatment: 1.5 cc per line. In the past I have flushed the lines with Saline after this initial bolus of haparin. Now on the Aksys I do not use heparin during tx. After Tx I bolus into the Venous champer heparin to help clear the lines prior to heat disinfection and Rinsing.
I’d love to try something like Ginko-Biloba and see if I can reduce what I’m using now… your reply on the baby aspirin has inspired me, Gus, Thanks
Guillaume
Hi Guillaume,
there are other alternatives and must say never tried those but if you do try them let us know whether it worked. You might also want to look at these…they also have anticoagulant properties…
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Bromelain, from pineapple stem (Ananas comusus)
Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)
Coleus/forskolin (Coleus forskohlii)
Flaxseed oil (Linum usitatissimum)
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginseng, American (Panax quinquefolium)
Green tea (Camellia sinensis)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiac)
P.S. So your a vegetarian? How do you deal with protein intake…albumin levels?
I think you would really be in uncharted territory dialyzing 8 hours without heparin. In fact, isn’t heparin sensitivity or allergy a contraindication to doing nocturnal hemo?
Pierre
Many people think that herbs are “natural,” therefore they are safe. Herbs may or may not be safe for you. Using any herb to replace heparin seems like it could be unsafe to me since the quantity you would need could be unknown and whether the brand you’re taking could provide the right dose may not be known either. There are few randomized controlled clinical trials documenting the benefits of herbs. Herbs are not tested or regulated as drugs. Here’s a background article from the National Institutes of Health on herbal supplements:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BotanicalBackground.asp
Here’s a page on the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s website about herbal supplements:
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/supplements.htm
Here’s an article for people with kidney disease that urges caution:
http://www.ikidney.com/iKidney/Lifestyles/NutritionalTips/JustDiagnosed/HerbalSupplementsFortheRenalPatient.htm
Before taking any herbal supplement, ask your kidney doctor if it is safe. Some herbs that may be safe for healthy people are not safe for people with kidney damage, people on dialysis, or those that have transplants. Some herbs have caused kidney failure and I gather from this FDA alert that some herbs have caused other serious complications as well:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BotanicalBackground.asp
P.S. So your a vegetarian? How do you deal with protein intake…albumin levels?
Tofu, Tempeh(soybeans fermented in a Cheesiy ancient Thai mold…yum)
Grains, an occasional egg. My albumin is pretty well up there, I have tofu coming out of my ears.
Many people think that herbs are “natural,” therefore they are safe. Herbs may or may not be safe for you. Using any herb to replace heparin seems like it could be unsafe to me since …
Beth,
One of my situations from being ill since I was 11 and dealing with the Medical establishment is that I trust Doctors as nearly as much as I can throw them. Then there are nurses who seem to turn over all their ‘power’ to doctors. As a former Catholic (“What’re you rebelling against, Johnny?” “whaddayagot?” Marlin Brando in “Wild Ones”) it is reminiscent of the Nun to Priest kowtowing. So I add many nurses to my distrust of Drs, Priests, nuns, lawyers, politicians, drug companies, Big business, bigots, racists, historians, advertisers, preachers and camp followers of almost any organization that has the answer for everyone and knows just what to do. Whew!
That said I trust experimentation which may kill or maim me but it will be me that is responsible. So if I were to experiment with some herb like Ginkgo Biloba, which I have taken in the past on an experimental basis, then I would do so with caution as I would with any “Safe” drug, which I know is responsible for more hospital deaths in the U.S. then any disease!
endofdiatribe…
Yes and thanks, Beth, I will be careful.
think you would really be in uncharted territory dialyzing 8 hours without heparin. In fact, isn’t heparin sensitivity or allergy a contraindication to doing nocturnal hemo?
Pierre, I’m going to do an non-nocturnal 8 hour napping on and off- treatment once a week maybe… and pay attention…remember also that the PHD back flushes with Dialysate every 15 min.
Thanks, Guillaume
I agree that established and supposedly well tested drugs and devices (Vioxx, breast implants, etc.) have turned out later to cause some other problem. Believe me, I think I can understand the sentiments underlying your message and personally I don’t take any medicine that I don’t absolutely have to take.
Reading your message made me wonder if those doing home dialysis are more or less likely to trust the healthcare system and whether attitudes about the healthcare system have been a factor in whether people choose to be responsible for their own healthcare vs. trusting someone else to take care of them.
What do you think?
wonder if those doing home dialysis are more or less likely to trust the healthcare system and whether attitudes about the healthcare system have been a factor in whether people choose to be responsible for their own healthcare vs. trusting someone else to take care of them.
What do you think?
I believe you’ve got a new thread topic 
Done! Thanks for the suggestion.
When I posted that about the uncharted territory, it did occur to me that PHD backflushes dialysate periodically. I only know this because I’ve read it before in this forum. I’m guessing that backflushing clears out the dialyzer, but not necessarily the rest of the system. Whether the 8 hour treatment is done during the day or night, it’s still an 8 hour treatment. That represents something like 130 litres of blood going through that blood circuit. I find it hard to believe there wouldn’t be some clotting at some point without some kind of effective protocol, even if it’s not heparin.
One thing I’ve never been sure of is whether a patient can ever be at risk from clotting. I know the blood circuit might be lost because of it, but I would really like to know if there is any risk of a clot getting into the patient.
Pierre
Hi y’all,
Back to herbal supplements for a moment–module 15 of Kidney School (Alternative Remedies) at http://www.kidneyschool.org includes a section on Western Herbalism that covers the 18 most commonly used herbs in Western medicine, including Gingkgo Biloba. To write this module, we reviewed more than 300 abstracts on these herbs, looking specifically for effects that could be harmful to people with kidney disease or kidney failure. So, it’s a good reference.
Also, the July (I believe) issue of the National Kidney Foundation’s Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease is entirely on the topic of herbal remedies, and is an excellent reference for doctors.
Heck ya, one piece of clot getting into your body can clog any vein in your body resulting in a rupture, or even worse…death!
However, this rarely occurs…it’s not common thing to deal with.