We are just getting started on PD and have questions. My husbands kidneys finally failed during the Christmas holidays. He was hospitalized on January 1st, had the access tube placed in his neck and started on hemo. That is going fairly well. His PD cat was inserted on Tuesday of this week and the doctor says we will be ready to start PD on Feb 6th. Since we are totally new to this, I thought I would ask for help from you seasoned pros. Are there any special tricks we need to know that will make it easier for us? Things you wish someone had told you when you first started?
He has adjusted to life on dialysis, as far as I can tell. He has gone through the roller coaster of ups and downs, the life is not worth living like this, etc. I think he has accepted dialysis and is ready to get on with his life.
He is 61 yrs old, kidney failure from long term type II diabetes and in fair health. We have 2 wonderful grandchildren ages 3 and 10 and are both retired. We also have a very spoiled rat terrier who thinks he is the boss. My husband loves to fish and is worried about PD and his fishing. We want to graduate to doing PD at night using a cycler, but his doctor says he must master PD during the day first.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to introduce ourselves to the forum. I have sleep apnea and belong to a simular forum for that and is is always important to know some background of a poster when replying.
Hi Gilda - welcome to the group! I’ve been doing PD for 8 months now (7 1/2 months on a cycler), and was previously on Hemo. I really believe changing to PD was the BEST move I ever made-now I control my treatment times & don’t have to follow the clinics schedule. The basic thing you need to remember is keep EVERYTHING CLEAN!! And when connecting to your cath - no people in the room unless they are in a mask & no pets in the room; also be sure to shut any windows, open vents, and turn off fans until you are connected.
As far as fishing goes - there is no reason not to. I’ve done it several times. In fact, about the only thing he wouldn’t be able to do is lift more than 20 lbs., or play contact sports such as football, soccer, or wrestling. Swimming is also restricted to either PRIVATE pools, or the ocean & NO HOT TUBS/saunas. I pretty much do whatever I feel like doing, but I was never really into contact sports either.
I also have 2 wonderful grandchildren ages 19 months & 3 years. The 3 year old calls my cath “Grammy’s medicine.” But I get down on the floor or go out in the yard & play with them. I also work full time and am active with several different groups in the community. I also learned how to say NO - (I need me time once in awhile.) If you have any specific questions - I’d be happy to help if I can. Hope this helps - CJ
Thanks all for the replies and advice. We will definitely keep all in mind as we start this journey. I think the most important thing we have learned from all this is to keep a positive outlook and no matter how bad we feel our situation has become, there is always someone who is in a worse situation.
HELLO ALL MY NAME IS CLAY AND ON 01/15/06 I FOUND OUT I NEEDED TO GO ONTO DIALSIS,AFTER SPENDING 10 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL I STARTED LEARNING ALL ABOUT MY NEW WAY OF LIFE AND CAME HOME.I’M DOING HEMODIALYISI FOR TWO WEEKS DURING THE DAY TIME,AND THEN I’M GOING TO SCHOOL FOR A WEEK AND LEARNING HOW TO DO PD AT HOME.THUIS FAR I’M ADAPTING QUIET WELL AND LOOK FORWAQRD TO THE NEXT STEP.I HAVE A BROTHER AND A SISTER THAT ARE A DONOR MATCH AND WANT TO PROVIDE ME WITH A KIDNEY.SINCE THIS IS ALL VERY NEW TO MY FAMILY WE ARE REALLY PULLING TOGETHER.I’LL STOP FOR NOW BUT WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO THE GROUP.HOPE TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE.
SINCERELY CLAY CRYUENGER@AOL.COM
Welcome all of you dialysis newcomers to our site. We’re glad that you found it. I work with Home Dialysis Central but am a long-time dialysis social worker. I feel that I need to put in a plug for social workers since many people don’t know that they have a social worker or what a social worker does.
Your social worker will talk with you to find out a little about you, your family, your insurance and financial situation, your health history, your current work status and goals for the future, and how you’ve coped with health problems and other events in the past. It’s not that your social worker is being nosy. It’s that your social worker needs to learn as much as possible about you to help you and your family understand and cope with kidney disease and to learn what needs you have to point you to helpful resources in your community. Your social worker is part of your healthcare team…along with you, your doctor, nurse, dietitian, and technicians. Your healthcare team wants to help you live long and well with kidney disease. You can help them do this by being honest and open about what you are feeling physically and emotionally.
You may wonder how your life will change. There are certain to be some changes – a new treatment, a new diet, and new medicines. But you can live a full life on dialysis, including taking care of your home and family, traveling, working or attending school, exercising, eating out, visiting with friends, and participating in many of the activities you enjoy. Your social worker can help you do this. I’ve worked in dialysis for over 27 years and have known people that have lived over 30 years on dialysis. Some have had transplants along the way while others have been on dialysis the whole time. In our research with patients we’ve learned that 3 key things help:
– Having a positive attitude (or as positive as you can)
– Asking questions and learning as much as you can
– Taking an active role in your care
Choosing to do home dialysis is one of the best ways to learn as much as possible about your kidney disease and treatment and take that active role in your care. Doing these two helps people have the positive attitude that is so important to staying healthy physically and emotionally. Again, welcome to our site and feel free to post any time.