My husband is currently getting his dialysis at the center We were supposed to be the first family to start home hemo from our dialysis center but due to some issues with his access we were delayed Now they say they are trying to find a home machine that works better on heavier people so that they dont have to spend od much time on their treatments He weighs 220 lbs Are there such machines out there or are they just jerking us around?
Hi Okie,
We use the Fresenius 2008H machine. My hubbies weight is 260.
He does really well with the machine. He has a fistula in his upper left arm but is unable to needle himself. I do all the prep work mixing bicarb etc and set the machine. Once we are on we don’t usually get alarms. He runs 7.5 hrs a night at pump speed 350 and flow at 300. We are also monitored on the internet. I have a web site I have been working on for a few months. I need to add the last few pictures that show how we secure his needles but you are welcome to view the site.
The site is http://mysite.verizon.net/vze70trh
Please feel free to e-mail me at anytime.
We live in upstate NY near Albany.
Pat
pc639@verizon.net :lol:
I visited your site, great pictures! I also signed your guestbook…
I weigh more than that and do home hemo on the Fresenius. I’ve been told I wouldn’t get good treatments on the NxStage, but someone has posted here that they are my size and use the NxStage successfully. I’m not sure how short you want your treatments, I do 4 hours by choice as I don’t want fast dialysis as my belief is that it is harder on the system, but plenty of people are doing short daily on this board.
I’ve known a number of people who weigh as much or more than your husband and they do home hemodialysis using several different machines.
I believe you said that your husband wants to do short treatments. Although short treatments may seem like they would interfere less with your husband’s (and your) life, if not done more often, short treatments may not make him feel his best. If he does longer treatments (nocturnal home hemo) or more frequent short treatments (daily home hemo), he will probably be able to eat more freely (especially on nocturnal), have more energy, feel better, and stay healthier.
I don’t know what the clinic he goes to offers, but you might want to look at the comparison chart on the home page of this website (under Types of Home Dialysis) to learn pros and cons of conventional, daily, and nocturnal home hemo as well as CAPD, CCPD, and in-center hemo. Keep in mind that what may be a pro for you might be a con for someone else and vice versa.
I’m a little bitty woman, well not short but slim. my time on the NxStage was just over 2 hrs and used 3 bags of solution. I understand bigger people use up to 5 bags.
on nocturnal I ran for 8 hrs at 200 speed and don’t remember the other number or what it was for but I seem to remember 700.
my boyfriend weighs more than 2X what I weigh (he is also 6’3). he does not require dialysis but is diabetic and does not follow his diet. I have often told him if he doesn’t take better care of himself he won’t have it as easy as I did, should he develop kidney disease.
Hi Okie Gal
No, they aren’t jerking you around. Larger people generally need longer and/or more efficient dialysis than smaller people. You can dialyze with any machine, but when it comes to dialysis machines intended specifically for home hemodialysis, some have limitations that others don’t have. I think it makes very good sense to start out with something that is known to work rather than something that might be marginal - so, it’s a good thing that they are looking into it as they are. After all, the whole point is to get better dialysis that will provide more optimal health for the longer term, not marginal dialysis that merely keeps the person alive in the short term. It’s not a problem for someone like me who weighs 125lbs, but it might be a different matter for an over-200 pounder.
Pierre
Foundation for IgA Nephropathy
www.igan.ca
I am about 117 kg and i use the Nxstage machine, I have to hang 5 bags and run on average 2hr 45mins at a pump speed of 500. I feel good, my cleareances and blood work is good. So I think it depends on the person