My Dad is going to be on PD and he is concerned about having comfortable chairs and or beds to use for his comfort and the ease of all of us helping him. Any suggestions?
Hi Guest,
Most folks who do PD don’t use a special chair or bed–that would be for hemodialysis. If your dad will be using a cycler at night, he can sleep in his own, regular bed. If he’ll be doing manual exchanges, he can sit in a regular chair or on a couch. One caution: I don’t know how old your dad is, but I know of at least one older gentleman who had a leak of PD fluid from his peritoneum into his scrotum. It was very uncomfortable (as I’m sure you can imagine), and he had to stop doing PD. IMHO, though I am NOT a clinician, it makes sense for older folks to use a cycler so they can do their exchanges while they lie flat, and then drain out and be empty during the day. Sometimes people need a daytime exchange, too, but I would do this with caution. The peritoneum wasn’t built to handle an extra 4 lbs. or so of fluid, and older tissues may be more delicate…