Treatment Update

It's been 90 days now since I started dialysis at home. My improvement has been slow but steady. My medications have been cut way back and I feel much stronger than I did before I started. My stamina has been the slowest to recover but I am hopeful that as more built up waste is removed that it will improve. The best part is my diet. I can eat all the foods that I enjoy with very few restrictions. Lot's of protein and potassium rich foods. My only real restriction is my pepsi. I have to limit my pepsi because it contains phosphorous which is hard for me to remove

My Schedule

It has been almost two weeks now that I have been treating myself at home. I have settled into a sort of a routine for my daily schedule. It's a little different and a little awkward at times but it is workable. The whole system is really simple to use. First, I have to monitor my blood pressure. This helps me decide on which solution strength I need to use for that days treatment. Every treatment requires fresh solution and all new tubing to hook-up to. The whole process of setting up only takes about 15 minutes. The mid afternoon treatment takes about 40 minutes. Then I can resume my day until bedtime when I hook-up again. The night treatment goes on for 10 hours while I sleep or watch TV. At night the machine goes through 4 cycles. Every 2 hours the fluid is changed. Most of the time I will sleep right through this process. If a problem should occur, there is an alarm on the machine to wake me. Most often if a problem does occur it is because I rolled over and kinked a line. I haven't had any real problems with the system as of yet. I'm starting to feel better and my life hasn't been altered much.

Before I go any farther on this subject, let me tell you a little more about me. First of all, I'm just an ordinary guy with a kidney problem. What I'm writing is just about my experience with my condition. I'm not a doctor, and I am not doing a research study on this. I'm just writing to tell what I'm going through to anyone who cares to read this. Others who use this type of dialysis may have a completely different view of the process but this is what it is like for me. Now that I have been treating myself for a week, I am still sure this was the right decision for my treatment. It has gone fairly smooth so far. The machine has an alarm system for problems and this alarm has sounded a few times. Most of the alarms have been for a kink in the line. Sometimes in my sleep I run over on the line, which restricts the flow. The alarm sounds and I straighten the line. All is well again. I monitor my vital statistics to know what strength solution to use. My daily routine has had to change a little, but it is still pretty much the same as it was before. My night routine is where the changes have occurred. Once I hook up to the cycler machine, my mobility is limited. I have to try to have everything done that I have to do before I hook-up. I have line enough to sit in the living room and watch TV, but can't go to the kitchen for a drink or a snack. This isn't a huge problem though. If I have forgotten something, I just rely on an old and proven system to remedy this, "Honey, could you please get me a drink? Thank you, I love you."

New Routine

Now that my training is done, I have my cycler machine and all my supplies at home. The nurse who taught me how to use this equipment calls every day to get my stats and see if I have any questions or had any problems. Once she is confident with the way things are going she won't call everyday, I'll call if I have problems. There haven't been any problems so now we are just adjusting the treatment to my own needs. I feel better, that's the important thing. Being hooked to the cycler at night does restrict my freedom of movement somewhat, but I'm not tied down to one spot for hours. The line that is hooked to me allows me to move a little. I just have to make sure I have done what needs to be done beyond my range of motion before I hook up. I'm sure that this was the right choice if treatment for me. The little inconveniences it creates are offset by the benefits of treating myself at home, on my schedule. The few minutes a day it takes to set up the machine and write down my blood pressure, weight, temperature, and pulse are a small investment compared to going to the dialysis unit three times a week, for up to 6 hours. I have to go to unit once a month for a routine check-up with the nurse, my doctor, and the dietician to make any adjustments in the program that might be needed.. Time will tell but I do feel this is right for me.

How I Got Here

After many years of uncontrolled high blood pressure, even though I was on several different medications, I collapsed in a heap. This couldn't be happening to me, I was only 42 years old. My life had several changes that day and was never going to be the same again. Because my condition looked like a heart problem, creating a kidney problem, I had a few rough rides before it was discovered to be a kidney problem. I'm sure my problem is inherited because my father had similar symptoms. He was never diagnosed due to the fact that the technology we have today wasn't available until after his death. Kidney disease is more common than you may realize. Many people have a problem and don't even know it. But the good news is that some types can be controlled if they are discovered soon enough. A simple blood test will tell if there might be a problem.
Now it's on to the present. It has taken about 4 months to get started on the program. Tests were required, surgery done, time to heal, and time to train. With a few adjustments to the program, the system will be programed to my individual needs. The surgery was a simple procedure to install a catheter. I call this my 18" naval cord because of it's location next to my belly-button. This catheter is how I connect myself to the machine. All of the fluid exchanges are done through this catheter while being monitored and controlled by the cycler machine. After 3 weeks of going to the dialysis unit for flushes twice a week, it was time to start my training to do this at home. So on July 20, I sang Happy Birthday to me and started learning the rights and the wrongs of Peritoneal Dialysis at home.

July 20

July 20, 2009 was a special day. It was the 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon. It was also my 55th birthday. But the thing that made this day so special for me was because it was my first day of training. I was learning how to do my dialysis treatments at home. The method of treatment I chose is Peritoneal Dialysis not the more well known method of Hemo Dialysis. We decided on this method for me after reading and discussing the 2 methods. After talking to my Dr. about it, I met with the nurse in-charge of the home dialysis program. This lady was very helpful and explained the program, showed me the equipment, answered my questions, and made me feel comfortable with my decision. Having dealt with my health for many years and having been diagnosed with a degenerative kidney disease, I knew this was coming sometime so it wasn't a shock when my Dr. said the time had come. One of the biggest factors leading to the decision to do home dialysis was the fact that I do this while I sleep at night, and I don't have to worry about going to the hospital for treatment. I feel this was best for me and my lifestyle, it may not be for everyone who needs dialysis. I will post often on how this is working for me.