As I understand  it, some people are warned about having pets while performing CCPD.  When I researched PD on the internet,  there were some message boards that discussed the issue and there were warnings from the medical community about high risk of infection, blah, blah, blah.  The reality is, at least for me, it’s a non-issue. My dialysis nurse is an animal lover just like me and she assured me that my cats would be fine.  And they have been.  
 
My main concern was how my little angels were going to react to R2D2 and the tubing—all of those glorious yards of stringy things to play with—and whether Cleo, Queen of the  Universe, was going to claim the perfectly cat-sized heating tray as her new throne. Much to my delight, the cats don’t really pay any attention to it.  It’s like they know that it helps keep mommy alive, so they don’t mess with it. They’re so smart!
 
Typically, this  is how set up goes most nights.  I wash my hands and wear my mask.  Since I am never permitted to be alone, they sit quietly in the room and watch the action. Nobody (including me) is licking the connections or touching them in any way.   Even though the ceiling fan is running and/or windows are open, there doesn’t seem to be chunks of cat hair or debris flying around in the air.  A year after beginning PD, I have yet to have any infections or complications, so I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

As a peritoneal  dialysis patient, I’ve learned that very few people, including
medical  professionals, know much, if anything about PD.  I had never heard of
it myself when it  was first presented to me. It was an interesting concept but
would it be as effective as the blood sucking technique known as hemodialysis?   My nephrologist assured me it would be.  I can do it at home while I sleep,  there are very few dietary/fluid restrictions and I can take the show on the road when I travel?!?!  Sign me  up!
 
My catheter was  placed while I was awake but sedated.  I didn’t feel much.  It healed well.  So far, so good.  About a week after the procedure, I was able to begin PD.  My dialysis center programmed my cycler and sent it home with me on my last day of training.  I decided to name it R2D2 (R2 for short) after the cute little droid from Star Wars that made the funny beeping sounds,  It felt fitting to me to name it considering it was going to become my  new best friend. 
  
I got R2 home, placed it on its pedestal of stackable plastic drawers next to the bed and prepared for my first therapy.  It only took a few minutes to set up.  Could it really be that easy?! Yes! Of course, there was some anxiety related to how this was going to go.  Was it going to be noisy? Were alarms going to go off?  Was it going to hurt?  Would I wrap myself up in
the tubing? Would my catheter be torn out of my body? 

When I was ready for bed, I carefully donned my mask and washed my hands for two rousing rounds of “Happy Birthday to Me.”  I took the caps off of my catheter and the patient line, pressed go and I was off! First alarm…oh no!  “Check patient line.”  Checked it, it’s fine, but it keeps insisting that I check the patient  line. Not a good start.  Hmm, they said that the machine should be placed within a range of 6 inches higher and 6 inches lower than the top of the bed.  Maybe it’s sitting too high.  We remove one of the drawers and….problem solved!

As I laid there waiting for the next glitch, I noticed the low hum—like white noise.  Not bad at all.  There was a vibrating sound that was kind of annoying.  I moved it slightly and it  stopped.  Yes! There were some faint sucking sounds, but nothing bothersome. 

Here’s how the cycler works: Initial drain (removes any fluid that may be in your peritoneal cavity); Fill (dialysate  solution is added to your peritoneal cavity); and Dwell (the fluid “dwells” inside you, pulling out waste and excess fluid).  My therapy is 3 cycles over 8 hours and a “Last Fill” which means I dwell during the day. For me, a drain typically takes about 15  minutes, a fill takes about 10 minutes and my dwell time is 2 hours, 10 minutes.  

The first few  nights, my abdomen felt a little crampy during the initial drain cycle, but it  wasn’t painful. That sensation went away eventually and I rarely feel anything. After my fill, it felt strange to have the extra fluid in my belly—kind of like I just ate a really big meal.  (Note to self: from now on,  do not eat a lot before going to bed or I may explode.)  I also got used to that and I don’t really get that slightly uncomfortable feeling anymore. Oh, except when I eat during the day.  Carrying around 1500 ml of fluid on top  of a full stomach can make you feel about 9 ½ months pregnant.  The solution?  Eat less.  Lose weight!   But I digress….

Finally, off to  sleep I go. Three startling beeps.  Oh, no!  Now what?!   Ahhh, my new arch nemesis,“Low Drain Volume.” I roll around a little bit and get another set of LDV beeps and then silence.  Yes!  According to my dialysis nurse, this is not uncommon. It’s primarily attributed to the placement of your catheter and how it is positioned inside your belly.  I’ve learned that I typically need to be laying on my right side during my drain cycle or I’ll hear the 3 LDV beeps telling me, “turn over dummy!”  Not a problem.   Now when I hear three beeps, I automatically turn over and go back to sleep.  It seems disruptive, but I quickly got used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all. 

When  I woke up that first morning, I felt rested.  A few small inconveniences did not ruin  my night and I actually got some sleep.   I put on my mask, rubbed a puddle of antibacterial fluid into my hands, disconnected myself and I was on my merry way.  That was awesome! Several months later, I feel like a seasoned professionaL.

I'm a type 2 diabetic.  Although I'm relatively young (40-something) for kidney failure and other such diabetes-related nastiness, my kidneys began to fail about 3 years ago.  I did everything I could to slow the progression, but for some reason my body likes to take the ball and sprint to the end zone with health-related issues. 

 Eventually, my kidney function was dropping more rapidly and my creatinine levels were rising. I was scared and  intimidated just by the idea that my kidneys were no longer able to do their job, much less having to become dependent on dialysis to  stay healthy. Dialysis always seemed so depressing, like life as I knew it was ending.  Visions of  sitting in a center for 4 hours, 3 times a week, hooked up to a machine that sucked out my blood, cleaned it and put it back in was not how I wanted to spend  my time. I work a 9-5 job with great  benefits and I didn't want to risk losing  it. Fortunately, my nephrology team was sensitive to my situation. I was given  choices for my treatment  that, as I understand it, are not always given to  people in need of  dialysis.  Without question, PD was the right option for me.  Why?  It would allow me to maintain a normal lifestyle.  I think that's important for everyone.  When you are suffering with chronic disease, it's sometimes difficult to feel "normal" due to all of the doctors, medications and restrictions, not to mention the disomfort and often the lack of hope.  With all that I've been through over the past few years, I've come to consider myself a very strong person.  I don't allow myself to let health issues or anything else get me down.  I suck it up and deal with it in a positive way.  Don't get me wrong, when issues occasionally begin to pile up, I sometimes wonder why me, but I ALWAYS remember that there are so many people out there who have problems way worse than mine. 

 In November 2012,  I began feeling nauseated most of the time.  I was weak and fatigued.  My  damn kidneys were messing with me.  There was no way I was going to let them get  the bast of me!  I carried on as if nothing was wrong.  I went to work every day  and hoped that I wouldn't end up vomiting in front of people (hah, so much for  that dream!)  I knew it was time for dialysis, but I was going to do this on my terms.  I wanted one last great vacation before I was grounded for a few years (more on being "grounded" later). 

The trip to Belize was planned for the second week of April 2013.  I could make it that long, right?!  Wrong!  The nausea and fatigue were only getting worse, but I was going on vacation--try to stop me!  So....the last weekend of March, I was so sick I spent all of Sunday night dry heaving.  My plan for a week in a cottage on the beach in Belize was foiled! I was SO MAD!  I was devastated.  I felt betrayed by my own body.  I'm the boss and I say what goes...apparently, not so much.   On April 1st, I called my nephrologist and surrendered.  He told me to go to the emergency room (he didn't say April Fools!) and thus my adventure began.   

After a few days of hemo to clean my incredibly toxic blood, I had a PD catheter installed in my lower abdomen.  It didn't hurt.  I just had to keep it clean and covered and take really good care of it.  The site healed nicely, no complications.  After my week-long stint at the hospital, I began my PD training at the clinic.  I chose to do CCPD using the cycler, so most of the training centered around cleanliness and setting up the machine.  Pretty easy.  It literally takes 5-10 minutes to set up each night.  It takes me longer to put on mascara in the morning.  

Seven months later, I can honestly say that I love PD.  Sounds bizarre, I know.  I feel good and I can live my life the way I want to and that makes me happy.