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.
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.