I had the opportunity to check out the dialysis unit that I will be using in the fall. It was really nice to meet the (INCREDIBLE) nurses, check out the facilities and even meet some of the people on dialysis. It was a great experience that left me feeling much more at ease about the whole thing. I had been warned that the two ladies I was going to be talking to had been on dialysis for awhile so their fistulas were a little "ropier" because they had been used so much. They weren't bad at ALL!! I was so relieved that theirs were considered in rough shape and it wasn't nearly as bad as what I had built up in my head. The one women even had one that had been tied off and she just had a little scar, so if I do end up having mine tied off once I get a transplant it will just be a little scar on my arm. I was warned that because my arms are quite small in comparison to most dialysis patients that it will stick out a bit more on mine but still, it won't be too bad. The women that I talked to were so nice and welcoming and answered all of my questions. It will be nice to see familiar faces when I start there in the late fall.
We also talked about the possibility of doing dialysis 6 times per week for shorter amounts of time vs. 3 times per week for a large chunk of time each visit. I will need a total of 12 hours of dialysis per week and there is some flexibility in terms of how I accumulate those hours. With three times per week it will take about 4 hours of my day to complete everything. If I were to go 6 days per week I would only need to carve out 2 hours of my day each visit. With my schedule I am often working before work and after work with a few hours in the afternoon where I'm off. I would have to change very little in my schedule to find two hours per day to go in. The additional pro to going 6 time per week is your body stays a little more level in terms of the fluid and toxin build up in your body. Your kidneys are responsible for filtering out crap in your body, so when your kidneys aren't functioning properly the toxic stuff builds up. With dialysis it takes out your blood, filters it and puts it back in clean. When your kidneys are only functioning with the help of dialysis the toxic stuff builds up in between visits. So with 6 days per week it more consistently filters your system. So, we will see. It's kind of the same thing as picking between the fistula and catheter - they both suck, it just comes down to which one sucks the least.
We also talked about the possibility of doing dialysis 6 times per week for shorter amounts of time vs. 3 times per week for a large chunk of time each visit. I will need a total of 12 hours of dialysis per week and there is some flexibility in terms of how I accumulate those hours. With three times per week it will take about 4 hours of my day to complete everything. If I were to go 6 days per week I would only need to carve out 2 hours of my day each visit. With my schedule I am often working before work and after work with a few hours in the afternoon where I'm off. I would have to change very little in my schedule to find two hours per day to go in. The additional pro to going 6 time per week is your body stays a little more level in terms of the fluid and toxin build up in your body. Your kidneys are responsible for filtering out crap in your body, so when your kidneys aren't functioning properly the toxic stuff builds up. With dialysis it takes out your blood, filters it and puts it back in clean. When your kidneys are only functioning with the help of dialysis the toxic stuff builds up in between visits. So with 6 days per week it more consistently filters your system. So, we will see. It's kind of the same thing as picking between the fistula and catheter - they both suck, it just comes down to which one sucks the least.
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