Nocturnal

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal

This is nocturnal, IN CENTER. We have the normal quota of staff and they insert. outsert, take out the needles and tape you up and send you home. You are correct about home nocturnal.

[Ottawagirl]

Re: Nocturnal

I was told whre I live in Canada you can do dialysis at home by yourself.
That you just need some monitored alarm and that is it now that they changed the rules.

I would not want to fall asleep at my dialysis centre,I saw one man who was not being watched very well during the day-the alarm on his machine was defective and his machine was leaking his blood out the bottom of the machine and there was a curtain in the way,so the 4 or 5 nurses that checked up on this man never noticed and one of the cleaning people did-all the nurses were doing so far was giving the man "ice chips".

So,eventually the man was fainting and convusling and had to be taken off and be admitted to the hospital.
Was not allowed to know what happened after that.
Also when I did mention this to someone I knew at the hospital management got mad at me,someone had actually asked me why they were mopping during the day,moving stuff...so i gave honest answer.

Anyway,that was last year and still traumatized by that!

I was also told by one doctor here that you are not supposed to fall asleep during dialysis and if you do that means something is wrong with you and they want to admit you to the hospital to make sure you are ok.
not sure how that would work for night people then?

[Gustine]

Re: Nocturnal

When I use to go incenter over here in the U.S. the same thing like you mention, rules have changed where they don't want to see patients fall asleep. Sometimes when I would fall asleep incenter they would kick my chair to wake me up. They would do it over and over each time I fell asleep. Other things they don't want you to do incenter is eat while on dialysis cuz your blood pressure will drop. When people eat the blood goes to the stomach to work digesting the food so thats why its important not to eat while on dialysis.

In the case of nocturnal its not the same as doing3x per week incenter, its more gentle and hardly any side-effects such as washed out and down tired is not there. Nocturnal is not harsh as it is incenter. Blood pump is lower, usually 250 and incenter they have it doubled or tripled!

Personally, nocturnal is safe when you have people around you watching over you, but if you want to do it alone I think the risks go up a bit. If you feel secure enough to do Nocturnal alone and your allowed then go for it! Either way, less dialyisis or more there's always some sort of risk. Which do you prefer? More dialysis, more years of life?

I was told whre I live in Canada you can do dialysis at home by yourself.
That you just need some monitored alarm and that is it now that they changed the rules.

I would not want to fall asleep at my dialysis centre,I saw one man who was not being watched very well during the day-the alarm on his machine was defective and his machine was leaking his blood out the bottom of the machine and there was a curtain in the way,so the 4 or 5 nurses that checked up on this man never noticed and one of the cleaning people did-all the nurses were doing so far was giving the man "ice chips".

So,eventually the man was fainting and convusling and had to be taken off and be admitted to the hospital.
Was not allowed to know what happened after that.
Also when I did mention this to someone I knew at the hospital management got mad at me,someone had actually asked me why they were mopping during the day,moving stuff...so i gave honest answer.

Anyway,that was last year and still traumatized by that!

I was also told by one doctor here that you are not supposed to fall asleep during dialysis and if you do that means something is wrong with you and they want to admit you to the hospital to make sure you are ok.
not sure how that would work for night people then?

[cicero]

night time in the South

As you know our nocturnal is just now in its third month. For the patients it is a hit and we have been coming in one or two a week. I am 6th to be hooked up or rather part of pair 5/6. By the time they have me lie down for my BP reading at least 3 of the first 4 are asleep, Mainly we sleep all night long and with the iron role, KEEP YOUR FISTULA OUT IN THE OPEN....... I wake up earlier than they want me to and so I monitor their activities in the last hour of the shift. They are like two mothers, checking, looking, touching and moving cover. I sleep with many worries but none are associated with the care I get at Diaysis,
Sleeping was ok with our 4 hr shifts also. There was one man I saw for 3 years and never saw him awake. But the staff was the same there, make sure the fistula is in the open, hum, touch, observe and note. No coffee, no eats, just walk and watch.
I really don't have a care in the world abut the procedure while I sleep.
Do it with gusto, you'll feel better.
Cicero

[Ottawagirl]

Re: night time in the South

As you know our nocturnal is just now in its third month. For the patients it is a hit and we have been coming in one or two a week. I am 6th to be hooked up or rather part of pair 5/6. By the time they have me lie down for my BP reading at least 3 of the first 4 are asleep, Mainly we sleep all night long and with the iron role, KEEP YOUR FISTULA OUT IN THE OPEN....... I wake up earlier than they want me to and so I monitor their activities in the last hour of the shift. They are like two mothers, checking, looking, touching and moving cover. I sleep with many worries but none are associated with the care I get at Diaysis,
Sleeping was ok with our 4 hr shifts also. There was one man I saw for 3 years and never saw him awake. But the staff was the same there, make sure the fistula is in the open, hum, touch, observe and note. No coffee, no eats, just walk and watch.
I really don't have a care in the world abut the procedure while I sleep.
Do it with gusto, you'll feel better.
Cicero

Well sounds like your unit is very professional.
Mine they could use so many improvements-unfortunately I am stuck there as there is 2 units in my city with the same employees more or less and the same hospital-I have actually been at both units and the first one I was at they would not watch people properly an dmy fistula was damaged because of that.
Also, they would never let you change your time for anything-not even a funeral almost.
I eventually managed to get a spot at another unit (that is 1 hour from me),
and the first unit called asking why I did not want to go to a closer place and I was then told I could come back if I dropped out of school as they were only offering me 1 time slot ever (again....).

So now the unit I'm at is in a hospital (it is all we have here),
if you were to come at night here,you would get a terrible chair,heck even after a surgery they did not have any beds and I was forced to use a horrible chain,in pain for 4 hours...

The unit they also seem to disregard a lot of safety issues,like letting patients walk BAREFEET on the floor,
not making people wash tjeir hands even if they have blood on them from holding.
Also people here,it is ok to be all covered up and the nurse will check on you every hour or 2 sometimes.

As well before they would reuse the bands that you put on your arm and never wash them.
When I found that out and that the whole hospital was doing that,I wrote a letter saying I did not think it was safe to reuse items that may have blood on them between people.
They finally did c hange that,but because now I had some previous safety concerns the staff overall does not like me.

I have been to the US and it is so much cleaner than in my city!

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal

Here in the States, the "owner?" of the facility, normally not hospitals, sets the tone and from area to area the same company does not do everything exactly the same.
In our facility there are so many different possibilities I am not sure just what the washing is. If you have a button hole you are expected to show up at your station washed. If you have a fistula and don't use numbing lotion, the same. If you use numbing lotion, the staff washes your arm at the station. And if you have a cath, the staff cleans it.
Our chairs for 4 hr sessions is a generic recliner with a plastic surface. It is washed with Clorox between patients. I have a tender butt and use a car drivers seat cushion that is ventilated to be more comfortable.
The Nighttime 8 hr people have a low end, as far as looks and controls go hospital bed with a plastic covered mattress.. Each person has their own bed clothes and tote them in and out every session. When I had 4 hr sessions I used to walk back and forth, but I am just not enough of a camel to tote every thing I need. So my wife drives me. The mattress is washed with chlorox between patients.
With open toed shoes, sox are required and our saintly head nurse would drop prostrate if she saw a bare foot on the floor.
Oh well that's enough from the states where we are trying to get a Canadian health system for our medical model.

[cicero]

Nocturnal status

This may be the last of the status, how's it going messages. This is all empirical data, not scientific, and I am definitely not a doctor.
After 8 weeks my KT/v has increased from an average of around 1.6-1.9, In three years I never got to 2.0. After 8 weeks my average is 2.8 and I don't believe there is a scale that says if you double you feel this much better. I do sleep better, eat better, have exercise easier, feel more like a man that has no kidney problem. It is just great
The hemoglobin is more steady and higher from measurement to measurement and thats a good thing.
Some others look like they may be trending better but the two above are definite.
I believe that potassium and phosphorous are more easily controlled and stay in the middle.
more of the time.
From all I have read the same sort of results can be expected from NxStage.
So that's all from the sand lands of North Carolina. Have a good night and consider In Center Nocturnal, you meet the nicest people there,

[tyefly]

Re: Nocturnal

I am still trying to make a decision as to nocturnal or short daily...... the one thing that bothers me is right now I get up to use the bathroom at least twice every nice sometimes three times..... I dont go much but boy I sure think I need to ..... I remember just last year I never Never got up to go to the bathroom at night..... I am worried about that ..... I am thinking attends..... or some kind of Adult diaper...... boy what a girl will do to get good dialysis......

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal

Well Kathy, its been years since I had to get up to go to the bath room. They don't encourage it as it is a chance for infection because they disconnect a sterile blood path, try to protect it while you are away, thats the connector on each end and then get you put back together again and keep the germs away.
It is done, but it is fairly rare. We have about 9 now as we are growing slowly due to staff and I have been there for 3 months and since I am asleep most of the time, I don't know if anyone has gotten up. When I was on days, in 3 years, it seems that it was mostly diarrhea.
If I knew what I know now and was making a decision on night and depends or day and no depends, I'd still go nights. You just can't imagine how much better you feel. If I did not have my other diseases to keep me in touch with reality, I would not know I was ill. Remember this is not professional advice, just your little country boy.

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal body status 3 months

Well once again I am back. KT/v is now 2.94
Hemoglobin, phosphorous, potassium are all staying steady and at good levels.
It seems that all the tests just are snaps now. No fussing, no scares for high/low values, meds they give me are on the way down, I have always been on Tums for phosphorous, but now I am only on those at dinner time. May change but one less pill. Darn, it had ot be a cheap one.
Oh well have a good week and enjoy the two day off feature.

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal

Jimw, that is still true. I am on in center nocturnal and they have a staff of two for each 10 of us. The start is hectic and the finish is hectic and the middle is just sleeping. takes an hour and a quarter to get 5 on in a row and about the same to get them off. since it is staggered there is not any wasted time.

[cicero]

results at the end of 4 months KT/v SMOKING

Did not think this was going to happen but my latest KT/v is 3.28. All other measurements seem to be static with little or no movement month to month.
We have one other over 3.2 so I am not an anomaly in that way, just in most ways.
It continues to be the best time I have had in my 3.5 year stay here in the Dialysis Dreamland. Sounds like a dance floor.
We are starting dialize with water color painting, but not for nocturnal in the next week or two.
It just seems to get better and better.

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal end of 5 months

My KT/v is 3.86 and two of my friends are 4+.
The good time just keep getting better.
C

[cicero]

Re: Nocturnal

I thought I was through with updates about my nocturnal leanings/learnings but Why not 1 more.
It, Noct., is the best of all the things I have tried in dialysis. Unfortunately I have Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and that is a fatal, incurable, as of now disease. IK am very glad I had CKD and ESRD first,. because with out the character building that this has imparted, I believe I would have not made it through the discovery of the disease, the fatality of the disease and the good health required to stay alive with the disease.
How odd is it that I feel dialysis keeps me in good health. But it does. Remember the religion that I spout. The machine/dialysier does just half the work. Proper eating, proper fluid intake, proper attitude, proper exercise and proper rest dies the other half.
So I was ready with good habits and good attitude when PPH reared its ugly head. I was told in April last year by a Nephrologist, I had less than six months to live. That would have made me go before my last birthday. As you can guess I did not. Part of that I attribute to the greater cleansing of nocturnal and the general feeling of good health I have as a result. So now I feel that if you have another disease, you should try hard to get on nocturnal. I used to travel the world some 4 times a year. It was my philosophy then as now, if you have to go go first class. Nocturnal is first class. DaVita Rules, I just used a competitor to get to see my son ordained. Not like home.
God have mercy on us all and good night.
Cicero

[patty0805]

Re: Nocturnal

Hi Cicero, I certainly did enjoy reading your posts. thanks for taking the time. I'm on manual PD and that works well for me, but after reading your info, if I ever had to change, it would be to in center nights.
Patty