The "Home Dialysis Training - Day 3", edition.

iPad shuffled to Mark Ronson, featuring Lily Allen, "Oh My God". Well, I was just playing Mark Ronson song for Brian.  Today is day 3 of home hemodialysis training. I'll bet your saying what happened to day 2. Training is 5 days a week and I'm not trying write the blog everyday. Also, the first   2 days we were too busy doing stuff. Lol. Like watching videos on the set up of the equipment, on how to document, what to document, what the readings on the machine indicate. And learning the tubing. So.Much.Tubing. And lots  of clamps. But we're getting there.  

The Dramatics, "Oceans of Thoughts and Dreams". And now it's time for yet another video.  I stuck myself again. And will probably will do it forever...or until I get a transplant. And I'm thinking...what was I scared of?  It doesn't hurt.  I have the buttonholes. I'll review the buttonholes for you later.  It's video time.  ...  Back and I'm done and back home. The training video was a continuation of yesterday. It's about setting up the fluid that's used for dialysis. It's called dialysate.  OMG. Setting up the area for the dialisate is like setting up a computer, except with about 20 more connections lol!  We make the dialysate - A chemical bath used in dialysis to draw fluids and toxins out of the bloodstream and supplyelectrolytes and other chemicals to the bloodstream.  What makes it so tedious is making sure everything sterile and making sure there are no mixed connections. We don't want to mix intake with output. That'll put me at risk.  

No music. I'm home.  After I stuck myself, Brian secured the needles, and yes there is a specific process for that. He took the stats every 1/2 hour.  If the blood pressure cuff crapped out, he fixed it. When the time was over, he removed the needles and bandages the site, broke down the machine and discarded the tubing, needles and everything else. And he finally disinfected the cycler (cycler is what the in home dialysis machine called).  We have more to learn, but I do get that we'll learn best by repetition. 

Finally Shawn left for Seattle this morning for an archeologist conference. She'll return Sunday evening. That's about it. Temp registered 73 as we left training. I'm not as tired after the incenter treatment. So that's a good thing. Photo of Brian doing his thing. :)  Remember, the blog will be MWF around this time until further notice.  Have a great day..or evening...or afternoon. :-)