Peritoneal Dialysis

[SadMad]

Do we have to bandage out sites for the duration of having it? I did not like the belt so I use the lanyards for my catheter; they are more comfortable.

[bumblebee_tuna]

Are you asking if there is always some kind of covering? Yes most dialysis center will require a bandage, some require antibiotics cream and some avoid the application. I just tape the catheter to the bandage, seems to be the least amount of potential tagging. I didn't like the belt as well.

[Topcat1967 in reply to bumblebee_tuna]

I prefer the belt as everything is all away with no risk of anything going near it or it being caught on anything. The very thought of it being caught on anything made me feel aaarrrggghh.

[RonZone in reply to Topcat1967]

are you still on PD?

[Topcat1967 in reply to RonZone]

Hi, actually I'm not, so I should have put preferred. Had transplant Sept last year but I still like to see what's going on in the community. I still feel connected to it for some reason. 😊

[RonZone in reply to Topcat1967]

Hey, congrats on the transplant! And hey, sure, stay connected. You have plenty to offer to others.

[Topcat1967 in reply to RonZone]

Thanks Ronzone. I've been a lucky girl. I feel so blessed and wish everyone on this site positive vibes and all the luck that I've had. Everyone, try to stay strong and focused and positive. 😊x

[allene7 in reply to Topcat1967]

Thank you for the words of encouragement sometimes we/I just need to hear it.

[RhenDutchess123]

Yes...you must always wear a covering and needs cleaned and changed every day...I also do not like the belt, I tape mine down

[RonZone]

I'm a tape guy. I wrap the transfer set tube around and tape it to the bandage using two pieces of tape. I do use a bandage all the time (except when in the shower). I only use the lanyard while in the shower. The tape and bandage itches a bit, but I just scratch and move on, The belt was cumbersome to deal with for me. Closest thing a guy will get to understanding what wearing a bra feels like I think!

[Hidden]

I'm assuming you're talking about the site where your catheter exits your body. I never put a bandage on mine, just a little antibiotic ointment to help keep the skin soft and germ free. I used the belts and they didn't bother me. I'm an active person and they kept the catheter in place while I was doing chores like cleaning up after a hurricane. When I showered, I just let the catheter hang down and sway back and forth. No big deal.

[RonZone in reply to Hidden]

This is actually good to hear. Most of us are a tad paranoid concerning getting an infection and keep out exit site bandaged as an over abundance of precaution against dirt and stuff as well as using the antibiotic ointment, especially when working out in the yard. but to hear you cleared after a hurricane with no bandage says that our skin is tougher than we might think. It's just so hard to change a behavior once you've been doing it a while. Like I was taught to clean my cycler each night before use with a paper town soaked in bleach water (100 to 1 mixture). So I continue to do that. Others never clean there's. I was told to clean my shower head often. I rarely clean it and so far no infection. So yeah, I'm a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to the shower head cleaning. And I definitely don't keep my room as dust free as I did that first month or two :-). So we all do some things and then don't do other things. I guess It's all about comfort level. We could probably do a lot less, but we're to chicken to take that chance it seems.

[Hidden in reply to RonZone]

Hey Ron, glad to hear from you. In Florida, most everyone has a pool. My nurses told me not to swim in a public pool but it was ok at home because they knew I was anal about things and I kept my pool clean and chlorinated. The surgeon and nurses told me that the seal around the catheter was pretty good. Because I was kinda rough with mine, I would get a little crust that I would scrape away and put the ointment on. Yes, I wiped my cycler about once a week. When connecting and disconnecting, I would turn off the AC and ceiling fan in my bedroom. I used the chlorine fluid in the bottle and wiped the catheter connector each time. I did PD for only 6 months and never had an infection. I ran my drain line to the bathroom sink. I also have some hypoallergenic tape that I used to tape the line to my body and it didn’t bother my skin.

[RonZone in reply to Hidden]

One of the issues I have with my little pool is that it's under a bunch of large trees, so i get tree "stuff" (leaves, oak flowers, small limbs), bugs, and even an occasional clumsy squirrel in my pool, so it's very difficult to keep it "clean" there's always a bit of trash floating around in it. So that get's me a tad worried. I've thought about getting one of those robot pool vacuums, but during the great "leaf" season it wouldn't do much good since it would constantly get glogged up with leaves and I'd have to manually get them out anyway, but maybe it would work for the summer months. Might try one next year and see. Till then, I enjoy just sticking my legs in on a HOT summer day.

[SadMad]

My pool is out in the open. It has a skimmer and I vacuum it with a pole vacuum. I also have a hand held skimmer to get the bugs and whatever out. I check my chlorine level before * get in