Swimming

[Carillon]

Has anyone swam?

[LadyLuv]

Check with your nurse. I do PD and I can't swim. It really sucks.

[Yat83 in reply to LadyLuv]

Yes you can swim if you have a graft or a fistula. A catheter in the chest neck or stomach or groin no because that’s really risky for infection. I currently have a graft in my left thigh. And I swim I get in the jacuzzi I shower I bath and it’s makes me feel free without that chest port.

[Carillon in reply to Yat83]

I know about fistulas but can you explain a graft?

[Yat83 in reply to Carillon]

A graft is a plastic Tube that goes in your arm

Of leg. It connects to your arteries and veins. I had a lot of blood clotting issues so I had to get a graft. The fistula kept clotting

[Carillon in reply to Yat83]

Thank you. I love swimming and to stop would be a major step back. I will explore the graft but my doctor says the gold standard in dialysis is the fistula.

[Yat83 in reply to Carillon]

Yes fistula is way better then a graft. But they both can create problems. Just keep the faith it will all work out!!!

[Jessi1027 in reply to Carillon]

Yes the fistula most certainly is. They last longer then a graft

[Carillon in reply to Yat83]

How long have you had the graft? Any problems? Does it get grotesque like some arm fistulas?

[Yat83 in reply to Carillon]

I had my Graft in my left thigh since 2017 and it’s been working fine. They can clot easy since it’s more blood flow in your leg it has not clotted much. And I didn’t understand that word you used?

[Carillon in reply to Yat83]

Sorry. I saw some photos of fistulas on the arm. They were very large and not attractive.

[Yat83 in reply to Carillon]

My arms looks just like that. My dr use to say my arms looks

Like popeye the sailor. Yes they are very unattractive I keep my arms cover all the time. If people didn’t know me they would think I’m on drugs how bad my arms look

[Carillon in reply to Yat83]

Sorry to hear that.

[Jessi1027]

I'm currently on PD and I was told I could swim, as long as it's in a pool with chlorine or ocean, bay because of salt water and fast moving current that keeps it clean. But no swimming in lakes or ponds.

[DAF1234 in reply to Jessi1027]

I was also given this information. I am on PD and was told I can swim in my home pool. Also ocean water but not public pools or lakes or ponds.

[Unityismine in reply to Jessi1027]

Thank you for your answer!

[mingmiley]

I use fistula, This is my ninth year, it has been narrowed many times, they had to open it- angioplasty, but not to the point of clogging. We have a guy, he is using the same fiatula for 35 years now, I just don't know how many angioplasties he went through though.