Fistula surgery

[Quita55]

Has anyone ever have to have fistula surgery in the same arm multiple times? This is my 3rd surgery in the same arm

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

Yes, I have. Will write more later. Off to appointment.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

Are you talking about creating fistulas in the same arm or having fistulagrams or balloon angiopathies to open up the original fistula? I averaged one fistula gram every year, sometimes more, when my fistula narrowed or became clotted. I was on hemodialysis for four years. I also had a stent put in to an area that frequently narrowed.

[checkman]

I have had one fistula in each arm. They both clotted and they wanted me to try to get another one—fistula number 3. No way for me, I refuse to get fistulas anymore. Done. I met someone who had EIGHT fistulas all over her body. My scars are enormous and ugly. Besides that, no dialysis tech knew to place the needles in different spots on the fistula and I would get these huge lumps. Almost golf ball size. They did not know what they were doing. I know for a fact they are trained to use that technique, but they don't. This happened at several dialysis centers, the same everywhere. I have had a port for a few years now. The dialysis techs would change my dressing and I ended up with SEVERAL infections and having to get MANY new ports. NO MORE! I now have changed my own dressing for a long time WITHOUT A SINGLE INFECTION. I will never go to needles again and I will never let anyone else change my dressing. Except of course when I am hospitalized, which by the way is 4 - 6 times a year.

I just spent 3 weeks at the Cleveland Clinic because neither my DR. nor the dialysis center did anything to help me finish my treatments for 3 months. My heart rate would go down to the 40's and I would almost pass out and had to get off of every treatment before I finished the whole treatment. They refused to make any changes to my dialysis prescription or change the settings on the machine to help get my heart rate back up during treatments. They just took me off early and they were perfectly fine with that. I had not had a full treatment in months. You can imagine how sick I was. I had to admit myself to the hospital which is 1.5 hour drive. They almost killed me.