Home at last

We made it home. We had tire problems in Lake Charles and had to buy two new tires before we could continue our trip. Outside of Houston, we had a blow-out on the driver's front tire. God was watching out for us! At the time of the blow-out there was no traffic around us on the highway and Robbie was able to control the truck and ge it off the side of the road. AAA rescued us and put on the spare tire. We drove to the nearest Discount tire and bought two more new tires. Otherwise, our trip went great.

Returning home

We had a great time at family reunion. We are on our way home. We found it worked out best to use a waste basket to capture the fluids from the wasteline since the wasteline did not reach into a bathroom at the cabin or hotels. Otherwise the dialysis went fine. This time we used the end table between the beds for the cycler. It took some thought to set up in places for dialysis and arranging the area for dialysis. The carry case holds the cycler but not all the attachments which have to be taken off to package the cycler. We did have a bag for carrying attachments. We found the carry case awkward to load the dialysis machine and believe some enhancements can be made to make transporting the cycler easier for two ladies to handle. We could not blog often as we did not have Internet at the cabin.

Arrived at Family Re-union 07/04/10

We arrived at Punderson Park in Ohio outside of Cleveland today. Last night we stayed at the Horseshoe Hotel in Elizabeth, OH. It was our first dialysis in a hotel. All went well on the treatment. No alarms on the machine during treatment. Learning to set up the Nx Stage machine in a hotel took a little longer than at home, but it worked out fine. We had the bellhop transport the machine and supplies for us on a cart, and he also assisted us in getting the machine out of its carry case onto the stand. When we arrived at Punderson Park, we had help getting all the supplies out of the Ford Explorer and into the cabin where the temperature is controlled. Having fun. I am posting a picture of dialysis in one of the hotel rooms.

On the road 01/07/10

We left San Antonio in the rain from hurricane. The only congestion in traffic was Austin. Here is a picture of the packed Ford Explore with all the cargo including the Nx Stage machine. We stayed the first night at Harrah hotel in Shreveport. Since we did dialysis at home before leaving, we did not do dialysis that night. Friday is my day off. We are near Memphis tonight and will drive to Nashville tomorrow and do dialysis tomorrow night. Great trip so far.

06/01/10

Time is growing near. With the help of NX STAGE staff, supplies were ordered and delivered. I will not be in town for July delivery. Supplies will cover two months. You have the choice to have supplies delivered to your destination. I chose to carry all supplies since I will be in several locations for a short periods. Several hotels will be visited.
Total days are 13. I calandered days of travel with no more than 400 miles per day to allow for dialysis time of 4 total hours per tx. This includes set up and take off. Total number of treatments is eight on the road. I plan days off one at a time and no more than one day off between treatments. DO YOUR CALENDAR.
The picture shows everything going for the trip except for two suitcases and the NX STAGE machine. I am taking extra supplies for mishaps such as fluid leakage or contamination.



Supplies are listed for information on what is needed:

• NX STAGE MACHINE w/portable carry case
• 20 boxes dialysate
• 2 boxes cartridges total 12 cartridges
• 8 waste lines
• 12 mla warmer bag lines
• Small bag with three to two prog conversion plug, isb port, power surge protector with long cord or extension cord 15 mfeet long, flashlight.
• Big suitcase with supplies as follows:

1. Portable stool
2. 2 sand buckets in case waste lines do not reach bathroom. I think you can figure that out.
3. Blue sterile pads
4. Access needles plenty
5. ETOH sponges
6. Betadine swabs
7. Sterile sponges
8. Torniquets
9. Tape
10. Scizzors
11. Antibacterial soap
12. Heparin
13. Access needles

Consult MDr regarding antibiotic in case of site infection. If needed carry lab supplies including culturettes.

Also we are taking:

• Arm pillow
• Sharps container
• Plastic trash bags
• Portable scale
• 2 boxes saliene bags
• T.V. tray table
• A dolly to help move stuff

It helps a great deal to write down your travel supply needs. When you start packing, check off from your list. Do this with your dialysis partner. Two heads are better than one.

05/23/10

The start,
Make the decision to use the NxStage dialysis machine to the full capacity and make it work for your life quality. I had reached the decision to become independent. Options for dialysis were researched and family involvement accomplished. The Fresinius and NxStage team agreed to train after evaluation. Freedom is at hand and now I will travel with the machine. Once all this was in place, the rest is within reach. I love road trips and travel in the states. This is part of my retirement goal.
I hope this blog will help encourage and guide other hemodialysis clients and provide important information to NxStage and dialysis team providers.

Step one: pick destination with your dialysis partner.

Step two: calendar the event. Inlude stops, length of stay and dialysis days planned. On dialysis days I plan to drive no more than 8 hours. You will need maps that include distance to better plan your stops. Make all reservations. Stay in hotels that are modern, have valet or parking by the room door. This will help with moving the equipment from the car to the room. Using a square box calendar is best and allows for you to write notes in the squares.

Step three: request permission from your doctor and dialysis team before travel. Dr prescription is required to obtain supplies for travel.

Continued later

Planning for July 2010 Vacation.

Beginning to plan for family re-union vacation in July. Received AAA travel maps. Making list of supplies needed to take on trip for next order with NX Stage.

Picture of Robbie and Dolly with nurses at home setting up for dialysis.