New to Dialysis

Congratulations Isitpossible. Please come back and let us know how your first couple of days go. WTG!

You will be confused and the machines may be overwhelming, do not give up. Take a lot of notes and stick with it.

Make friends with the techs and don't let the patients notice that you are nervous (if you are). Walk in there with a great attitude, a team driven sense of work ethic, offer to help the techs and introduce yourself to the patients with a confident smile. The patients are just as judgemental as the coworkers. These people will be your family from now on! Good first impressions go a long way.

So far so good. There are so many course modules to complete on the computer, but I do get on the floor a little each day. I have started practicing hanging the tubing. The techs are soo fast, I haven't quite caught it, but feel I will in time. The patients for the most part of very dear and my FA is awesome as are the techs. The only thing that I worry about is when the patients are cannulated, it HURTS them. I would like to make that process as pain free as possible. Can I use EMLA topical prior?

Its going to hurt, I have people who scream every day. I think it just comes down to the individual person. I have many tell me the cream doesn't work. Arms can be sore, different techs calculating. Its just bein stuck every day.

Our Fresenius outpatient clinic has the patients apply the EMLA cream at home and put some kind of protective barrier such as plastic wrap over it for the ride to the clinic to keep it from rubbing off. By the time they arrive, they are numb and it is much easier for everyone.