Today Jasmine had her procedure to insert her Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) catheter. She wasn’t allowed any milk, so she was put on a drip to keep her hydrated. She went down to the operating theatres on the third floor at 1.30pm. The anesthetist removed the remaining milk from her stomach using the line into her stomach through her nose. She was put under a general anesthetic using a tiny mask over her mouth. She wriggled a bit, but once she was under I had to leave the room. The operation took about an hour. Once Jasmine had regained consciousness she was moved back to the nephrology ward.
Jasmine was a bit irritable once she was back on the ward, so they gave her some morphine. The nurses were checking her stats every 15 minutes to keep a close eye on her. The catheter is used to insert fluid into the lining of the abdomen. This fluid is then left in the abdomen and removes impurities from the blood by osmosis. The fluid in the abdomen has to be exchanged a number of times to clean the blood sufficiently. They are going to leave the catheter as long as possible before using it, to give the area time to heal. In adult dialysis the catheter would be left for a month so the skin heals and holds the catheter in place, and reduces the infection risk. Jasmine will probably not have this luxury, as the doctors may have to start dialysis at any time. Her electrolytes are fairly stable at the moment, so they will build up the amount of fluid used slowly. In adults the fluid exchange is done by machine, but in new born babies it all has to be done manually, and the amount of fluid exchanged varies.
Hi guys. All three of you sound like you’re coping amazingly with the situation. Jasmine’s lovely, and she’s very lucky to have parents like you. Thanks so much for keeping us informed of her progress too. Our best wishes are with you all.
My Grandson – Alfie – is having his second pd catheter inserted today, the first leaked. At the moment he is on blood dialysis. The whole ordeal has been very traumatic with loads of other complications. I’m very interested to know how Jasmine has progressed.
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