When Jasmine first had to have her peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter inserted, the doctors kindly asked if we would like to have a look at someone else’s to get used to the idea. We didn’t want to (I think we were still in shock) but people going through the same thing as us have looked at Jasmine’s, which now I realise isn’t much help, as it is always covered with a plaster, and you can’t take the plaster off willy-nilly (well you can but you wouldn’t, because each time it is taken off there is a risk of infection).
And for people not going through the process of coming to terms with having a PD catheter inserted, they hear the word catheter and think that it is related to someone’s waterworks and don’t realise that a PD catheter is nowhere near the bladder but inserted into the abdominal cavity so that it can use its membrane (the peritoneum) to interact and clean the blood.
Yesterday, when we were doing a dressing change we got Grandma to take a picture of Jasmine’s exit site so people can see exactly what it looks like. We take the dressing off every two days to check for infection, and we use the non-touch sterile technique that the nurses taught us at the hospital to clean it and then put on a new dressing to protect it.
Normally, it is just the two of us doing the site, so we have never had the luxury of a third person or even felt relaxed enough to take a picture. We just keep tight hold of Jasmine so that she doesn’t wriggle and touch anything, especially not the exit site. No one touches the exit site, never ever, even if it is looking a bit crusty and it is tempting to poke at it.
The above picture is just of Jasmine’s abdomen and exit site, as we want to let Jasmine decide if she wants pictures of herself in the buff on the Internet and then she could earn some money out of them. So, to put the image into context: the catheter (blue tube) is 4mm wide and comes out of her abdomen. The silver bit (titanium connector) is 1cm wide and is connected to the cartridge which connects to the dialysis machine every night. We tuck the whole thing into Jasmine’s body-suits and trousers and frilly pants so that it is out of the way during the day and she is not tempted to tug at it, which she does with great force.
The catheter was surgically inserted into her abdomen when she was 15 days old and scar tissue holds it in place.
The first time I took off her plaster and saw the catheter, I cried. Now I see that the catheter, the dialysis machine and the process of peritoneal dialysis are miracles. I give thanks as I lie in bed next to the machine and feel comforted by the chugging and swishing noises it makes.
thats so sweet of you to share, intresting, we never heard of the plaster, its alwasy so intresting to learn how similar and different cares are. Hope she is feeling better and the vomiting has ceased a bit, that is soexhausting for everyone! Take care! Hugs, Jill