4/9/09 - Passed with Flying Colors!

Alyssa successfully completed her Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) training on Thursday, so she is now officially on home dialysis and in total control of her dialysis treatments. Yes, it is a scary thought, but as the "Townie" (Rob Schneider) said in the movie Water Boy..."You can do it, you can do it all night long," although we're taking a different slant on this memorable piece of movieology. But that's exactly what APD is - doing your dialysis treatments all night long as you sleep. And, we know that Alyssa can do it!

One last PD lesson for you.
APD - A- Automated: automated means that the fluid exchanges are done automatically by a machine called a "Cycler." In APD, the treatment is done at home at night while Alyssa is sleeping. If you remember in yesterday's post, we talked about CAPD, where Alyssa was required to manually perform her treatments , (up to five exchanges per day,) throughout her waking hours. With APD, she will still have five exchanges, but they will all be done by the Cycler as she sleeps.

The steps in APD are

1. Start the Cycler
2. Connect the new bags (2)
   
3. Connect Alyssa's transfer line (tube from her abdomen) to Cycler
4. The fluid exchanges are done by the Cycler during the night
5. Disconnect from the machine in the morning
6. Have a normal day!

Alyssa will need to perform APD every night and must plan on at least nine hours for all of the exchanges to be completed. There is flexibilty as to when she starts. If she gets home late at night, she will just have stay in bed a little longer the next morning to get her nine hours in - this is beginning to sound more like her life before dialysis.

APD can be performed anywhere that there is electrical power. The dialyisate flows from her body right into a five gallon jug, which can be disposed of down the toilet. It's a very complex procedure that has been brought down to it's most simple and basic level. There are patients on APD that range from new born babies to those in their nineties. As with any procedure of this nature, the number one concern is infection. However, by following the process that they have taught her, Alyssa should do just fine on APD; and we know that she will thrive on her new found independence.

Alyssa - You Can Do It!
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