Friday, July 13, 2012

My least favorite part

In our jobs, our chores, our lives as parents, we all have our least favorite part.  It doesn't mean we hate it or we won't do it, it just means on our top 100 favorite list of things we do, it falls just after stubbing our toe in the wall.

I'm sure if I was the one on dialysis, my least favorite part might be actually having to do dialysis.  I, however, am just the care provider of my Hubby who is actually on dialysis.  One of my "duties" is to empty and clean the discharge bucket.  When doing peritoneal dialysis there are two options for the discharge (the dialysis solution after it has done it's job and all the extra water and toxins it pulls out of the patient).  One option is to run the discharge line from the machine to a toilet or bathtub nearby or to use a 5 gallon bucket to collect it.

Since we have 1 bathroom and children and pets going through the house at all hours, we went with the bucket option.  I purchased a 5 gallon bucket with lid at Home Depot.  Then Hubby cut a notch in it for the tube to fit through.


After Hubby dialyses over night, it is my job to carry the bucket into the bathroom and dump it.  The weight varies slightly from night to night, but it normally weighs in at about 30 pounds.  Hubby can only lift 10 (doctor's orders).  After I dump the bucket, I use a mixture of bleach and water to clean it completely out.  Then it is ready to use again.  

I know it sounds simple, but for some reason this is my least favorite job.  

1 comment:

  1. You're a good wife! When I was on PD one of my least favorite jobs was setting up the cycler... it just seemed like too much to do. Doing dialysis AND having to set up for it, lol. But I was lucky, my hubby set the cycler up for me every night! I am a lucky gal and your hubby is a lucky to have your help!

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