Insertion of AV Fistula

My second operation was the insertion of an AV Fistula. This was also done under local anesthetic but I was better prepared. I had this operation a week later than the permcath, reason being I needed some time to weigh up the pros and cons.

My theatre staff this time was a Prof Haffajee (surgeon) Dr Chetty (Surgeon) Dr Akoojee (anesthetist). This team of doctors would be the team that did all my operations and I refer to them as my A Team.

This is a diagram of what the AV Fistula is…

Insertion of AV Fistula (ref. https://bit.ly/2HOBT5A)

What the surgeons do is take the artery in your arm, normally near your wrist but can also be higher up your arm, and connect it directly to the vein. What this does is expands the vein so that it is easier to cannulate your arm (put the needles in for dialysis). It takes 6 weeks for your arm to be ready and in that time you need to exercise that arm with a stress ball. The bigger the vein the easier it is to cannulate.

See; I am a sporty person, I love to swim in the sea and pool and I was going to be on dialysis for a while. After weighing up the options I decided the AV Fistula was the best way forward.