Hi, I need to ask dialysis patients a question. Especially if you have a fistula or have had one. So, I have had my fistula for fifteen years now. It is located on my left arm (wrist) I had two huge balls (aneurysms) and on Monday March 21st I went to see my surgeon and he decided to fix it. He removed the two balls and left my fistula flat. It was like a reconstruction surgery I guess. Surgery was a success and the fistula works well. Only problem now is last Tuesday I went in for treatment a nurse stick me and it seemed everything went fine. I had the treatment finished it and went home. But when I got home that day at around 1 pm I noticed where they stuck the needles like the site was getting swollen. It was bruised too. I told them and they said it looked like an infiltration. It is incredibly painful!! Today it is much swollen. It's hard and it hurts when I touch it. It hurts to do anything. Even getting dressed my arm hurts. It's very swollen. It's like a huge ball. I'm going to see my surgeon tomorrow after dialysis. I'm just wondering will he need to open it up again to fix this? It looks very bad... and it hurts even more. What causes an infiltration anyway?
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Hello Yessenia,
Infiltration occurs when a needle becomes dislodged or penetrates through the walls of a vessel. In your case, the needle may have also nicked an adjacent nerve accounting for the excess pain. If it remains painful for more than 2 hours, you should contact your doctor or the facility where this occurred to report what is going on. Sometimes applying a warm, wet towel will ease the pain and swelling. Any leaked blood can cause a bruise-like discolorization and may travel as it exits out through your skin. IT SHOULD NOT STAY PAINFUL FOR A LONG TIME - Seek advice.
NCBI - PubMed Article