I live in Mid-Michigan, it’s 6:00 PM on November 15, it’s 0 degrees outside, and 69.4 inside, as usual, I’m freezing as I dialyze. I adjusted the heat on my Pureflow to 20, the maximum setting, but I’m still freezing.

Why am I so cold? My saline is at room temperature, over 29 degree below my body temperature, and my blood volume is lower by the amount of blood circulating in the NxStage System one.

What else can I do? The best solution that I found to this problem is a Sunbeam Electric Throw. It was only $19.99 at Wal-Mart, the best $19.99 I have ever spent! If you don’t live near a Wal-Mart, I also found these on Amazon.com.

It’s large enough to cover me from chest to toe, but small enough to easily put on and use will I’m connected. (I have a button-hole fistula and use dull needles, so I have quite a bit of movement of both arms without the fear of infiltration). I considered a twin size blanket, but it was too large to use comfortably, and higher in cost.

The throw has three setting – Low, Medium and High. I use High when I first start, soon lower it to Medium, and eventually get to Low before I need to come off. For me this has been a great solution. I’m on my second Sunbeam Electric Throw. I wore out the first one after about four years of use, so it was still a great buy.

The other thing I have learned to do is place my liter bag of saline on a register for about an hour before I start the prime on my NxStage System One. This brings the temperature of the dialysate up to a much more comfortable temperature before I use it. If I will be away from home for an extended period of time before I return and setup for dialysys, no problem – I just leave the saline on the register for as long as I will be gone. The register doesn’t provide too much heat.

A word of warning – DO NOT HEAT DIALYSATE IN THE MICROWAVE, it changes the dialysate and would be dangerous to use. I know PD patients heat their dialysis fluid using a microwave, but hemodialysis dialysate is different and this method cannot be used.

For any of you that have the same cold problems I do, I hope these suggestions help.