Well after all my worrying ref getting the Peristeen kit and the embarassment that goes with the demo etc…it is broken.
I cant believe I only used it once, felt really ill last 2 days so did,nt use it for 2 days.Tonight decided I MUST give it another go and it is broken so no water would pump … now I suppose I have to call them Monday.
Feel such a fool, did I break it when I put it away…hubbt says it is a design fault…the piece that is broken is just a small plastic part.
oh dear oh dear, I have just about had enough. Just everything seems to be getting too much hassle.
unfortunately life is a hassle! but better than the alternative eh? mine broke once- easily replaced-phone mon meantime deep breathe-i will do it with you…
Hi E, yes hun, I can imagine how you feel, after you made the difficult decision to go for the peristeen system…not one taken lightly, I`m sure. And now that it is broken after trying it, you are upset.
Just ring them tomorrow and Im sure theyll be nice and sort it out for you.
Hi Ell 1&2!!! I use peristeen and have had a fair amount of issues with it. I’m on holiday at the moment and I always make sure I have a brand new one with me in case something happens!!! I usually have problems with the grey connector snapping after I’ve only used it a couple of times…my hubby too has looked at it and says its a design fault. I’ve mentioned this when I’ve rang to register the issue. They say other folk have mentioned the same problem… As it happens when I used it last night I was having great problem getting the water out and when I investigated the pipe which connects to the lid had come partly disconnected…oh joys you have to be an engineer as well!!! Ring 1st thing tomorrow and get another one ordered. Linda x
Thanks to you all for taking time to reply, I just can,t believe I wrecked it…will my GP be asked to pay for another one I wonder, if so I will not be popular
Oh well, here we go again, it just never seems to end does it.
Glad your hubby agree,s it is a design fault too Linda…I could not pump any water and then saw what I thought was the connection twinsting but it had broken off…the smallest grey pipe piece which has no extra cuff to it as the blue bit does. I wondered if I had lost a bit but hubby said it looked like they designed it without a cuff and it is bound to be a weak part.
I will treat my next one with kid gloves if they are that fragile…crikey I have always been somewhat clumsy and am scared of breaking another one now Ell
Phoned this morning Charter and said I had broken my kit no idea how, lady was very nice and said it will be replaced with no charge to my gp…I was worried about that.
She said they will log the problem.
I will be treating the new kit like gold dust when it arrives…could have got it tomorrow but have a day in hospital so will have been without it 5 or 6 days when the new one arrives and only used it once since new !!! Am expecting a call anytime now to see how I am getting on Will just have to fess up ( should still be on daily use for 2 weeks )
I am feeling yukky today and not looking forward to my day in hospital tomorrow… I get to be dropped of at Hospital while hubby and son go off to look at a boat…( in fairness it was my suggestion, no point hubby sitting around 7 or 8 hrs waiting and as it is 50 miles away from home too costly and not worth him runnign back home only to turn round and come back for me )
Glad that they are sending you a replacement. Don’t worry about it - as they replace them quite frequently. ln fact, if you tell them how concerned you are about being without it they will probably send you a ‘spare’ -just in case. l have always found them to be very approachable.
Good Luck for your hospital trip - l am going for physio at our local hospital - luckilly only 5mins away - this afternoon -after my total knee replacement. Was doing well. until l fell last thursday. Shook me up, as l landed with the ‘new’ knee bent underneath me. l thought l had burst all the staples - but the district nurse says its ok - and has since removed them. We don’t need all this - having MS is enough to cope with.
I am not even going to think about asking for a spare at this point but certainly will keep it in mind once I get into the way of Peristeen and know for sure it works for me…not had chance to find out yet…it is keeping the parcel force delivery man guessing, he turned up today with my catheters…Sat was my spare Peristeen disposables and by Thursday it will be my new kit…he said today maybe this is a mistake do you want me to take it back cause I know you had a box like this on Sat
I smiled sweetly and said I have been on a spending spree…lol
I am so glad you did not do any damage to your new knee, crikey you must have been so worried.
My xrays tomorrow are to decide if it is time for my new knee,s yet…got told I will have to wait until 65 about 5 years ago but the knee,s dislocate so often now my cheerful ( NOT ) rheumy said he will consider earlier depending on the xrays…mind you I only see him once a yr so probably make me wait till 2015 to let me know his decision !
l have suffered with a very painful knee for 10yrs. lt has had to do all the work as my other leg - the ms one - is useless. For 32yrs my, once good leg, has had to overcompensate for the useless one. Now l have not a good leg to stand on. lt has kept giving way and l have had lots of bad falls. Once, l fell and fractured my ankle - then l ended up injuring my hip and that was replaced 9months ago. The surgeon kept saying l was not old enough for knee replacement. l am now 66 - and at last have had it done. Hopefully, it will mean l shall be able to get about better and safer. After the op - the surgeon did come and say that my knee was far far worse then he thought going by the x-rays. And he did say he should have done the surgery earlier. So - do make a fuss - don’t be fobbed off with the injections. l was going every 3months - they would give me a steroid injection and another appointment.
To-days physio - ‘Knee Class’ - went well and l did better then l thought l would - they have put me up into the next class - which is more of an obstacle course. lf l could have afforded to go privately - l would have gone for the latest knee replacement tecnique - which is where they scan the knee - and make a 3D model of it. They then can make a ‘bespoke’ knee for you - whereas the op now is more ‘one size fits all’. lt will not be long before NHS hospitals will start doing the bespoke knee - as it means less aftercare - and patients are back to good mobility almost straightaway. So it might be worth asking about it. ln the meantime, its important to keep exercising the leg to maintain muscle strength - as this will help with the recovery. All the exercises can be done lying down - and sitting. To-day, l met a lady who only had her op 9days ago - and she could walk without her sticks - or a limp! So l had to explain about my MS - as l can only walk with a rollator. l elected to have my surgery with a spinal block - and was wide awake during all the sawing/hammering/drilling - l felt relaxed - and not a bit afraid. The theatre staff kept talking and joking with me - and l had no after effects from anesthetic - and within a few hours was standing up. l have been home 2 weeks now - and it is getting easier. The hip-op was more difficult- l found - as you cannot bend forward or lift your knee up for about 6weeks. So dressing and undressing and going to the loo was a problem. l got very adept with my gripper stick to pull up my drawers!! With the knee op - you are encouraged to move bend and straighten the knee all the time.
Hi Spacejacket, well done you ! Fantastic that you found the physio so good…moved up a class already is very encouraging.
Thanks for the advise about pushing, my rheumy is an absolute pig to be honest, I keep thinking I will ask to see someone else but when I mentioned it I was told I would have to get a new refferal and then of course all the other rheumy,s would know I had asked to be moved off his lordships list so not sure it would benefit in the end.
He really is obnoxious in my opinion as he hardly speaks, takes calls from his private patients while you are in his room for consultation and every time I go he just asks me what they do with me, I say injections he says fine thats about it. This time a few weeks ago I did make him understand I had been having a lot of falls and that my joints are very slack and sublux even when I move in bed. That,s why he reluctantly agreed to the xrays but while I tried to ask him another question he just dismissed me saying get the xrays done, no point talking about anything till after that.
Luckily I managed to get an app for xrays in morning and my injections for afternoon. I don,t think the injections last long now but he only allows me twice per year…bet his private patients get four times !
I do have a lot of faith in the hospital just can,t get on with this particular snob of a dr.
Ell, Do get back to your GP - ask to be referred to another consultant. For knee op - you need a good orthopaedic surgeon. l got the name of the one l used via someone l met who was telling me how her mother had been wheelchair bound for a long time because of her arthritis. Her mother wanted to be able to walk down the aisle at her daughters wedding. And after a couple of ops - hip and knee - her wish came true. Now her mothers doctors kept telling her she was too young for the ops - so she was in a wheelchair for 3yrs. l got the name of her surgeon off her daughter. And googled him - and learnt more about him. He worked in our local hospital. So l asked my GP to refer me to him - as the surgeon l had been seeing was not helping. l did got to see him initially at a private consultation. Which was the best £200 l ever spent. When l went to see him - he had accessed all the previous history and xrays from the hospital - so without wasting time he had a heads start. l was then on the list as ‘urgent’. But it still took time - as he was insistant that l had my hip replaced first.
lronically, his name is Knebel - [not evil knebel] A lovely dutchman. The nurses all love him - apparantly he takes twice the length of time doing the operating procedure - and is very thorough with all aspects of aftercare. Likes his patients to stay in hospital longer - to make sure they are able to look after themselves. l think if the nursing/physio staff have lots of respect for a particular surgeon - then you are on the right track.
So ask your GP if she/he has a ‘favourite’ ortho-surgeon and asked for referral. You do not have to stay with the one you have - you do have a choice. l think we do tend to ‘put up’ with our lot - and we shouldn’t. When l felt l had waited long enough - l did ring the surgeons secretary and spoke to her. And within 2 days l got the appointment letter for the op!
Spacejacket you are so right we do put up with things and should speak out and I am so glad to hear you got a great recommendation.
I had my knee,s xrayed this morning then went to day unit for the injections this afternoon. I got yet another houseman, or rather housewoman and not my consultant but I never mind that, they have to practice on someone and are always so careful.
She did a great job on my left knee but my right was agony.
First thing she told me was she had just seen my xrays from the morning and my right knee needs replacing asap.
Left not so bad and could maybe wait a year.
I still very much doubt my consultant will even read the report until March 2015 when I next see him so am seriously thinking I need to do some research for another ortho surgeon.
Time will tell. I was lucky enough to get a cancellation app for next Monday to get new hand splints made so that is brilliant … the wait is usually 3 months.
Now resting in bed as per instructions after injections but hubby has had to rush to sons home as daughter in law got taken to hospital. He will have driven about 260 miles if he makes it home tonight. He may need to stay over with grandchildren.
Always something…hopefully get my new Peristeen tomorrow
Hi, I have been using the peristeen system for about 4 years since it first went on the market. Yea the inner pipe does become disconnected too easily but once you get the hang of it it is fairly easy to reconnect. It always seems to happen when you have a new bag and so it is logical that it happened the day after you first set it up. Don’t dis pair though. Although I would not wish non functioning bowels on anyone, they do start to dominate your life, it must be better than the alternatives which are almost constant impacted bowels and horribly smelly gas (sorry but that is my experience) and the only other solution which I think could even be as drastic as a bag (my thought but it seems plausible). When mine really don’t work then I only ever function at 3am and still don’t empty. I have been majorly bowel incontinent when I could still walk and that was the worst ever. Using the peristeen system is stressful, I find it exhausting and recently I find that I still have to use lactilose, which I hate, to try and stay on track. But in the end it is the only system that works for me and it makes my life bearable. Hope this helps.
Hi, I have been using the peristeen system for about 4 years since it first went on the market. Yea the inner pipe does become disconnected too easily but once you get the hang of it it is fairly easy to reconnect. It always seems to happen when you have a new bag and so it is logical that it happened the day after you first set it up. Don’t dis pair though. Although I would not wish non functioning bowels on anyone, they do start to dominate your life, it must be better than the alternatives which are almost constant impacted bowels and horribly smelly gas (sorry but that is my experience) and the only other solution which I think could even be as drastic as a bag (my thought but it seems plausible). When mine really don’t work then I only ever function at 3am and still don’t empty. I have been majorly bowel incontinent when I could still walk and that was the worst ever. Using the peristeen system is stressful, I find it exhausting and recently I find that I still have to use lactilose, which I hate, to try and stay on track. But in the end it is the only system that works for me and it makes my life bearable. Hope this helps.
Ring 1st thing tomorrow and get another one ordered. Linda x
Will just have to fess up ( should still be on daily use for 2 weeks )