Infection

[nycboy0]

I'm somewhat new to doing infusions. So far I have done about 5-6, initaly starting with 500 ml and moving up to close to a litter. I tend to be pretty careful. I use high quality, sterile supplies, and I put quite a bit of effort into ensuring my environment, equipment and my self are as clean as possible.

On Monday night, I did a full 1 liter solution, finally managing to take the entire bag in around 45 minutes. No issues with the infusion, however the catheter had a bit more of a sting than I remembered previously, although nothing that intense or alarming... more of just a slight pinch. The results seemed normal.

The next day, I noticed I had a bit of intermittent leakage from where the needle when in. I had no unusual pain or redness. I was absorbing the water at what seemed like a normal pace. Later that night, around 9 pm - right around 24 hrs after the infusion I started getting flu like chills and a slight dizziness and a mild headache around the temples (maybe because I was stressed out?) as well as some soreness in the effected area. I felt a bit flushed, took my temperature and found I had a low grade fever. My temperature continued to increase to about 100.1 degrees.

When I woke up this morning, the fever had subsided. I still had a bit of redness and soreness but it was much less than the previous night. Overall, I had absorbed a pretty typical amount of water and my size nearly back to normal and was consistent with my previous experiences. I'm still a little bit sore now (2pm) but it seems mostly normal.

Based on the above it seems like I had a bit of an infection. I'm feeling better now, and the symptoms have gone away, but is there something I should still be concerned about at this point? Maybe something I can't see or something related to this that has a potential to harm me as time goes by. Is there anything I should watch for?

Thanks

[K.caseni-Las]

Hi, I doubt that there are many doctors in this forum, if any. You have to know, what you are doing. If your medical education is only from watching tv, you might make mistakes, that lead to an infection. On the other hand, it doesnt hurt to learn from tv. In a german show, the panel had to guess the term Seifenfehler. "soapmistake": If you wash yourself and dont rinse the soap off very well, the desinfectant might be ineffective. Stay well& enjoy.

[StretchMine]

Like you I have only done 5 or 6 infusions and infection is one of the things I am concerned about. From what you describe it doesn't sound like an infection to me. However I'm not a medical professional and wouldn't really know what one looked or felt like. If he hasn't already seen this I think you should send your inquiry to B8rBear here on Newart. He's a really smart and informative professional nurse who also happens to be an enthusiastic infuser. He certainly inspired me and taught me proper cleansing and infusing techniques.
Best of luck and have fun with those balls of yours!
Stretch

[mRuss]

I am not a doctor (but I used to watch Quincy on TV) What you describe might have been your body fighting off an infection, but it might have just been a cold too. Your body will raise a fever if it has almost anything wrong.

The best way to avoid infection is to wash with hot water and soap, then scrub with a proper SURGICAL SCRUB, then do a final clean with an alcohol wipe. The soap should be something simple like ivory soap; some surgical scrubs are iodine-based and others are not; alcohol wipes are pretty easy to find. the important thing is this: just using an alcohol wipe is not enough to avoid infection.

That is all. Please consult your physician before jabbing yourself in the scrotum with a needle.

[B8rBear]

You may have had a mild infection ... and it seems your immune system was capable of fighting it off. As mentioned in the posts ... proper clean/sterile technique is of utmost importance. Showering/scrubbing your entire groin region before is a good start. Followed by (as mentioned earlier) a good surgical scrub like a cholorhexadine product (that can be found at drug stores). And, as mentioned earlier, that last second wipe with alcohol. Alcohol does it's best work when wet so, don't fan/blow it dry ... wipe, and stick the needle thru it. it will sting but, that's the alcohol doing it's thing in not letting live staph organisms into your scrotum. Also, be sure to keep the connectors sterile ... if they touch ANYTHING, take the needle out or discard the tubing. That connection MUST be clean/sterile. Most folks find it beneficial to use clean latex/nitrile gloves. They aren't sterile but, it's better than letting your fingers touch those connections. I hope some of this info helps. (Thanks Stretch for the vote of confidence regarding my advice!)

[Inflator]

Sorry to hear that! Glad to hear you're feeling better. It might have been an infection, or not. Here are a few procedures I follow, and I've never had any trouble (knock on wood).

Firstly- this is a medical procedure. Make sure you're following all the same procedures a doctor or nurse would at a hospital.

Shower first, scrub everything, and I do double or triple washes to the area I'm going to infuse.

SHAVE ALL THE HAIR FROM THE AREA YOU'RE GOING TO INFUSE. This is essential. Hair holds a ton of bacteria. In hospitals, its common practice to shave any area that is going to have the skin broken. Clean, shave, clean again.

Only use medical grade supplies- I use deal med or kinky medical. Sterile, with expiration dates.

I microwave my saline before infusion. Though this is more for warming it than sterilization.

I wash my hands again before the infusion.

Use hand sanitizer and alcohol whips immediately before the infusion.

After the catheter goes in, I immediately cover it with a large sterile band aid. This is to keep it clean, and also to help hold the catheter in.

Once I'm done, I just pull the catheter out and use good solid pressure for about 3-5 minutes until the hole stops leaking. After a big scrotal infusion, I've had trouble sealing the hole. Then, I might try new skin, but I haven't had good luck with that. And it stings like a bitch!

Hope this helps, and hope you never have anything like that again!

J

[B8rBear]

Every bit of what inflator suggested is accurate and important. The only difference I would have is, current practice for surgery is to clipper hair, not shave. Shaving causes more trauma to the skin and increases risk for infection. If you doubt this, check the American College of Surgeons recommendations for pre-op care. Or the OR nurses organizations. We stopped shaving surgical sites years ago. Otherwise, cleanliness and sterility is of utmost importance. If you shower and clean the area, clipping the hair shouldn't be necessary unless it makes you more comfortable.

Just my 2 cents.

[donut]

I usually keep a bottle of iso alcohol and a syringe. Constantly rinsing my hand with it. I also take the syringe and keep the injection site sterile with a drop of alcohol frequently.

[Inflator]

Every bit of what inflator suggested is accurate and important. The only difference I would have is, current practice for surgery is to clipper hair, not shave. Shaving causes more trauma to the skin and increases risk for infection. If you doubt this, check the American College of Surgeons recommendations for pre-op care. Or the OR nurses organizations. We stopped shaving surgical sites years ago. Otherwise, cleanliness and sterility is of utmost importance. If you shower and clean the area, clipping the hair shouldn't be necessary unless it makes you more comfortable.

Just my 2 cents.

Good to know, thanks for info!