I had a/v fistula created in right upper arm in mid-January. They used my dominant arm. They wanted to use fore-arm of non-dominant arm but veins too small. It was a complicated surgery, took over three hours, and had general anesthesia. Very painfull at first. Still have discomfort, some swelling, stealing, and hand is always cold. Doctors say it's coming along fine. Will some of these symptoms go away or lessen over time? Hoping someone else had experience with this type of fistula! Thanks!

Hi Linda:

Had exactly same experience when I first started dialysis. In fact, the soreness and swelling did decrease over time.

Eventually, I had to switch to chest cathaters, but fistula worked well for some time.

Best,
Mike