Today my chair was in front of the window which can be cold when there is no sun. Today we had a sunny morning so I was even able to catch some rays.
The vest kept me so warm that I got sweaty towards the end. Other patients could see I had a sweat up on my face. My back also got a bit sweaty. I guess that is extra fluid off - possibly even 100 mls. I weighed in at 51.7 kg - needing 2.6 L off to get me back to 49.5 kg. At the end I weighed in at 49.4 kg.
I'm not claiming it was the sweat factor but I will keep an eye on this. I've had small 100 ml discrepancies before. I do not have any drinks but I have a couple of small sweet biscuits and a swiss cheese and tomato sandwich when the trolley comes around with morning tea.
I'm happy to report that today the battery lasted 6.5 hours on heat setting 1.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Heller Heated Vest Part Three: Battery life...is Great!
I arrive at my dialysis clinic in Fitzroy anywhere between 7.10-7.30 am for a 7.30 am treatment slot. First in for the day. In Melbourne this winter we have had 9 am temperatures ranging between 2.4 and 12 degrees.
See http://www.weatherzone.com.au/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=86338&list=ds for the Melbourne Daily Temperature Table for July 2018.
Even though it is extremely cold at 6.45-7.00 am, I did not switch the jacket on for my drive in - my car heater warms up pretty quick and I did not want to waste the battery.
I wore the vest over a skivvy and then I put a jacket (with hoodie) over the Heller heated vest. See pics below.
The jacket with battery weighs .5 kg. Not much at all! I had to know the weight so we could take it off when I weighed in on completion of dialysis. I don't like to take my jacket off in case I spring a leak. It is also why I wear my shoes too.
The vest was switched on at 7.30 am. I used heat setting number 1 as recommended by the manual. My treatment goes for 4.5 hours. Because I'm on blood thinners it can take up to an hour to stop bleeding and that is on a good day!
Having the vest to test today was handy because I was in one of the private/seclusion rooms - aka the icebox.
I left dialysis and the jacket was still warming! It stopped while i was driving home..at about 2 pm. So it lasted 6.5 hours! The company claimed the battery lasted 6 hours on heat setting 1...and it really did!
The battery gets quite warm in the pocket, not hot to touch but friendly. If my right hand got cold I could warm it on the battery. This was handy and I did it a few times.
I'll do more updates about the vest as I learn more, information about washing it and battery longevity.
All in all after the first proper use I'm more than impressed with this vest, even if I do look odd in it.
Photos:
See http://www.weatherzone.com.au/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=86338&list=ds for the Melbourne Daily Temperature Table for July 2018.
Even though it is extremely cold at 6.45-7.00 am, I did not switch the jacket on for my drive in - my car heater warms up pretty quick and I did not want to waste the battery.
I wore the vest over a skivvy and then I put a jacket (with hoodie) over the Heller heated vest. See pics below.
The jacket with battery weighs .5 kg. Not much at all! I had to know the weight so we could take it off when I weighed in on completion of dialysis. I don't like to take my jacket off in case I spring a leak. It is also why I wear my shoes too.
The vest was switched on at 7.30 am. I used heat setting number 1 as recommended by the manual. My treatment goes for 4.5 hours. Because I'm on blood thinners it can take up to an hour to stop bleeding and that is on a good day!
Having the vest to test today was handy because I was in one of the private/seclusion rooms - aka the icebox.
I left dialysis and the jacket was still warming! It stopped while i was driving home..at about 2 pm. So it lasted 6.5 hours! The company claimed the battery lasted 6 hours on heat setting 1...and it really did!
The battery gets quite warm in the pocket, not hot to touch but friendly. If my right hand got cold I could warm it on the battery. This was handy and I did it a few times.
I'll do more updates about the vest as I learn more, information about washing it and battery longevity.
All in all after the first proper use I'm more than impressed with this vest, even if I do look odd in it.
Photos:
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| Heller Heated Vest Medium - without jacket |
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| Heller Heated Vest Medium - with jacket. Michelin Man style. |
Heller Heated Vest Part Two: Dialysis trial
My heated vest works! While it might be a little tight across my chest (a point of contention with my partner), it really keeps me warm at dialysis. I'm wearing another jacket over the vest. I'll take a picture later so you can see how silly I look. Dialysis isn't a fashion show - as long as I'm comfortable and warm!
While it would be great to have heating pads on the front too, this vest is a huge improvement on my normally cold state at dialysis. I've been here for an hour and i'm very toasty!
As provided by the instructions I'm only using heat setting 1 as I'm not in sub zero temperatures. The battery will last longer this way too. Heat setting 1 is enough for me, when I was testing the vest at home, I used heat setting 3, and while there is a difference, it is not that great.
The battery in the front right pocket does get warm so I can put my free hand inside to get it warm as needed. I'll do another update to write more about the battery and how long it lasts for me.
I was suprised that the tag on the vest indicates origins as Altona through GAF - GAF only do bulk orders. Altona is only a hop skip and jump from me. The Heated Vest Store is in South Australia.
So overall, yes I recommend buying this vest for use in haemodialysis (hemodialysis) centres. At 78.95 AUD inc delivery, this vest is worth it. A bigger size might have been better though. Go to the Heated Vest Store to order yours.
While it would be great to have heating pads on the front too, this vest is a huge improvement on my normally cold state at dialysis. I've been here for an hour and i'm very toasty!
As provided by the instructions I'm only using heat setting 1 as I'm not in sub zero temperatures. The battery will last longer this way too. Heat setting 1 is enough for me, when I was testing the vest at home, I used heat setting 3, and while there is a difference, it is not that great.
The battery in the front right pocket does get warm so I can put my free hand inside to get it warm as needed. I'll do another update to write more about the battery and how long it lasts for me.
I was suprised that the tag on the vest indicates origins as Altona through GAF - GAF only do bulk orders. Altona is only a hop skip and jump from me. The Heated Vest Store is in South Australia.
So overall, yes I recommend buying this vest for use in haemodialysis (hemodialysis) centres. At 78.95 AUD inc delivery, this vest is worth it. A bigger size might have been better though. Go to the Heated Vest Store to order yours.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Heller Heated Vest Part One
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| Heller Heated Vest |
It came in a box. See picture below.
I ordered a medium (M) as they suggested ordering a size bigger than you'd normally take. I also used their sizing chart. The M jacket is very tight on me. I know the vest is supposed to be tight for it to work effectively but mine is quite tight across the chest. The length is great. See pictures. (To do: add more, inc me wearing it).
I thought there were heating pads at the front in the chest area, but I must have got confused after looking at so many different heated jackets and vests. The Heller heated vest only has warming pads at the back of the vest. At the top and the bottom.
While it comes with an adapter for charging, it still is via a USB cable. The battery charges quicker using the adapter than using a USB port on a laptop.
The battery itself is quite small and attaches to a cord in the front right pocket. The battery itself can become a source of heat too.
After charging the battery up fully, I wore the vest around the house to test it. The environment here is quite warm. On the highest heat setting the vest eventually gets too hot! You can definitely feel it. I put the heat setting down to the lowest setting and you can still tell there is warmth.
My partner has been dissing the purchase all week commenting the vest will be crap and that I really should get a proper one (work wear heated gear).
The vest was $78.95 AUD including standard delivery to anywhere in Australia. Here is a link to the Heated Vest Store: https://www.heatedvest.com.au
I'll be testing it out at dialysis tomorrow. Stay tuned for an update!
Monday, July 16, 2018
Excited! I've ordered a heated vest to wear at haemodialysis treatments
It has been really cold at haemodialysis treatments this winter, I can barely keep warm enough!
I've been taking to keeping my laptop power pack close to my body, that helps but I need to be aware it doesn't get too hot.
I've been thinking about battery operated heated clothing after looking at how crappy USB heated equipment can be.
I started looking at workwear gear by the likes of Makita, AEG, Milwaulkee and others. See https://thegearhunt.com/best-heated-jackets-reviewed/ for an idea of this type of heated jacket.
Since then, I have come across Dragon Heat Wear. Dragon Heat Wear is from US but has a distributor in Victoria. Finally I have just ordered something from the Australian based Heated Vest Store and hope it arrives really quick. I might need to buy another battery as one battery may not last for a whole dialysis treatment session.
I'm thinking I can wear the heated vest under another jacket. I'll keep this blog posted about how the vest and battery works out for me.
I've been taking to keeping my laptop power pack close to my body, that helps but I need to be aware it doesn't get too hot.
I've been thinking about battery operated heated clothing after looking at how crappy USB heated equipment can be.
I started looking at workwear gear by the likes of Makita, AEG, Milwaulkee and others. See https://thegearhunt.com/best-heated-jackets-reviewed/ for an idea of this type of heated jacket.
Since then, I have come across Dragon Heat Wear. Dragon Heat Wear is from US but has a distributor in Victoria. Finally I have just ordered something from the Australian based Heated Vest Store and hope it arrives really quick. I might need to buy another battery as one battery may not last for a whole dialysis treatment session.
I'm thinking I can wear the heated vest under another jacket. I'll keep this blog posted about how the vest and battery works out for me.
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