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Questions and Answers About Your Health

The Importance of Completing your Treatment Time.

Question:

My nephrologists recently increased my treatment time from 3.5 hours to 4 hours. Why?

Answer:

Appropriate time spent on dialysis can lead to improved quality of life. One of the most difficult aspects of dialysis is the time you spend in a chair watching your blood circulate through an artificial kidney. Most people think that the medical staff is just removing water because your kidneys no longer aid in the removal of fluid from your body.

Removing fluid from your body is just one benefit dialysis provides but there are much more. Dialysis also removes harmful toxins and balances the electrolytes in your body and if it is not regulated through dialysis it can lead to very serious medical conditions that can become life threatening. Your Nephrologists will evaluate your lab results on a regular basis to determine how effective your treatment time is for you.

It is important to realize that everyone experiencing dialysis is different and while some patient’s do well with a shorter treatment time, others may need more time to accomplish the same outcome. Your nephrologists and medical care staff will work together to fine tune your individualized care to ensure you can experience the best quality of life.

The Importance of Communicating Changes in Your Health & Home Medications

Question:

I recently had an appointment with my Cardiologist, she prescribed a new medication, do I need to tell my Dialysis Doctor and Nurses if my home medications have changed?

Answer:

Dialysis treatments are part of your care, but many patients are also under the care of additional specialized physicians.  We need to work together to coordinate your care. It is very important that you communicate to your dialysis team of any changes in your health. After each visit with a physician you should inform your dialysis nurse of any medication changes, upcoming testing or procedures. The nurse will maintain a list of all of the medications that you are taking at home.

The Importance of finding out if Home Dialysis is an option.

Question:

Is Home Dialysis an option for me?

Answer:

Home Dialysis – CAPD (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis), CCPD (Continuous Cycler Peritoneal Dialysis) and HHD (Home Hemodialysis) all offer advantages to the patient because the patient can perform their treatments at home.  You are able to schedule your treatments around work or family responsibilities and can schedule additional treatments if needed.  Peritoneal dialysis will require a permanent catheter be inserted in your abdomen for instillation and draining of fluid.   Hemodialysis will require creation of a fistula which will allow for blood to flow through the hemodialysis machine.  Both procedures are considered same day surgery.

One advantage is no travel three times weekly to the dialysis center and this is important for patients who may live in a rural location hours away from a center,  be employed or family needs.   You will still be required to visit the clinic once monthly for review of your treatments, medications and see your doctor.  Additionally, your nurse or doctors are just a phone call away to answer questions if needed.

You (and partner for home hemo) will have to spend several weeks at the clinic being trained to perform the treatment for several hours at a time.  The home training nurse will be with you during the training sessions to ensure you are learning how to do the procedure correctly and safely.  You can expect reading materials, written tests and actual treatments while you are there.  Our home team will be required to make a home visit before you start training and periodically thereafter to ensure your treatments are going well.

The best way to determine if home dialysis is for you is to talk to your doctor and meet with the home training nurse in your unit.  They can show you films and books providing information on all modalities and answer any questions you may have so you can make an informed decision.

The Importance of Getting on the Kidney Transplant List

Question:

I have been told that now that I am on dialysis it is important to get on the transplant list.  How do I go about doing that?

Answer:

If you have chronic kidney disease or renal failure, you may be eligible for a kidney transplant. Tell your Nephrologist or someone at your dialysis center that you would like to have a kidney transplant. If approved by your doctor, you will be referred to a transplant center. 

Someone from the dialysis center will assist you with finding a transplant center that is covered by your insurance.  Once you visit the transplant center, you will undergo a vigorous medical examination to ensure you are healthy enough to undergo transplant surgery.  Once you have your examination and have been approved for transplant you will be placed on the Kidney Transplant List to await a kidney. 

You can expedite getting a healthy kidney by speaking with relatives and friends to see if they would be willing to donate a kidney to you.  Your transplant center will provide educational materials to help you through this process.

The Importance of knowing what Peritoneal Dialysis is.

Question:

While talking with another patient during my Hemodialysis treatment, he indicated he is considering Peritoneal Dialysis. What is Peritoneal Dialysis?

Answer:

Peritoneal Dialysis, commonly referred to as PD, is a type of dialysis done in the convenience of your home. Unlike Hemodialysis, PD utilizes the peritoneum membrane in your belly to perform dialysis. A small flexible catheter is inserted into the peritoneum, the lining of your belly.  Dialysate enters your body through this catheter and dwells for several hours; then is drained out of the body through the same catheter.  This process can be done manually during the day or most commonly, at night while you sleep. There is no blood exchange or needles for this process.

Because it is performed daily, “peritoneal dialysis is a continuous process of removing excess fluid and toxic material from the body, mimicking the work of native kidneys. This property of peritoneal dialysis allows patients to be less restricted in their food and fluid intake.”

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