as i am finding it hard to decide which w... - Dialysis Support
as i am finding it hard to decide which would suit me and when i go back to hospital i have to give a answer which one i want
I assume your talking about which kind of dialysis. There' are pros and cons to both.. Why not write down what you want to keep in your lifestyle/work, study travel etc and how much time your can commit
Its not an easy choice to make. I do well on home heamodialysis, others do very well on PD...
I think it depends how old you are ! I've been on PD for 6 years and do the dialysis while I'm a sleep , this gives me all day to carry on with a normal life , I have a part time job where I'm a manager at McDonalds I work 3 days. A week for 5 hour shifts and it fits in fantastic with my lifestyle ! PD is slightly demanding in the fact that any 2 days have to be planned in advance so you can fit in the dialysis therapy mine is 9 hours every night and I go on about 10:30 sometimes later and if I'm not tired I'll sit near the machine and do other stuff or watch a DVD the tube that attaches to me is 2.5 meters long so I can still move around my room or use the toilet if needed . I'm 37 and this suits my lifestyle brilliant ! I went to Australia 2 years ago on my own to see family and the renal team organised all the PD fluid to be at my location on arrival in Australia all I had to do was take my PD machine with me and when I got there just set it up was a great time for me ! And if you choose PD there shouldn't be much to hold you back from leading a pretty normal life ! Where as HD you are restricted to 3 visits to hospital every week and staying in for Upto 6 hours I'd find this restricting to me and eventually would prob feel held back and depressive ! If you want to know anything else message me I'll certainly reply hope this helps
I think the decision is a hard one to make. I suggest you write a list of what you want from life. Either way you could be tied to a machine regardless of the dialysis you try. You can always swap from one to the other. I do haemodialysis but was originally on Peritoneal, but because of complications I had to swap. Peritoneal dialysis allows you to stay in the home but can be quite isolating because you are by yourself. You can dialyse overnight and have the day time free unless you are invited to dialyse during the day by doing what they call bag exchanges. Haemodialysis you are tied to a machine three times a week and usually in hospital too. I suggest you talk it over with your renal team and make certain that you understand the difference between the various dialysis types. Also understand what surgical preparation is required for each because each type of dialysis requires access into the body which can be achieved in various ways but all require surgery of one form or the other. Get hold of your consultant or nearest dialysis nurse for a frank and open discussion about the pros and cons of each dialysis type.
