Can a person on dialysis go swimming?

[Omavon19]

My brother lives with me & just started dialysis. We are very new to this.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

What kind of dialysis is he on? If he is doing hemodialysis and they are using his fistula or graft he can go swimming. However, if he has a venous catheter in his chest or elsewhere, no , he can not go swimming. A catheter has a direct connection to the heart and is very prone to infection. Ask his staff any questions like this.

[Ladybug_05]

If he is on Perotineal dialysis, it is dependent on what his PD team says is okay. Salt water is alright since salt prevents infection, but pools and fresh water are usually off limits unless if his team is alright with it and has a plan in place to prevent infection from happening. As he has just started, they will probably make him wait until he is comfortable and has a routine down/knows procedures like the back of his hand. Hope this helps!

[Ava2016]

I'm on peritoneal dialysis and I'm allowed to go swimming but only in pools that have chlorine in them I'm not allowed to go in sea water I have been given waterproof bags to cover my exit site and they work well so when I'm on holiday I always check the pool has chlorine

[Topazz1167 in reply to Ava2016]

What waterproof bag do you use?

[MPK0706]

I wish I could take a nice hot bath! Swimming would be real plus!