Getting ready

[Quita55]

Was anyone scared about surgery for hemodialysis? And how to get mentally ready for dialysis? Any good advice out there let me know.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

I was lucky because I had a very long time to prepare for hemodialysis - 13 years from the time i was diagnosed with ADPKD. And I had the fistula surgery a year before I needed to use it. Unfortunately, when it came time I had to have a balloon angioplasty to make the fistula large enough for use. Nobody had told me to exercise my fistula arm by squeezing a ball repeatedly each day. As for getting mentally ready, I opted to start the very next day instead of waiting until after the weekend when I was told it was time. This worked out better for me since I didn't have the weekend to worry about it. And I had a very supportive dialysis staff to help me and my husband through that first time and really ever since then. Just try to relax and use your deep breathing or just joke around with the surgeon and staff as I do! Good luck to you!

[Darlenia]

Welcome to the club. I agree with everything that cs65 wrote. Being proactive is the only way to make a smooth transition and avoid many additional exhausting and expensive surgeries and hospitalizations. I'm a caretaker to my husband who was desperate to avoid dialysis in any way he could. I was shocked when, during a zoom call with his nephrologist, I heard him push back on dialysis and a possible transplant. The nephrologist was relieved exclaiming "happy wife, happy life!" when I added my voice. But we were too late. So my hubby had to go through a 5-day emergency hospitalization in a big battle to bring down soaring blood pressure (hubby still resisting), eventually culminating in a temporary catheter surgery and slow, careful hemodialysis. Then he had to return for a temporary catheter repair, followed by yet another surgical procedure for a permanent catheter-it's been a wild ride. He went through additional procedures that were completely unnecessary. Mentally, it was extremely rough on me. I saw him failing, I saw him resisting, etc. He was running a successful business that I couldn't handle, not having the licenses, etc. For my husband, he preferred to simply let things crash and work in crisis mode..."Well, I didn't expect THAT to happen!" So everyone is different...knowing yourself is key. For me, putting steps in place is calming. Knowing that I'm making good choices relieves anxiety. Avoiding emergencies makes me happy. Knowing that catheters, fistulas, and even dialysis itself can go away if a transplant comes along or if technology improves also calms me. Not spending money or time unwisely makes me smile. Realizing dialysis is indeed "life" makes me peaceful. If you have serious fears, please talk to your doctor(s). I found my primary physician to be very helpful, prescribing a non-addictive, calming medicine to help me over the situation we faced. Please come back here and let us know your outcomes. We care! Blessings on your journey!