KCD stage 5

[Joyin]

Looking for help i have been diagnosed with KCD stage 5 which treatment is better PD or hemo

[victoriaadams]

If you qualify for it, PD is the best of the best. You have the ability to do it by machine during the night which frees up your day or manual exchanges which also gives you the option to do according to your schedule. Hemo is dealing with the blood which drains you of energy

[Darlenia]

So sorry to hear you're facing this situation. Stay positive. I don't know how Sierra Leone handles transplants but check into it now if you haven't done so yet. That's generally regarded as the best treatment for kidney failure. However, there is also dialysis. As Victoria stated, there are two types: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. They both clean toxins out of your body - the first one uses blood and the other uses a type of osmosis. Check below for a link to a site that explains all forms that are available to you. You can also fill out a questionnaire there and it generates the preferred one for you based on your answers. I'm glad you're here. We're a supportive community and we're happy to answer any other questions you may have. May your journey ahead go smoothly!

homedialysis.org/home-dialy...

[Joyin in reply to Darlenia]

Thanks for your feedback really helpful

[Darlenia in reply to Joyin]

I just noticed that it's hard to find the questionnaire on some devices. The questionnaire that leads you to the right choice for you specifically is here: mykidneylifeplan.org/#eyy

[Bassetmommer]

It all depends on your lifestyle. First of all is the equipment and supplies. Both have a lot. I do home hemo (HHD)and actually built a storage room for everything.

I do not know for sure about PD, but I think you do that every day. There are limitations because you have a catheter hanging out of your body. PD is also more open to infection, not only at the site of the catheter, but in the peritoneal area. And what they do not tell you is eventually; PD will fail, and you will have to go to hemo. It may be years or not. kidney.org/kidney-topics/pe...

Home hemo is a job, a part time job. You have to set up to do it every time and it takes about 40 minutes or so, depending on how used to it you become. It is easy to make a mistake and have to start over with new supplies. I have had to do that a couple of times. There is a large machine to deal with and I also got a big chair to use. I have a caregiver who helps me on and off the machine. You can do it solo, but I do know how people do it. kidney.org/kidney-topics/ho...

There are a ton of alarms on both machines. For HHD, there are over 500 and I think I have had at least 100 of them. Once you get used to that, it's not so scary. But at first it is very frightening. With HHD, you can do it at night, but you cannot move around when you are on. This is the best method as it is very gentle but thorough. HHD requires needles which you will learn to place. If you crash and have to have an emergency dialysis, you will be given a catheter which is in your chest, shoulder area. This is very prone to infection, so you want to get an arm fistula. If you go this route, you need to get that done asap because they need to mature before you use it.

The benefit of HHD is freedom. I am a very busy person, and I need to flex my dialysis, not my life around dialysis. I go on when I want. I move my days according to our schedule. We usually do treatment in the morning and then I am done. I do a very short time, 2 hours, because I have a lot of residual kidney function. My choice for HHD was also because it does a great job. It is much gentler than in center HD. I am also very active and swim and I would not have been able to with PD. I also only do HHD three times a week, instead of every day. My training center is very supportive and comes out to my home when I have an issue. I feel fantastic and my labs show great results.

Things to think about now. If you go with HHD, get your fistula asap. If you go with PD, get your catheter in asap. Tour the facilities that supports whatever method you choose. Go to the facility and see if you can talk with other patients. You want to know if they are getting the support they need. Also, get on a transplant list. I am not sure what the procedure is where you are.

Oh, HHD does not drain you of blood. It circulates it and it goes back in. What does come off is fluid if you have edema. If you do not, you do not remove fluid. I actually put some back in with saline. What makes people tired is the transition on electrolytes and fluid. It can happen with both until you get the right prescription.

[Beachgirl32]

I have been on both I had to stop pd cause I got a fungal infection . Only small percentage get fungal infect. Surgeon did not want too put in another catheter if you have fungal infection . I had awful drain pain on pd . I thought I would hate hemo but I actually feel better on it . I have a great center and they are there really quick if there a problem like blood pressure go to low. I have a chest port right now. I had a fistula done on 9/13 but it not working so probably have to get a graph . I do not have low energy as other said I actually have more energy after. I think we are all different so it what you think will be best for you. Alot of people don’t like needles be putting in your arm but I hear a lot of people use a numbing cream like 45 min before that help. If you are below 20 percent you can get on transplant list .

[woeisme1]

I understand that both are equally efficacious. My doctor says it's a matter of personal choice. You can start with the easiest and switch to another of you want.