I’m going to keep the OP brief. Someone I know recently started kidney dialysis. In looking at pictures of him, he looks like he really deteriorated a lot over the last two years. (He also had some of the symptoms of kidney disease, like fatigue, fluid build-up, trouble regulating body temperature).
My question is, if you or someone you know has needed to go on kidney dialysis, well, what does it do? To what extent can they go back to being healthy and robust, and to what extent is it just damage control by that point?
I was on Kidney Dialysis for about 5 months. It is purely damage control in the sense that your own damaged kidneys will never be completely healthy. But the dialyzed patient is definitely better off than someone with kidney disease who does not get it. The creatinine level in his blood will be considerably lower, though not “normal people” level, and the fluid that is extracted by the dialysis will offset the build-up that the damaged kidneys allow.
While I have heard horror stories about people who feel exhausted by the dialysis itself, that was not the case with me. It was an inconvenience in my day, but even so, I was in a place with a wi-fi connection and I had my laptop - I pretty much worked through the dialysis sessions, except when going on/coming off. And once I was off, it was back to normal life for me. I think it depends greatly on how bad shape the patient is in before dialysis, most kidney patients have problems other than their kidneys (usually those problems in turns CAUSED their kidney failure) that makes it harder for them to handle dialysis. In my case, I’d been pretty darned healthy except for my kidney failure.
Dialysis is simply a stopgap. It’s not really damage control, as by the time you’re on dialysis, there (usually) isn’t a come back other than transplant.
I’ve been on dialysis for over two years. As time goes by, it does get more difficult. I am more fatigued. I have more physical issues. But, I still work FT, keep my house up inside and out, hit the gym 3-4 times per week.
IME, there are two types of dialysis patients: those who consider it part of their lives and those who consider it the entirety of their lives. Those who consider it part of their lives will be better adjusted and more active. Those who consider it their whole life seem to deteriorate faster. There is a substantial population on dialysis who do not qualify for transplant. “Living” on dialysis for the rest of their lives. It becomes a horrendous burden, physically and mentally. If they are older, they almost always pass sooner due to the dwindling effectiveness of dialysis and the combined physical and mental challenges that go with it.
I’ve got a friend that had his kidneys fail and got a transplant. After about 15 years, the transplant failed, and he’s now on 3 times a week dialysis.
Transplant vs dialysis -
cons of the dialysis -
3 mornings a week you are tied to a machine
3 mornings a week you risk cramps caused by to much fluid being withdrawn
He forever has to monitor his intake of fluid, potassium, sodium and other kidneys filter out
Travel is restricted, since you either have to be back on Monday, or find a dialysis unit where you are visiting
Pros of dialysis -
He’s alive
He’s actually gets sick less, because he’s no longer on anti-rejection meds
Cost savings due to less use of toilet paper (ok, I had to come up with a third one)
Tastes of Chocolate, I’ve definitely been leaning on him to get a transplant. I’ve even shown him ways to get a transplant faster, like moving to a different state for a year, or signing up for a service where you can get a helicopter ride to another state if a kidney becomes available, so that you can arrive in the five hour time limit. (I think it’s five hours, I forget the exact time but I know you have to show up quickly.) The state he lives in right now has a really long wait time for a transplant, and I’m hoping that a few months on dialysis will light a fire under his ass and make him take more of my suggestions.
cmkeller, I’m guessing you got a transplant? Since you said you were only on it for five months. You make a good point in that kidney disease is not typically an isolated problem. Indeed, he did have other health issues that led to his kidney disease, and the dialysis does not address those underlying issues.
MissTake, my friend does overnight peritoneal dialysis in his own home, so it doesn’t take over his life. However, he did retire recently, and I think his health issues did worsen after he retired, so you may be onto something.
Thanks for your responses!
Yes, I was very lucky and I got a transplant quite soon after my kidneys descended to the point of dialysis.