dialysis patients
@butterflydawn (297)
Canada
March 6, 2007 12:01am CST
Do you go for or know anyone who needs to go for dialysis three days a week? How long have they been on dialysis? How long do they have to be hooked up and stay on the dialysis each time? Do you have to drive very far to get them there?
Do you/they have a shunt in the arm or the chest?
I take my father to dialysis three mornings a week, and he's been going for almost 4 years now. Each session lasts for approx. 4 hours. When he first started going, we had to drive to another town that was approx. 60 miles away. My father has a chest tube, however some of the patients have it in the arm. There seems to be a lot of pro's and con's for both, but my father isn't interested in the arm one, and refused to have it done. Now it's only a 10 min. drive to the local hospital so I'm able to drop him off there and pick him up, and still have time to do things at home.
3 responses
@jtsantos (8)
• Philippines
27 Mar 09
I am suffering from chronic kidney failure and has been under dialysis treatment for six years now. my schedule is 2x/week and it's four hours every session. my access is an av fistula in the left arm. i also go alone by myself on every dialysis session, and has been doing it for six years now. i guess it just takes getting used to it.
@butterflydawn (297)
• Canada
28 Mar 09
It is good for you that you only have to go twice a week as most people usually have to be there the three times. I drive my dad because of his age, and the fact that he no longer has his driver's license and is almost blind at this point so couldn't go on his own anyway. I don't stay there with him, as he is often sleeping during the treatment or visiting with one of the other patients, however I do have to take him in each morning and I usually stay until he is all hooked up, then try to return for the last 10 or 15 minutes of treatment so I'm there to take him to get weighed and then to get ready to go.
It's a much needed treatment, and it's good that it is available to give people some quality of life when their kidneys fail.
@Loen210 (1540)
• United States
22 Feb 08
Hi,
Just saw you posted this a year ago. How is your father doing? Glad that now it is only a 10 minute drive.
Dialysis is usually 4 hours, and 3 times a week. I am not on it anymore, but also had the chest catheter. I'm not a pro as it was some time ago, but feel free to email me. :o)
@janand (156)
• United States
26 Jun 07
I was in your position as my mother had a kidney failure and was put on dialysis. This is the haemodialysis which was done 3 days a week and very painful one. So we switched to the less painful one which is the peritoneal dialysis. This is a less painful one. It just needs a small operation in the stomach. Then you can do peritoneal dialysis at home itself. It is very easy. no travelling only regular checkups.consult ur doc about it.good luck .
