Dialysis

How to choose a type of dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) may be a choice for you if:

• You don’t have certain stomach diseases, such as Crohn’s disease
• You don’t have scars on your stomach that get in the way of treatment
• You want to do your own treatment at home
• You can do treatment every day
• You have space to store supplies at your home

Hemodialysis in a dialysis center may be a choice for you if:

• You live close enough to a center to get there 3 times each week
• You’d rather have trained professionals handle your treatment than do it yourself
• You are ok with needle sticks

Hemodialysis at home may be a choice for you if:

• You want to do your own treatment at home
• You can do treatment most days of the week
• A family member is willing to be trained to help you
• You have space to store a machine and supplies at your home
• You are ok with needle sticks

Pros of dialysis

Dialysis can filter waste out of your body to keep you alive.

Cons for each type of dialysis

The longer you stay on dialysis, the more likely you are to get heart disease or an infection. These can be deadly. Patients who get a transplant usually live longer and more comfortably than people who stay on dialysis.

Hemodialysis

Possible side effects

• Muscle cramps
• High or low blood pressure
• Joint pain and stiffness
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Blood infection
• More deaths in the 1st year of treatment compared to peritoneal dialysis

Foods you eat

You have to eat less food and less:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Potassium
• Phosphorous

Travel

Limited because you’ll be at a dialysis center 3-4 days each week

Minor Surgery

To make it easier to get to your blood