Dialysis is the most common treatment for severe kidney failure. You may need to go on dialysis if you have lost 85 to 90% of your kidney function. You can have dialysis in a hospital, at a dialysis center, or at home. You might need dialysis until your kidneys recover. If you have permanent kidney damage, you could need it for the rest of your life. Some people stay on dialysis only until they can get a kidney transplant.
Here are five things to know about dialysis.
Dialysis is a filtering system
Your kidneys filter and remove waste, water, chemicals, and salt from your body. When they don’t work, your blood pressure goes up, and fluid builds up in your body. Chemicals like potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate can reach dangerous levels. Dialysis does not cure kidney disease. But it is a very good way to filter your system when your kidneys can’t.
Dialysis removes waste from your blood
There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. A hemodialysis machine is about the size of a dishwasher. Blood flows through the machine, and the machine filters it. Peritoneal dialysis cleans your blood inside your own body. For this method, a fluid called dialysate fills your belly. The fluid draws waste products out of your blood. You then flush the fluid out of your body.
You need minor surgery before dialysis
Before you start hemodialysis, your doctor will do minor surgery in your arm or leg to create what’s called vascular access. That’s where your blood will be removed and then returned to your body. For peritoneal dialysis, your doctor will also do surgery. The doctor will put a catheter (a soft plastic tube) into your belly. This lets the dialysate flow into and out of your body.
Dialysis takes about four hours
Each hemodialysis treatment takes about four hours, and you will need about three treatments each week. There are two main types of peritoneal dialysis: You do continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) 4 or 5 times a day. The other type, automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), uses a machine called a cyclist. It sends dialysate in and out of your belly at night while you sleep.
Dialysis has risks that you can manage
One major risk of hemodialysis is developing a blood clot in your vascular access. If that happens, your doctor may need to remove the clot. This keeps the access area usable. You could also get an infection near your access. The main risk of peritoneal dialysis is an infection inside your belly that doctors call peritonitis. Your healthcare team will teach you how to check for these problems. Also, you might feel nauseous or dizzy from dialysis treatments. These side effects lessen over time.
Don’t forget to take good care of your health since the cost of dialysis is now GH¢765.14.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Belinda Quansah
