Dialysis at home

[Airehead]

Please educate me about this. Do you need a person in the house with you ?

our 90 year old friend is exploring it. 

[Parr8hed]

6 minutes ago, Airehead said:

Please educate me about this. Do you need a person in the house with you ?

our 90 year old friend is exploring it. 

Well seeing as how this is my job these days I will try.  Please call/text if you have specifics.

A couple of things.

1. you need to decide if you're doing hemo or peritoneal.  Hemo is blood, requires an access.  Either a fistula in your arm that you stick needles into or a catheter in your chest that will remain there.  Peritoneal is abdominal.  You need a tube (like a feeding tube) into your gut.  NOT your belly, it just simply goes into the abdomen.  You exchange fluid in and out to clear toxins.  

You can do both at home.  Peritoneal is more gentle.  It does not require someone to be with you.  Hemo is a little more harsh and we do require someone to be with you.  You are on the machine for less time though.  

Peritoneal you can generally do through the night.  Hook up to the machine before you go to bed.  Disconnect when you wake up.  

Hemo you stick needles in and run for 2-3 hours and then disconnect. 

There is so much that goes into this.  What is the residual renal function?  Do they still make urine?  How hemodynamically stable are they?  Do they have running water, clean storage area?  Do they have rooms with no dirt floors and no critters living in them?  These are all serious questions (remember I practice in KY)  

Of course all of our guidelines are local here.  Yours may vary.  I do hemo.  I have friends that work with me that do peritoneal that I can ask questions of. 

[Wilbur ★]

Watching what my mother has gone through, I don't think I would do it at 90.  Everyone is different though.  

[Parr8hed]

43 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

Watching what my mother has gone through, I don't think I would do it at 90.  Everyone is different though.  

I really agree.  If it were my parents I would prob advise them NOT to do it at 90.  Maybe peritoneal.  It's a PITA but it works and it's not nearly as harsh at hemo.  I would never advise someone to do hemo at 90.  But people do do it.  And they do well with it.  

[Airehead]

Thank you. More questions as I have them.