At the start of each hemodialysis treatment, a dialysis technician will place 2 needles in your arm using the vascular access. Your blood will flow through one needle from your vascular access to the dialysis machine, and then from the dialysis machine back to your body through the other needle.
Talk with your doctor to decide which type of vascular access is best for you. No matter what type of vascular access you get, you must take care of it to protect your health and to make sure it is useful for as long as possible.
Learn more about caring for your vascular access. If you choose to have hemodialysis, you may do your treatments in a dialysis center or at home, during the day or at night. Learn more about where hemodialysis can be done. Usually, each hemodialysis treatment lasts about 3—4 hours and is done 3 times a week. The time needed for your dialysis depends on:. Keeping track of your weight is a good way to know if your body is holding on to too much water.
Because your kidneys are not working well, your body may hold on to extra water between dialysis sessions. Your target weight also called dry weight is what you should weigh after you have finished each dialysis treatment.
Limiting how much water and other liquid you drink and take in through foods can help keep too much fluid from building up in your body between treatments.
Medicines also help you maintain your health while on dialysis. You can receive treatment at a dialysis center or at home. Each location has its pros and cons. Most people go to a dialysis center for treatment. At the dialysis center, health care professionals set up and help you connect to the dialysis machine. A team of health care workers will be available to help you. You will continue to see your doctor. Other team members may include nurses, health care technicians, a dietitian , and a social worker.
Each dialysis session lasts about 4 hours. When choosing a dialysis schedule, think about your work and child care or other caregiving duties. Nighttime option Some dialysis centers offer nighttime treatments. These treatments occur at the dialysis center 3 nights a week while you sleep, which takes longer.
Getting longer overnight dialysis treatments means. How do I find a dialysis center? You may want to use Dialysis Facility Compare , which rates all dialysis centers according to quality. Your doctor will give your medical information to the dialysis center you choose. Most large cities have more than one dialysis center to choose from.
You can visit the centers to see which one best fits your needs. You may want the center to be close to your home to save travel time. If you live in a rural area, the closest dialysis center may be far from your home. Home hemodialysis lets you have longer or more frequent dialysis, which comes closer to replacing the work healthy kidneys do—usually three to seven times per week, and with treatment sessions that last between 2 and 10 hours.
Machines for home use are small enough to sit on an end table. Flexible schedule You can choose a schedule that fits the way you live. You can use. Your doctor will decide how many treatments you need each week for daily or nightly home hemodialysis.
More dialysis filters your blood more thoroughly Compared with a standard hemodialysis schedule, daily or nightly home hemodialysis will let you. Healthy kidneys work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Getting more hemodialysis feels more like having healthy kidneys and lowers your chances for problems that are common with a standard hemodialysis schedule, such as. Better quality of life Standard hemodialysis can make you feel tired or washed out for several hours after each treatment.
People who have switched from standard hemodialysis to longer or more frequent hemodialysis report they feel better, with more energy, less nausea, and better sleep. They also may report a better quality of life. Training for home hemodialysis Most dialysis centers require that you have a trained partner in your home during hemodialysis treatments, so you must ask a family member or friend to go through the training with you.
If you already know how to place the needles into your access, training may take less time. The home-training nurse will make sure that you and your partner feel confident and may visit your home to help with your first at-home treatment. In addition to providing training and a hemodialysis machine that stays in your home, the dialysis center also provides hour support if you have a question or problem.
Some programs also monitor treatments over the internet. Dialysis is a complex treatment that takes time to understand. No one wants to start you on dialysis before you need it, but it takes time to prepare for dialysis.
Watch this video to learn why your nephrologist may refer you to a surgeon while you still feel well. If you have kidney disease, remind health care providers to draw blood and insert IV lines only in veins below your wrist; for example, ask them to use a vein in the back of your hand. If an arm vein is damaged by an IV line or by repeated blood draws, that vein may not be able to be used for dialysis. The needles go into a large vein or artery through a vascular access.
Doctors need to create this vascular access before dialysis can begin. Creating a vascular access involves minor surgery. Most patients are awake during the procedure, but get local anesthesia to stop feeling in the area. Surgeons usually create the vascular access a few weeks before hemodialysis starts. That way, the vascular access has time to heal. Hemodialysis usually takes about 4 hours and has to be done three times a week. Most people go to a special clinic — called a dialysis center — to get their treatments.
Some people get treatments at a hospital. Occasionally, dialysis centers train families to do the treatments at home, but this isn't common. After being hooked up to dialysis machines, patients lie down or sit in a chair. While the treatment is going on, they might use the time to read, watch TV, play videogames, or nap.
Some people feel the needles as they go into the vascular access. After that, dialysis treatments are painless. If you're doing dialysis, it helps to stay healthy. Taking good care of yourself helps you avoid problems and get the most out of your treatments. Here are a few tips:. Kidney dialysis is a treatment for kidney disease — it steps in to do the job of the kidneys and keep the body in balance. But it's not a cure. Hemodialysis is an effective treatment for those with end stage renal disease.
However, hemodialysis alone will not provide a complete treatment for those with kidney failure. Diet and fluid restrictions need to be followed, and medicines may need to be taken to replace other functions of the kidneys, such as regulating blood pressure and stimulating production of red blood cells to prevent anemia.
For those who choose in-center hemodialysis, some of the benefits are that they will have their treatments performed in a dialysis center by trained professionals. They can spend their time in dialysis sleeping, reading, writing, watching television, listening to music or doing other quiet activities.
There are four days a week when they will not have to go to dialysis. Some of the disadvantages are that they will have to travel to and from hemodialysis three times each week and it takes advanced notice to travel and arrange for dialysis in a visiting dialysis center. The diet restrictions include limiting foods that contain phosphorus , potassium and sodium and drinking a limited amount of fluid.
Those who perform nocturnal hemodialysis in center or at home report that this washed out feeling is not as common. People who choose to perform hemodialysis at home say they enjoy the feeling of control they have over their lives. Instead of going to the dialysis center at a certain time, they can choose when to perform hemodialysis around their schedule. There is another type of dialysis called peritoneal dialysis PD. PD is done by filling the peritoneum in the abdomen with dialysate and using the peritoneal membrane as a semipermeable membrane.
There are diet and fluid restrictions with peritoneal dialysis; however, these are usually not as limited as hemodialysis because this therapy is performed every day. PD treatments are performed at home, and so do not require three visits to a treatment center each week. Peritoneal dialysis also has a nighttime treatment option that makes it easier for patients to work, attend school or travel.
All dialysis treatments have their advantages and disadvantages. Based on your lifestyle and medical needs, you and your doctor can discuss your options and decide which one is right for you. Get an overview about different dialysis treatments and how they help people continue a productive life.
From tips to helping set up treatments when you travel, DaVita has resources to keep you on the move. Download Now. What Is Hemodialysis?
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