Effects of Hemodialysis

[mike22]

How does hemodialysis makes you feel for the second time around. I know my first experience wasnt that bad except for my first couple sessions. I was wandering, if i chose hemodialysis, how would affect my body now that im older.

[petey]

Mike22,
My husband Marvin is on his "second time around" with hemodialysis.  The first time (1995-2000), he was in-center most of the time (tried PD for a few months -- didn't work).  His transplant lasted from 2000-2003, and he's been back on hemo since Oct. 21, 2003.  The second time around for him (even though it wasn't that far from his first time around) has actually been easier for him and his body.  It's difficult to explain, but I think that maybe it's easier this time around because we know so much more of what to do, what not to do, what to ask, what to demand, etc. (learned the hard way).  When he started back, he went back to in-center, but we've been doing home hemo since July of 2007.  The home hemo works really, really well for him; maybe that's what's made the difference.

Interesting note:  When we knew Marvin would have to go back on dialysis, a good friend of his asked, "How can you go through that again knowing how awful it was the first time?"  And Marvin answered, "I don't have much of a choice.  It's either dialysis again or death -- in that light, dialysis looks pretty good to me."