How many home hemo patients are there in the US?

[JohnJ]

I read on one site 5,000-6,000 but I thought NxStage had that many alone. So...does anyone have an idea of how many there are? Friends ask and I'm curious. Hell...my non-renal doctors and nurses are often surprised to hear I'm on home hemo and wonder how many there are of us. I know there are only 3 in the 3 clinic area served locally.

And does it bother anyone else when you tell a nurse that you stick yourself with a 16 gauge needle and they cringe? I mean..damn..a nurse shouldn't cringe in front of a patient but it it fun to watch 

[greg10]

Welcome to the forum John.  Your NxStage number is probably correct, around 5000, but the total number of dialysis patients in the US is about 400,000.

Read all about the state of dialysis in the US here:
"Today, dialysis is a lifeline for almost 400,000 Americans. Yet, despite massive expense by U.S. taxpayers, Americans endure some of the worst outcomes for dialysis care in the industrialized world. One in five patients dies each year. Those that survive often grapple with frequent hospitalizations and poor quality of life."
http://www.propublica.org/article/dialysis-the-story-so-far

I read on one site 5,000-6,000 but I thought NxStage had that many alone. So...does anyone have an idea of how many there are? Friends ask and I'm curious. Hell...my non-renal doctors and nurses are often surprised to hear I'm on home hemo and wonder how many there are of us. I know there are only 3 in the 3 clinic area served locally.

And does it bother anyone else when you tell a nurse that you stick yourself with a 16 gauge needle and they cringe? I mean..damn..a nurse shouldn't cringe in front of a patient but it it fun to watch