Hemodialysis treatment time...

[Krisna]

I was just curious as to how long other HD patients' treatments were?  Also if you do it at home or in center?

I do 3 hours in center HD.  This has been my prescription every time I've had to go back to dialysis with the exception of the very first time!

[livecam]

Mine varied from 3-5 depending on what the docs wanted and what I would tolerate.  In the early days I pushed for shorter treatment times then woke up to reality and ran longer.

[silverhead]

Sharon is presently on a 3 day on 1 day off with the NxStage at home, 2 hour 32 minutes per session.....

[kitkatz]

Always have been 4 hours.

[jbeany]

In center, I started at 4 hours.  They eventually dropped 12 minutes off that.  My labs stayed okay, but I refused to keep shortening it - 12 extra minutes didn't make my day any easier, and I figured that more was better.  Now I'm on home with a NxStage.  I do 3 days on, one day off, with an average run time of about 2 hours, 15 minutes.

[charee]

I do home hemo and do 7.5 hours every second day , here in Aus they,  well where i trained  say the longer the better, all my Labs are really good and i have been able to  go off Blood pressure meds and  caltrate , no diet i eat as i did before , still have to watch my fluids which i find the hardest of all things.So most weeks i do 22.5 hours in the week

[Bajanne]

We had a thread and poll on this subject once.  Maybe you want to check it out.  http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3589.0

[KR Cincy]

I'm now doing 5 home treatments per week (between Monday-Sunday) and each one is about 3 1/2 hours long using 26 liters of dialysate and pulling about 96 liters of blood.

[BigSky]

In center 4.5 hours... and pushing for more.

[oswald]

i used to do 4 hours every mon., wed., and fri. in center hemo.  12 hours per week. 

[stauffenberg]

There is now research evidence indicating that excessive amounts of creatinine in the blood are pathological and promote the development and progress of arteriosclerosis.  Since everyone on dialysis by definition comes to treatment each time with an elevated creatinine level (patients would be taken off dialysis if they didn't), the more dialysis time the better, even if the other lab results, such as potasium, phosphates, urea, hemoglobin, etc., are normal. 

[terry3004]

When I was in-center, I was on TTS 4 hours per treatment.

Now I'm on NxStage 6 days per week (Fridays off) running between 2:15 and 2:30 per treatment.

[Krisna]

We had a thread and poll on this subject once.  Maybe you want to check it out.  http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3589.0

Thanks!  I will do that!   I am still trying get through all the threads from before I joined.  I didn't lurk at all before I joined, I just saw the site and the forum and thought, "This is exactly what I've been looking for!"

So, Thank you for the link!

[Krisna]

When I was a kid, dialysis was a lot less efficient and I had to do a couple 8 hr treatments at first.  Then I did 6 hr treatments for abt a week.  Then it was 4 hrs.  I did it every day for probably a couple wks.  Now, this info is from my dad since I don't remember much of it.  I was very sick and was not diagnosed until going into Congestive Heart Failure.  I only had 25% of my total kidney function left!  Dialysis back then did not use bicarb so I got sick to my stomach most of the time I was running.  That's the only thing I really remember abt it other than the shunt that was in arm for it! 

I could do more treatments a wk if I wanted to.  I have a good relationship with my Nephrologist but I don't feel I need more at this time.  I've always been real good abt my diet and fluids.  I am especially careful on Saturdays because I know I still have to get through Sunday and half of Monday.  I average between 1.5 & 3.0 kilos between treatments.  And I am on a 4 Ca; 3.5 K bath.  I have the opposite problem most patients have with Potassium, I don't eat enough foods with it.  Right now my Phosphorus is even too low and I have been told to stop my binders.  All my other labs are great! 

Thanks for sharing! 

[Ang]

4.5  hours   m,w,f

[RichardMEL]

5 hours TTS

[Joe Paul]

4 hours in center M-W-F

[boxman55]

3-1/2 hours in center M-W-F...Boxman

[meadowlandsnj]

I was just curious as to how long other HD patients' treatments were?  Also if you do it at home or in center?

I do 3 hours in center HD.  This has been my prescription every time I've had to go back to dialysis with the exception of the very first time!

I go 4 hours M W F.  Would not even consider taking less if they offered me.  As it is now I go in early, I get put on as soon as I get there and I don't have to wait.   

Donna

[kidney4traci]

I run three days on one day off then two days on and one day off.  I do home dialysis on nxstage and run about 2 hours 15 minurtes.

[Cincygrandma]

Hi, I  do 3 in center treatments, TTS, each 4 hours long.   Including waiting time and getting on and off, I'm there a minimum of 5-1/2 to 6 hours.  This is new to me and still confusing.  Last treatment I went in at 1kg under my dry weight and came out 4kg over. (?)  As much as I hate dialysis though, I am very thankful for the advancements made in recent years.  I'm curious, why would anyone want more treatment time?

[BigSky]

Hi, I  do 3 in center treatments, TTS, each 4 hours long.   Including waiting time and getting on and off, I'm there a minimum of 5-1/2 to 6 hours.  This is new to me and still confusing.  Last treatment I went in at 1kg under my dry weight and came out 4kg over. (?)  As much as I hate dialysis though, I am very thankful for the advancements made in recent years.  I'm curious, why would anyone want more treatment time?

Sounds like your scale was off.

A five kg difference for you to go over by 4 would be 5-1liter bags of saline added during your run.

[Cincygrandma]

BigSky, sounds scary to me either way! 

[Bajanne]

  I'm curious, why would anyone want more treatment time?

The reason for more treatment time is that it is easier on the body.  Remember, the dialysis machine is attempting to do what your kidneys do (did) 24/7.  A longer treatment is more thorough and as I already said, easier on the body.   One of the patients in our unit just spent some time in Florida.  He went to a unit where he started at 8.00 p.m. and ended at 4.00 a.m.  That is the kind of dialysis I would like.  I would just sleep the time away and know that I was getting a good dialysis.

[Cincygrandma]

Last treatment I went in at 1kg under my dry weight and came out 4kg over. (?) 

BigSky, thanks for the info.  I went in under weight again Thursday, and questioned the tech about the weight difference.  They were not kilograms but tenths of a kilogram, so guess my change was .5 kilos.  I should have known that!!