Deciding on Dialysis Method

[OkieDave]

I am currently at the point where I need to decide on the method of Dialysis that I will want. I am going to an education program tomorrow and after that will need to make the decision. I realize that this is a total personal choice in what meets my life style. What I would like to know is what are the pros and cons of each. Here is a little information about the factors that I have been looking at. I have resless leg syndrome along with sleep apnea and have a hard time sleeping through the night and sometimes need to get up and walk around in order to get back to sleep. For that reason I feel the nocturnal would not be a good fit for me. I will be continuing to work full time and wold like to leave some time for other interests so I'm not sure about the time commitment needed for in center. That would leave me with in home hemo and PD. I have been leaning more towards the PD because from what I can see that would give me the most flexability. I would like to hear from people that have been through dialysis to know what are the true limitations of each. The doctors and technicians can give you the standard scoop on what they are, but they aren't having to live with it like the people here in this group. Any help would be greatly appreciated.





Edited: Fixed subject line error - okarol/admin

[billybags]

OkieDave, As you say it is a personal choice with dialysis. There are fore's and against in any method. My husband has been doing dialysis for two years. He started with  CAPD,  can be constricting as you have to do it 4 times a day, but is do-able even if you go to work, you do it there.He then went on to do an overnight cycler machine with one tea time manual, which is great because it does free up your day.  He had to do 3 months on Hemo because he had a bad bout of peritonitis and had to have his catheter out. Out of all three ways he prefers doing the cycler machine. With CAPD and APD you have to be ultra hygienic, every thing has to be so sterile, hands have to be ultra clean, all apparatus has to be ultra clean and free of germs. if not you can get peritonitis which is, so not nice and can be very very unpleasant.Listen to what other people say on the site and then make a choice. Talk to people at your dialysis unit, get there take on it. 

[paul.karen]

I choose to do PD.  Main reasons least from what i understood at the time were.
Less food water restrictions.  If you still have output i dies faster on hemo.  I have been doing PD for over a year now and still have the output i use to have.

I also choose PD because i work fulltime.  Once training started i asked the nurses to train me right away on the cycler as i wouldn't be able to do four exchanges a day where i work.  So i did one day training of manuels just so i knew how to do them.  Then learned on the machine/cycler.

I also have to lift at work.  Which is suppose to be a Nono on PD.  So i am dry during the day which gives me more flexability in being able to lift things.  If i were not dry and lifted alot of the things i lift i would have likely gotten a hernia. 

It is working for me thus far but like many people i think at some point my peritoneal lining may wear out and i will have to do Hemo.  But i hope that is a long way in the future.
I like PD.  But many people say that Hemo is much better for dialysis.  I can honestly say i have Never gotten off my machine and felt totally washed out and had to take a day to recover?

Either way you decide to go it will be a life style change.  I wish you luck

[Deanne]

I'll be attending the "decide this" class soon, too. I've already decided on PD if I can't get  pre-emptive transplant. It's for the same reasons as everyone else mentioned - more freedom. It sounds like it'll be easier to maintain a full-time work schedule with less personal (fluid / food) restrictions. I hate driving in bad weather, so I won't have to worry about trying to get to dialysis during bad weather, and my neph said home hemo isn't an option because I live alone. She said my cats & dogs don't count as assistants.

[peleroja]

I leaned toward PD right from the beginning.  Like you, I don't sleep well, and thanks to my extended tether, I can go as far as the kitchen and the den.  In spite of having had peritonitis twice, and both times having to have my catheter removed, I have an appointment on Feb. 3 to see if I am still viable for another PD catheter.  I would take PD over hemo any day!

[tyefly]

I do dialysis at home...    and have done this for a year now... I have also done incenter for about 5 months.... which is what I needed to do to get ready to go home....  I was told that PD may not work for me because of past surgeries...   
   When I was trying to decide which one, Pd, hemo  in center or home....   I really wanted to do PD... do it while I slept... but I decided that PD doesnt last forever... so I decided to go in center untill my fistula was being developed and once I had buttonholes   then I would go home on Nxstage.....   I do like it at home....   I can do it when I want.... and where I want...

I would try PD first..... its something you can do at night while your sleeping and you can go places...  If that doesnt work... then   go in center  and then go home wth Nxstage.....