How is dialysis used in the treatment of kidney patients

This can make you feel sick to your stomach, throw up, have a headache, or cramps. Usually, these problems go away as you have treatments more often but some people may still have complications. Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurance plans cover most of the costs of dialysis. Most people on dialysis are able to get Medicare coverage at any age.

Depending on the type of treatment you choose, you may have to wait a few months before your insurance coverage begins. You may also need to pay some out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles or copays. Learn more about Medicare coverage of dialysis. If you are living with kidney failure and are unable to afford your treatment-related expenses, the American Kidney Fund AKF may be able to help too.

Learn more about financial assistance available through AKF. If you have questions about the cost of dialysis, call your insurance company or ask your social worker. Think of everyone who helps care for you as part of a team. You are the team captain, and your dialysis care team members all play different roles to help you meet your health goals. Communication between team members is the key to success! Your dialysis care team may include:.

Donate Now. Give Monthly Give In Honor. Like all strong medicines, anti-rejection medicines have side effects. A transplant center can place you on the waiting list for a donor kidney if you have permanent kidney damage and your kidney function is 20 or less. Watch a video about having a kidney transplant. Learn about kidney transplant. Conservative management for kidney failure means that your health care team continues your care without dialysis or a kidney transplant. The focus of care is on your quality of life and symptom control.

The decision to start dialysis is yours. For most people, dialysis may extend and improve quality of life. For others who have serious conditions in addition to kidney failure, dialysis may seem like a burden that only prolongs suffering. You have the right to decide how your kidney failure will be treated. You may want to speak with your family, doctor, counselor, or renal social worker—who helps people with kidney disease—to help you make this decision.

If you decide not to begin dialysis treatments, you may live for a few weeks or for several months, depending on your health and your remaining kidney function. Many of the complications of kidney failure can be treated with medicines, but only dialysis or transplant can filter wastes from your blood. As your kidney function declines, you may want to consider adding hospice, or end-of-life, care.

You can have hospice care in a facility or at home. The hospice program is designed to meet end-of-life physical and emotional needs. Hospice care focuses on relieving pain and other symptoms. Whether or not you choose to use hospice, your doctor can give you medicines to make you more comfortable. Your doctor can also give you medicines to treat the problems of kidney failure, such as anemia or weak bones.

You may restart dialysis treatment if you change your mind. The pros and cons of conservative management depend on your current health status. Weigh the pros and cons with the help of your doctor. Learn about conservative management. All of the treatment options for kidney failure require changes and limit what you may eat and drink. Hemodialysis has the most restrictions. You will need to watch how much water and other liquids you get from food and drinks. You will also need to avoid getting too much sodium a part of salt , potassium, and phosphorus.

You may find it difficult to limit phosphorus because many foods that are high in phosphorus also provide the protein you need. Hemodialysis can remove protein from your body, so you will need to eat foods with high-quality protein such as meat, fish, and eggs. Avoiding foods such as beans, peas, nuts, tea, and colas will help you limit your phosphorus.

You may also need to take a pill called a phosphate binder with your meals. Phosphate binders keep phosphorus in your food from entering your bloodstream. Read about nutrition and eating right on hemodialysis. Like hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis requires limits on sodium and phosphorus. You may need to take a phosphate binder. The liquid limitations in peritoneal dialysis may not be as strict as those for hemodialysis.

In fact, you may need to drink more water and other liquids if your peritoneal dialysis treatments remove too much fluid from your body. Peritoneal dialysis removes potassium from the body, so you may need to eat potassium-rich foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, and bananas.

Peritoneal dialysis removes even more protein than hemodialysis, so eating foods with high-quality protein will be important. You may need to limit calories because your body will absorb sugar from the dialysis solution. Kidney transplantation has the fewest restrictions on your diet. You will need to limit sodium because it can raise your blood pressure. Medicines that you take after the transplant can cause you to gain weight, so you may need to limit calories.

The diet for conservative management limits protein. Protein breaks down into waste products the kidneys must remove. Limiting protein may reduce the amount of work the kidneys have to do so they will last longer.

Find out how the treatment changed their lives and the lives of those closest to them. If you plan to keep working, think about which treatment can make that easier. If spending time with family and friends means a lot to you, ask which treatment would give you the most free time. Find out which treatment would give you the best chance of feeling good and living longer. You may wish to speak with your family, friends, health care team, spiritual advisor, or mental health counselor as you decide.

View a chart comparing hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation. You can change your mind. Medicare, the federal health insurance program , and private health insurance cover most of the cost. Medicare covers kidney failure no matter what your age.

If you need more help to pay for treatment, state Medicaid programs provide funds for health care based on financial need.

Your social worker can help you find more ways to pay for treatment. You can make your treatment plans and wishes clear to health care providers and family members with an advance directive.

During a medical crisis, you might not be able to tell your health care team and loved ones how you want to be treated or cared for. An advance directive is a written legal statement or document with your instructions either to provide or not provide certain treatments, such as dialysis, depending on what else is happening with your health.

Advance directives may include. A living will is a document that describes the conditions under which you would want to refuse treatment. Before stopping treatment, mention any concerns to your doctor. In end-stage kidney disease, also known as end-stage renal disease ESRD , the kidneys are functioning below 10 percent of their normal function.

Your kidneys filter your blood and remove toxins from your body. This can lead…. The kidneys filter waste from the blood and remove it from the body…. Discover the link between type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the leading cause for kidney failure in the United States. Learn preventive steps you…. Different foods can affect the function of your kidneys. Here are the 20 best foods to eat if you have kidney disease. Currently, eGFR estimates kidney function and includes race in its calculation.

Find out why this came about, its impact, and how it may change. The road to successful organ transplantation can be long and tumultuous ride. This is story of one person's journey through the life-saving kidney…. The way each person finds out that chronic kidney disease CKD has progressed to the need for dialysis is unique. This is one person's journey…. Dialysis is lifesaving, but there are many possible side effects. We explore these side effects and what you can do to feel better.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Carissa Stephens, R. Why is dialysis used? What are the different types of dialysis? Are there any risks associated with dialysis? Are there any alternatives to dialysis? How do I prepare for dialysis?

What types of dialysis can be performed at home? Read this next. The elimination of unwanted water, or ultrafiltration, occurs through osmosis. The dialysis solution has a high concentration of glucose, and this causes osmotic pressure. The pressure causes the fluid to move from the blood into the dialysate. As a result, more fluid is drained than is introduced. Peritoneal dialysis is less efficient than hemodialysis.

It takes longer periods, and it removes around the same amount of total waste product, salt, and water as hemodialysis. However, peritoneal dialysis gives patients more freedom and independence, because it can be done at home instead of going to the clinic several times each week.

It can also be done while traveling with a minimum of specialized equipment. Before starting peritoneal dialysis, the patient needs a small surgical procedure to insert a catheter into the abdomen. This is kept closed off, except when being used for dialysis. There are two main types of peritoneal dialysis:. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis CAPD requires no machinery, and the patient or a caregiver can do it. The dialysate is left in the abdomen for up to 8 hours and then replaced with a fresh solution straight away.

This happens every day, four or five times per day. Continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis CCPD , or automated peritoneal dialysis uses a machine to exchange the fluids.

It is generally done every night, while the patient sleeps. Each session lasts from 10 to 12 hours. After spending the night attached to the machine, most people keep the fluid inside their abdomen during the day.

Some patients may need another exchange during the day. Peritoneal dialysis is a suitable option for patients who find hemodialysis too exhausting, such as elderly people, infants, and children. It can be done while traveling, so it is more convenient for those who work or attend school.

While a session of intermittent dialysis lasts for up to 6 hours, continuous renal replacement therapies CRRT are designed for hour use in an intensive care unit ICU. There are different types of CRRT. It can involve either filtration or diffusion. It is better tolerated than intermittent dialysis, because the solute or fluid removal is slower. This leads to fewer complications, for example, a lower chance of hypotension.