| Author | Subject: Would home dialysis be a good idea for 74 yr old Mom? |
| Jan | Posted At 10:19:25 10/12/2002 My mother was diagnosed with scleraderma four years ago and two months ago suffered kidney failure because of it. The doctor has recommended she get a colostomy and do home dialysis. Would others who do home dialysis let me know how it works for them and if they would recommend it for others? Thanks! |
| Beth Witten | Re: Would home dialysis be a good idea for 74 yr old Mom? (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 19:16:21 10/14/2002 Is it possible that the doctor is recommending that your mother get a catheter placed surgically to do peritoneal dialysis (PD) rather than a colostomy? Having a PD catheter placed is not the same as a colostomy. You and your mother should ask her doctor to clarify what he/she is recommending. The PD catheter is very small and only sticks out of the body a few inches. The patient who does PD hooks a bag containing a sterile solution made up of specific chemicals to the catheter and drains the solution into his/her lower abdomen (peritoneal cavity). The solution is designed to pull off wastes and extra fluid from the blood while it sits (dwells) inside the body. After a prescribed time, the solution is drained off into an empty bag using the catheter. This is called an "exchange." No bag is connected to the PD cathether except when a dialysis exchange takes place. On the other hand, a colostomy is needed when part of the intestine is removed. The colon (part of the intestines) is surgically connected to a "stoma" that is the surgeon creates. Stool flows from the colon into a bag that covers the stoma. Sometimes a colostomy is temporary and other times it's permanent. Assuming the doctor is talking about PD, this can be done manually 4 times every day or done overnight while the patient sleeps. Most people can learn how to do it independently in a a few days. The kidney specialist needs to know about your mother's full medical history to know whether this treatment option is appropriate for her. Another home treatment option is home hemodialysis. Most US facilities want someone else present during the entire home hemodialysis treatment in case the patient needs help. It takes 6-8 weeks to learn how to do home hemodialysis and both the patient and the family member or friend who helps must both be trained. Patients of all ages have learned how to do home dialysis -- both peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. Some factors that help people do well with home dialysis include: * a desire to learn about kidney disease and treatment * a willingness to be responsible for treatment and to follow the prescription as directed * an openness to asking for help when needed * a good support system Many people choose home dialysis because they want to pursue activities that they can't do if they go to a center 3 times a week or they have to drive to far or lack transportation to get to a center. People often choose PD because they don't like needles. |