Through the Eyes of a Dialysis Patient

By Lisa Baxter

Through The Eyes Of A Dialysis Patient offers an in-depth look about a woman sharing her knowledge and experience. You may not know or understand what you and your family goes through when someone has been diagnosed with kidney failure. The full gamut of emotions are felt.

The purpose of this book is to educate, encourage and foster public awareness for prevention and strategic methods to live a full and productive life, while dealing with kidney failure and treatment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9780615348155

Book preview

Dialysis

DEFINITION OF DIALYSIS

Dialysis – A form of Dialysis used to cleanse the blood of impurities and waste when the kidneys are unable to perform this function.

Dialysis is something that you have to do to stay alive. It’s something that you can’t forget to do. Sometimes it’s with you when you’re not doing it. You may try to escape it, but there are little reminders that it’s there. Dialysis feelings are shared with many, but the people dealing with it understand it the most. On dialysis, you will laugh, cry, and get tired, but in your heart, you’re grateful because it’s there and there is hope.

When Weight (Fluid) is left on you, then you can’t drink as much, because you are more limited. This becomes visible, because you can see it in your face, then all around you. You must watch others drinking water, and juice (beverages), while you feel thirsty. My husband took me out for breakfast, and I ordered water to take a pill while he had coffee. He gave me a sip or two to knock the food down. I love water, but sometimes you want to taste something else.

The reasons you may be on dialysis can be many. It may be diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, and/or kidney disease. There are other reasons. In my case, it was a kidney disease, which is called Polycystic Kidneys.

SYMPTOMS

So many people go through different things from what they tell me. My family felt sick, they were tired and had a bad taste in their mouth. They also had to go to the hospital.

As for me, I was very tired all the time. It wasn’t the usual tired, but three times more intensified. I would walk a couple of steps and feel exhausted. I had a strange taste in my mouth. It wasn’t bad, but it was annoying. No matter what I ate or didn’t eat, that same taste would show up. I felt like I didn’t want to eat a lot, or hardly at all.

When the kidneys aren’t working, something happens to abnormally change the way they function. It’s usually a condition that has been attacking the kidneys for some time. This leads to chronic kidney disease, which generally affects both kidneys. The kind of condition you might be born with, it could run in your family, or it could be a problem that developed over time. When the kidneys are not working correctly, the body waste and excess fluid builds up causing harm to the body. Some signs of kidney disease are: fluid retention – puffiness in the face, swelling of the hands and feet, a change in urination (frequent, painful or difficult), shortness of breath, mental confusion, abnormal blood or urine test and tiredness.