What is Dialysis?
The kidneys filter your blood by removing waste and excess fluid from your body. This waste is sent to the bladder to be eliminated when you urinate. When the kidneys fail or are damaged, eliminating waste and unwanted water from the blood may be difficult.
Dialysis performs the function of the kidneys if they have failed. It is an artificial way of carrying out this process. According to the National Kidney Foundation, end-stage kidney failure occurs when the kidneys perform at only 10 to 15 percent of their normal function. The dialysis treatment filters and purifies the blood using a machine. This process helps balance your fluids and electrolytes when the kidneys cannot do it.
Why is Dialysis Used?
Kidneys functioning properly prevent extra water, waste, and impurities from accumulating in your body. They also help regulate blood pressure and the levels of chemical elements in the blood. Features such as sodium and potassium, the kidneys also activate a form of Vitamin D that improves calcium absorption.
When your kidneys cannot perform these functions because of disease or injury, dialysis can help keep the body running as normally as possible. Without dialysis, salts and other waste products will accumulate in the blood, resulting in effects like poisoning the body and damaging other organs.
Symptoms of Kidneys failure include;
- Fatigue
- Increasingly frequent need to urinate, especially at night
- Itchy skin
- Erectile dysfunction is the inability to get and keep a firm erection.
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath or dyspnea
- Water retention leads to swollen feet, hands, and ankles
- Blood in urine
- Protein in urine
Kidney failure is a severe condition. People suffering from chronic kidney failure, their kidneys are unlikely to recover, but dialysis can enhance wellbeing and prolong life for up to 20 years or more.
Like every temporal or artificial treatment, patients who depend on dialysis may experience side effects such as
- Muscle cramps
- Itchy skin, often worse before or after a procedure
- Low blood pressure, particularly in people with diabetes
- Sleep problems, sometimes due to itchiness, restless legs, or small breaks in breathing, known as apnea
- Fluid overload, so patients must consume a fixed amount of fluid each day
- Infections or ballooning at the access site for dialysis
- Depression and mood fluctuations
Many dialysis patients rely on their family members or caregivers for their care. Studies have demonstrated that a good entourage positively affects successful patient adaptation to dialysis treatment and compliance with dietary regimens. Thus, in order to help patient’s adapt and effectively manage their treatment; they help them in their daily activities, household tasks, personal care i.e. bathing and dressing, also in the transportation to dialysis unit and medical appointments.
Comfort Paradise homecare agency provides an incredible team of hard workers, problem solvers, and excellent communicators. Our team is skilled and certified to meet the demands of our elder’s care with an office staff and caregivers that share the empathy and compassion needed to treat them like family.
References:
Dialysis: Purpose, Types, Risks, and More – Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dialysis
Dialyis – Midlands Medexec. https://midlandsmedicalnews.wordpress.com/dialysis/