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Living with a chronic illness is a scary experience. If your doctor recommends dialysis, that means that you’re likely suffering from end-stage renal failure. Without a transplant or serious medical help, your kidneys will stop working, and without dialysis, you will die.
Let’s be clear – dialysis is not a death sentence. Many patients on dialysis live for decades, even if they’re not able to get a kidney transplant. However, there are serious health risks associated with dialysis.
Let’s discuss a few of these risks, as well as some other crucial facts about dialysis.
Dialysis is highly unlikely to kill you. However, the health condition that causes your dialysis may eventually be fatal.
While there shouldn’t be any serious side effects of dialysis, bad reactions to the treatment can still happen. Here are a few dangers of dialysis to consider:
For traditional hemodialysis, blood is drawn from an access point in the arm. Especially in older patients or patients with underlying health conditions, this access point can break down and start to bleed, especially if you lean or sleep on that arm.
Without proper sterilization, the access site can also become infected. This can lead to sepsis.
Over time, your body may not respond to the dialysis treatment anymore. This varies between individuals, but it essentially means that dialysis no longer works. If your blood isn’t filtered, toxins will build up in your body.
“First use” syndrome is a very rare and possibly severe reaction to dialysis. It can include wheezing, shortness of breath, back pain, chest pain, and even death. If you notice any side effects of dialysis, especially during your first session, speak to a doctor immediately.
Missing your dialysis appointments means that toxins and fluid are building up in your body. Left untreated, this will eventually cause death. If you don’t stick to your dialysis diet, your blood won’t be cleaned as effectively during your sessions.
The dialysis procedure never stops working, but your body may stop responding to it. This means that fluid, toxins, and other waste products build up in your body. This can lead to cardiac arrest, fluid in the lungs, and organ failure.
The average lifespan for a dialysis patient is between 5-15 years. Of course, this figure can vary depending on a patient’s individual health and circumstances. Some dialysis patients have survived for decades.
Many patients hope to ultimately receive a kidney transplant, and this is often the only long-term solution to dialysis. If you do receive a successful kidney transplant, there’ll be no need for you to continue with dialysis.
