I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT HOME DIALYSIS DIET!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!

[Honeycheese23]

Hello, I am a 23 year old, end stage renal disease patient and I am thinking of starting at home dialysis. I have been reading up on the DaVita site all about it.
One of the topics on here, describing the benefits of at home dialysis, said that the diet is more flexible for at home dialysis patients than it is for the other types of dialysis treatments. What I was wondering is.. does anyone know how the at home dialysis diet differs from the in center dialysis from the port-a-cath in your chest.
Someone PLEASE help me! I'm trying to decide which one would be better for me and easier for me to do. I would really appreciate all of the help I can get on this subject.
Please and Thank you! (:

[bharrisdenver]

Your diet is a bit more flexible while on Home Hemo because you'll dialyze every day - so those toxins get cleared more regularly. That being said, check with your dietician to see what the details would entail. You'll still need to be on the "kidney friendly diet" - so work with them to come up with a game plan that works best for you!

[raramorgan]

Hi again It's Robin

I think it means you don't have to be as strict with your diet and fluid. On home dialysis it can be PD or hemo If you do the Hemo type you have to have a back up caregiver that is willing to learn all there is to know about equipment and be able to do the sticks and stay with you while you are doing the dialysis. If you do the PD kind that is through a tube in your abd. and that can be done by yourself. Depending on your condition your Dr may or may not let you do the PD kind because it does not filter the blood only fluid. Right now if you are doing it at the center and with a central line and they have not discussed a fistula with you. you should talk to some one about it. If you have a fistula in your arm and are waiting for it to mature than you will have to wait till it matures and you can use it before you can do the Home Hemo Dialysis. You can't do it with a central line at home. Hope this helps. Also keep reading and researching and you will start to figure it all out. I have not started dialysis yet but I have done a lot of research on it and know what I want to do. Good Luck and Take Care Robin

[LolaTh072360]

Just need to correct a statement in the previous post. I'm a home hemo patient who initially went home with a CVC catheter. Stayed on the catheter for six months before using my fistula. The catheter does have a greater risk of infection but you can perform home dialysis with it. I've been home for 2 years after using all treatment modalities and find this one the best for my busy lifestyle. As far as the diet, home dialysis offers better flexibility, however the real key is all things in moderation. As far as fluid is concerned, fluid control is essential. Even though you get to pull it off more often, you must avoid fluid overload as it makes you feel miserable.

[raramorgan]

Thanks for the correction I usually do peds at home with Central Lines but I did not think you could dialysis at home with one. Being a nurse it really scares me to have a central line because of the line infections. I am glad to hear you had good results with one. Take Care.

[MichelleDaVitaRN]

Honeycheese23 thank you for reaching out with a great topic and question. Home dialysis, both Peritoneal Dialysis and Home Hemodialysis, allow for some flexibility in diet and fluid intake depending on the individuals prescription, frequency of dialyzing and clinical status. In center hemodialysis is traditionally performed 3x per week, Peritoneal is 7 days per week and Home Hemodialysis varies in frequency. The more often you dialyze, the more opportunity you have to remove solutes and fluid which in theory allows for some flexibility in diet. Your individual level of native kidney function also contributes to your ability to manage diet and fluid which is typically retained longer on a home therapy. We have tons of great dietary information on the DaVita.com site so I would encourage you to spend time reviewing. There are also very experienced renal dieticians available at every clinic to assist and guide you during therapy. The access type (CVC, Fistula, PD Catheter) does not impact diet. All forms of dialysis clean the blood including PD its just done in a different way. Continue to ask questions and research your options. Good luck on your journey.
M Cassin RN CPDN
Nashua, NH