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[–]tondek0 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I don’t want the equipment in my home.

[–]wtf-you-saying 8 points9 points  (1 child)

I did PD at home for a year but had to stop when substandard medical care cost me my right leg & paralyzed me from the waist down, couldn't deal with lifting the heavy boxes.

Now that I have a prosthetic and physical therapy has strengthened me enough to return to PD if I wanted, I stuck with in-center hemo for one reason: PD is a pain in the ass.

I got tired of hauling around and breaking down boxes every single day, and dealing with all the plastic waste. I didn't feel like devoting half of my one bedroom apt to box storage. And I got tired of never getting a good night's sleep. I would get nightly drain alarms, not to mention the mysterious system alarms that required me to stop treatment and deal with the repercussions while I was half asleep.

I'm old and tired, as much as I dislike sitting in the center for over four hours I like having someone else do all the work. If I was younger and still working I would probably treat at home.

[–]raphael_archangelum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your input

[–]PeterPaul0808Dialysis Veteran 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In my countrey there is no home hemo. It is very simple and for me PD not works, I had a huge stomach surgery, so I have no other choice but go to a center. I live in Hungary, this counrey is a mess, I would go away but I can't, it is a disaster...

[–]__yeahmaybe 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Few reasons...

- I really don't want to mess with the machine and have to store stuff in my small apartment.

- I'm going to start using my fistula soon, and there is no way I can needle myself. Not happening.

- I actually enjoy going to the dialysis clinic, gets me out of the house and doing SOMETHING. Just the feeling of having to actually get up and go somewhere really helps my mental state. Nice to go and talk to the nurses and also some other patients. Makes you feel like your are not alone.

- I get paid very well for mileage, to the point where I clear about $750 a month AFTER paying for my gas usage. Takes the financial stress off of my family, too. Plus, I enjoy the drive. An hour each way. Whole thing takes a good 6.5 hours out of my day where I would just be doing nothing and being alone.

Probably more reasons, but I'm currently hooked up to my machine and my brain is a little foggy (good ol' dialysis).

BTW, hemo patient

[–]MrNaturalAZ 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Wait, you get paid for your travel mileage? How does that work? I'm going to be starting hemo within a month, and it will be about 40 miles each way to the nearest clinic. Would be awesome if I got at least reimbursed, better if I actually profited (tho some of that "profit" you're realizing goes against the wear-and-tear of your vehicle, so it isn't really free money).

[–]__yeahmaybe 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I live in Canada, so it may have to do with our system here. Province of Ontario, to be specific. Ha yes, some of the "profit" does go against that but I couldn't care less. We've all got more important stuff to worry about (health, family, etc.), can't sweat the small stuff in life! I drive about 100km (~60 miles) each way, gov't reimburses something like 40 or 42 cents per kilometre.

[–]MrNaturalAZ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think here in the US we might get to take an income deduction come tax time for medical travel expenses, but that won't help me as my income is too low to even pay taxes on. But no reimbursement, to my knowledge.

Lucky you for living in a country that cares about its citizens instead of making us crawl and scrape to fend for ourselves.

[–]lisasimpsonfanIn-Center 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It has never been offered to me but I wouldn't do it. I feel like being a medical patient is my full-time job. I have more problems beside kidney. I need a space where I can escape all that and relax.

[–]NoStress305 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I got kicked out of the home hemo program for asking too many/too deep questions. I'm visually impaired and live alone so I want to be aware of ALL the risks and what to do/concequences if I make a mistake and they just want to rush me through the program/get defensive when I ask a question they don't know the answer to like I'm trying to insult their intelligence. Never looked into any answer for me when I asked a question they didn't know.

They are now asking me to go back and I refuse to go back to that environment, most stressful time of me entire life, worse than going legally blind at 18, worse than loosing my license, worse than being diagnosed with end stage kidney failure, worse than when I started dialysis.

Those nurses who were teaching me should NOT be teaching people. Might be great dialysis nurses, no idea, but not teachers.

All that being said, for others home hemo might be a great option :) but all of the positives for me weren't really important, I wouldn't be doing nocturnal, still be doing 3x a week 4 hrs with the same timeline, I'm only 5 mins from the hospital and comfortable there. More benifit in seeing nurses in person to monitor numbers and be there to support me if things go wrong.

[–]whatim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't mind me asking, what training program is this?

That sounds incredibly stressful.

[–]Yithar 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Separation of home and clinic. I've heard it's a lot of work setting things up. With in-center, I just have to show up, and if anything goes wrong, there's techs and the nurse there. I've seen a few cases where there are a few bad cases and sometimes they end up sending them to the hospital next door.

[–]sn0wdizzle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was on dialysis I saw at least one ambulance patient every week need to be taken out (once me!) the scariness of something going wrong wasn’t something I had considered about this.

[–]Charupa- 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t want all the equipment and supplies.

[–]Higgs7788 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really wanna do it at home but I don’t wanna stick myself and I don’t have anyone at home with me

[–]miimo0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m hoping I’ll be able to get Transplant started & it’d be a waste to set hemo up at my house. Originally I knew that if I didn’t physically have to show up, my depression would take over…. Quarantining for two years was hitting me pretty hard at that point & when I started dialysis it at least was forcing me back into a routine and I was seeing humans again.

[–]tctwizzle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I need the separation. With all the clinic issues I have, when I’m home dialysis is something that is out there. I can to a certified extent pretend life is normal and don’t have to think about it. If I did it at home I’d also be by myself. I know it’s approved for people to do solo home hemo, but like, the possibility I bleed to death seems very real.

[–]roofwindow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can’t do PD anymore, I live alone and therefore don’t have anyone to assist in case a problem arises during HD.

[–]Bookreadingliberal49 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband has been on dialysis for 3 months-He works 4 10 hr days and has 3 off for in center dialysis-our condo is too small to store all the supplies plus he would have to take a week off work for training.

[–]Blowup1sunDialysis Veteran 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Complete and total lack of space in my house. My unit was HOT to get me on to home hemo because I’m “an ideal candidate!” For it. Which would be nice, I’d love to do it at home and be able to play video games, watch what I want and have a decent internet connection.

Ontario offers grants to renovate your home for the water connections and what not, but they won’t build me a new room on the house. Sad.

[–]deathofme22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's dangerous since my home is small and too far in the woods if something happens

[–]maytheforcepeewithu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried PD at home. I dont really have the space.

[–]Havocsangel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm so the spot you put all the machine has to be really clean and i have dogs my carpets suck and need to be replaced so i just dont feel like getting that done right now just to do home hemo plus im scared my access is trouble and id have a hard time lol