Hemodialysis

A person's body needs it's kidneys to filter blood, create hormones to make bones strong and blood healthy. When kidneys fail, treatment is necessary, and there are only two options: a kidney transplant or dialysis. Dialysis first became a practical treatment in the 1960's. There are two main types of dialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both types of dialysis filter blood of harmful wastes, extra salt, and water. Hemodialysis does this with a machine. Both require a special diet and both types have risks and benefits. Dialysis is not always permanent, it depends on if the disease is chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term). My grandfather is currently on hemodialysis and at first I was completely clueless about it until I researched. There were several topics about dialysis I researched, such as how it works and symptoms of kidney failure.

First, knowledge of how hemodialysis works is necessary to understand what is happening, and even to comprehend why a person is undergoing dialysis. During hemodialysis a few ounces of your blood, at a time, is allowed to flow through a special filter that removes extra fluids and waste. Blood is then cleaned by a hemodialyzer and returned back to the body. The wastes and extra fluids need to be removed to control blood pressure and properly balance the chemicals potassium and sodium into your body. The doctor will decide based on the severity of a patient's condition if dialysis needs to be done in a hospital or at home. Usually each hemodialysis treatment lasts four hours and is done three times a week.

Symptoms occur with every disease. Although, with kidney disease the symptoms can be so subtle that one doesn't even know they have chronic kidney disease. Most of the symptoms of kidney disease are similar to those of any other disease. The only way to know for sure is to see a doctor. The following is a list of the ten most common symptoms associated with kidney disease:

1. Changes in urine: foamy or bubbly, frequent urination at night, or containing blood.

2. Swelling: The kidneys job is to remove extra fluids. If kidneys fail, these fluids do not get removed causing swelling of the ankle, legs, feet, face, or hands.

3. Fatigue: Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less erythropoietin. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain become tired very quickly. This condition is called anemia.

4. Skin Rash/Itching: when kidneys fail the buildup of wastes in your blood can cause severe itching.

5. Metallic taste/ammonia breath: built up wastes in the blood can cause food to taste different or bad breath.

6. Nausea & Vomiting: caused by a build up of wastes in the blood

7. Shortness of Breath: can be related