Since becoming available in 1960, dialysis maintenance treatments have added countless years to the lives of millions of people with kidney failure. While it’s not a cure, the process of cleansing the blood of toxins represents a major technological advancement in life extension, one that remains vital to kidney transplant candidates facing a multiyear waiting list. But many elders choose dialysis for its critical ability to extend life through fluid and waste removal from the blood.
Chronic renal failure is the slow loss of kidney function over time. Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by diabetes or high blood pressure but can be caused by many other diseases as well. The final stage of chronic kidney disease is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients who find themselves faced with the choice to continue or stop dialysis almost always have ESRD.
Stopping dialysis for yourself or your loved one is a very personal decision and one only you can make. To make the decision that is right for you, I recommend taking these very important steps:
Talk to your physician about risks and benefits of continuing dialysis and the risks and benefits of stopping it.
Talk to your nurse, who often spends more time with your or your loved one, about quality of life. How would quality of life be affected by continuing or stopping dialysis?
If you are making the decision for someone else, check their Advance Directive for clues about how they would want to spend their final days.
Talk to your family and close loved ones about your decision. It's much easier to make a decision if you have the support of others.
Consider what death is like for someone with kidney failure. It may be preferable to stop dialysis and die of kidney failure than to continue dialysis and wait for death from cancer, lung disease, stroke, or another concurrent illness.
kidneyhospitalabroad@hotmail.com
Chronic renal failure is the slow loss of kidney function over time. Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by diabetes or high blood pressure but can be caused by many other diseases as well. The final stage of chronic kidney disease is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients who find themselves faced with the choice to continue or stop dialysis almost always have ESRD.
Stopping dialysis for yourself or your loved one is a very personal decision and one only you can make. To make the decision that is right for you, I recommend taking these very important steps:
Talk to your physician about risks and benefits of continuing dialysis and the risks and benefits of stopping it.
Talk to your nurse, who often spends more time with your or your loved one, about quality of life. How would quality of life be affected by continuing or stopping dialysis?
If you are making the decision for someone else, check their Advance Directive for clues about how they would want to spend their final days.
Talk to your family and close loved ones about your decision. It's much easier to make a decision if you have the support of others.
Consider what death is like for someone with kidney failure. It may be preferable to stop dialysis and die of kidney failure than to continue dialysis and wait for death from cancer, lung disease, stroke, or another concurrent illness.
kidneyhospitalabroad@hotmail.com
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