Home hemodialysis patient stories

Harry Pizutelli

Harry Pizutelli is a home hemodialysis patient and devoted husband and father who has worked as a professional in both corporate America and the private sector. He currently manages a program for the State of New Jersey that builds modular ramps for people with disabilities who want to work or continue their education.

“Home hemodialysis allows Harry more precious time to be together with his family and out with friends socially,” Harry’s wife and care partner said. “The flexibility of home hemo fits nicely with his very active lifestyle.”

In addition to working and hanging out with friends, Harry spends his time educating people who are interested in home dialysis.

“The beautiful nurses at the Plainfield, NJ, DaVita at Home know that they can call Harry at anytime day or night to ask him to speak to someone who is inquiring about home hemodialysis and has questions or needs supports,” Harry’s wife said.

Harry also enjoys traveling. “Nick NxStage,” as he has affectionately named his home hemodialsyis machine, has traveled with him to the Jersey shore, on wine tasting getaways and plenty of weekend adventures.

“Now we just have to figure out how to get ‘Nick’ on that Jet Ski,” his wife said. “There’s no stopping Harry now.”

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Joseanna Butler

Joseanna Butler is an active mother of two and grandmother of three who doesn’t let dialysis slow her down. Joseanna chose home hemodialysis so that she wouldn’t have to schedule her activities around her dialysis treatments and could fit dialysis easily into her busy life.

The home hemodialysis training that Joseanna received was detailed and thorough, and the care she receives from her health care team is top notch. She now enjoys the freedom she has to travel and pack her daily life full of fun activities.

“Our sons are football coaches at different schools,” she said. “We are able to attend games and activities for both sons, and we enjoy every minute and the fast pace. We have three wonderful grandchildren, and we are able to attend a play, lunch for grandparents or a sporting event. Regardless of the time, we can be there.”

“The new machines make it possible to travel with ease either for a short visit with family or friends or on a long vacation,” she said. “Home hemodialysis gave me the opportunity to open doors to freedom.”

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David Rosenbloom

David Rosenbloom is a home hemodialysis patient living in Eagle Rock, CA.

David Rosenbloom describes himself as a “pretty hard guy to knock down,” and his description is spot on. Since his kidneys failed in 2002, David has been on a quest to learn everything he can about his health and the options available to him so that he can live the fullest life possible.

David’s kidneys failed in June of 2002, and he found out about his kidney problems only a month in advance. “I was a month away from a major heart attack, feeling terrible and having digestion problems,” David said.

When his doctors told him his kidneys had failed over a six-month period, even though he had no previous family history of kidney disease, he was shocked. His doctors went on to explain that ultrasounds showed one of his kidneys was very small and scarred. “It’s like somebody changed your body overnight, the body that you’re used to. All of a sudden, you can’t eat certain things and you have no energy.”

David first began in-center hemodialysis and was on it for three years until a trip to Washington state got him thinking about home hemodialysis (HHD).

“We went to visit family in Seattle, and home hemodialysis was very popular there,” he said. “My family wanted me to move up there and start home hemo.”

Once he began considering home hemodialysis, David approached the people at the University of Southern California dialysis clinic and told them he was interested in home hemodialysis. When he was first trained to do HHD, he learned to use a large dialysis machine like the ones in the center because smaller, portable machines were not common.

“I could walk into a clinic and attach someone to a machine today,” he jokes, when talking about how thorough his training was.

David and his wife, who is his care partner, learned to use the machine, and they were both immediately happier.

“I had my freedom, and I was feeling much better,” David said.

Not too long after he began his dialysis at home, David learned about the smaller, portable home dialysis machines on the market and approached his doctor about switching to one. His doctor told him to go for it.

“I completed my training on the new machine in five days because I had a lot of experience already with a dialysis machine,” he said. “My wife and I were just laughing the whole time because the machine was so easy to use and the directions were so clear. It’s like putting a load of clothes in the washer. That’s it.”

“Within about two or three weeks, I was feeling phenomenal, and I kept getting better and better and my blood kept getting cleaner and cleaner, and I started opening up my diet,” he said. “I have a tremendous amount of energy. I’m totally alert. We’ve reduced my blood pressure medicine, and I’m free to travel.”

In his free time, David enjoys traveling, designing and building custom furniture, golfing, bowling and taking long walks. He’s also thinking of getting back into tennis. 

“The greatest benefit of home hemodialysis is how I feel,” he said. “Daily dialysis is the way to go. People who haven’t seen me in months are amazed. They say, ‘You don’t even look sick.’ I don’t have that grey pallor anymore, and I’m back to my former weight before I got sick. For an old fart, I’m doing pretty well.”

David and his wife have gotten into a routine that works well with his daily dialysis schedule. After dinner, they set up the machine, which he named Hillary (because he doesn’t like her, but he can’t do without her), and then settle in on the bed to watch a movie while David does his treatment.

“I get on the machine, the cats climb on the bed, we watch a movie, and two hours later I’m done,” he said. “Set up takes about 20 minutes, and tear down is five minutes.”

David attributes his happiness on home hemodialysis to many things, one being his wife and care partner. They’ve been married for 39 years.

“I have a wonderful wife, a life partner,” he said. “I married my best friend, and when you have that kind of support, a lot of tough things are easier to do.”

“I really can’t recommend daily dialysis enough to everybody,” he said. “Cannulating is such a small thing. It’s like being a diabetic and giving yourself a shot everyday. If I have to have a disease, I could be a lot sicker. It could be a lot worse.”

“When you’re facing a disease like this, you have to make some major decisions about your life. Your options become fewer but they become clearer,” he said. “I’ve arrived at a state of equilibrium which is really neat, and it’s really great. I enjoy life.”

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Annette Davenport

Annette Davenport is a home hemodialysis patient living in Jennings, MO.

Annette Davenport is a 30-year-old, newly married, mother of two children. She is also a home hemodialysis patient. When Annette began dialysis three years ago, she was going to school, working, taking care of her family and going to a dialysis center for hemodialysis three times a week. However, the schedule at the dialysis clinic was restrictive and did not allow her to schedule her treatments around her daily obligations.

“I had no room in my life for dialysis, not including I was in denial about starting dialysis,” she said. “When I first started dialysis it completely drained me. It left me with no energy at all. I couldn’t do the normal things that I was used to doing with my children and at home.”

Annette began researching kidney disease and the different types of dialysis in an effort to learn something that would help her get her energy back. She was used to leading an active life and being able to keep up with her kids and wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than that.

“I wanted to continue to live my life without any interruptions from dialysis,” she said. “So, I started to do searches on the Internet about home dialysis treatments and other dialysis options.”

That’s when she came across DaVita’s website and began reading about home dialysis and the many lifestyle and clinical benefits it brings to people’s lives.

“Thank God I came across DaVita and all the wonderful options DaVita offers patients,” she said.

After learning about the various options available to her, Annette called a DaVita representative.

“After that phone call, my life has changed for the better, forever,” she said. “Now I see that I have more energy, stamina, my skin has improved and things in my personal life have changed dramatically for the better.”

“Now, I set my treatments around my life, not my life around my treatments,” she said. “Thanks to DaVita, I now have my life back.”

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Nicole Fasulka

Nicole Fasulka is a home hemodialysis patient living in Stanley, NC.

Nicole Fasulka is an active, healthy 34-year-old who enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog and boating on the weekends. A real 'go-getter,' Nicole's also extremely driven and has been busy climbing the corporate ladder, thoroughly enjoying what she does for a living. In fact, she was recently promoted to Chief Financial Officer of her company.

This past May, after a series of tests for her constant migraines, Nicole received a harsh blow. She found out she had kidney disease - and that she needed to go on dialysis. The doctor explained her options, one of which involved going on 'disability,' and starting the daily, 4+ hour process of dialysis treatments in a center.

"Dialysis isn't pleasant, but finding a treatment that allows me to be me was a relief"

With her drive to continue working and commitment to her high-level position, going on disability to manage her disease was NOT an option. Her doctor then suggested home dialysis. Nicole's boss got wind of this suggestion and contacted DaVita at Home herself to help Nicole and her family get treatment started.

In June, Nicole became one of the first local residents trained to perform dialysis at home while she sleeps. DaVita at Home provided the training (something Nicole, her husband and her mother were able to learn easily and quickly), the equipment (she's using NxStage) and support needed to conduct these treatments.

Nicole celebrates her 10th anniversary with her North Carolina-based Scurry Construction in February and is feeling more energetic than ever. Even more remarkable is how she refused to give up her healthy, active lifestyle, strong work ethic and positive attitude.

"Dialysis isn't pleasant, but finding a treatment that allows me to be me was a relief. If you're in a bad situation, you have to do everything you can to make it better!"

While Nicole notes she's "blessed to have so many great people in her life," she wants others in her situation to know how important it is to learn about all the options out there. DaVita at Home was it for her, and it could be for you, too.

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Barbara

Barbara has always lived life to its fullest and maintained a busy professional, family and social schedule, with little time to waste. After being diagnosed with kidney failure in 1981, Barbara did not let it slow her down and kept going full steam ahead. When diagnosed, she recalls how she didn't feel depressed. "I never thought my life was over," she says.

Barbara started dialysis in 1983 and remained on it for several years until she received a transplant. Unfortunately, her transplant failed, and at first, she returned to dialysis in a center. Barbara recalls the center environment being hard to handle: "When I looked around at the people sitting in the chairs I would think, 'these are sick people,' and I don't feel like that." Now, with her husband as her supportive dialysis partner, Barbara enjoys being able to do dialysis at home. "I feel really lucky that we're in this together," says Barbara.

Barbara enjoys that she can be very proactive in her care. "I can monitor my own treatment. I am attuned to my body better than anyone else. I can tell when I'm going to cramp, when my blood pressure is dropping and I know what to do about it. It means I can take care of myself better than anyone else," Barbara adds. She and her husband have developed a routine that works dialysis into her busy schedule, which involves work, friends and family. "On dialysis nights, my husband sets up the dialysis machine, which is located in the master bedroom, before I get home from work. It only takes up about 36 square feet and it's a very comfortable setup," she explains.

To Barbara, the greatest benefit of DaVita at Home dialysis is the freedom and flexibility it allows her. Recently Barbara was able to attend her son's college graduation without having to worry about dialysis. "I was able to attend his ceremony and then got on the machine three hours later than I normally do. It didn't make a bit of a difference. But in the unit, you can't do that," recalls Barbara.

Barbara continues to live an active and in-control lifestyle, which includes taking walks with her husband, piano lessons and gardening. "It's important to have the right attitude about dialysis," Barbara advises.