When people have chronic kidney disease they commonly have anemia, too. Anemia happens when there is a shortage of the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. With fewer red blood cells, less oxygen gets to the body?s cells. This can cause weakness, tiredness, confusion and shortness of breath. To help people with kidney disease and anemia live a better quality of life, there are treatments available to manage anemia.

Quality of life means something different to everyone. When faced with chronic kidney disease and life on dialysis, some people fear their lives, as they know it, will come to an end. DaVita social worker, Dana VonAustin, LCSW, provides tips on how to maintain a quality of life on dialysis. Whether you’re a world-class athlete, a hard-working teacher or a devoted grandmother, you know what makes your life worth living. Find out how to keep it that way in between dialysis treatments.

This is National Nurses Week (May 6-12). Nurses make a tremendous contribution in caring for dialysis patients. This article examines the many responsibilities of the nephrology nurse and provides topics to ask your nurse if you have questions about your care.

Nurses, nephrologists (doctors who specialize in kidneys), facility administrators, dietitians, social workers, patient care technicians, reuse technicians and biomedical technicians all have an important role in providing the best care for you. This eight-part series will look at each job. Our fifth installment will focus on patient care technicians (PCTs).

Nurses, nephrologists (doctors who specialize in kidneys), facility administrators, dietitians, social workers, patient care technicians, reuse technicians and biomedical technicians all have an important role in providing the best care for you. This eight-part series will look at each job. Our sixth installment will focus on reuse technicians.

Nurses, nephrologists (doctors who specialize in kidneys), facility administrators, dietitians, social workers, patient care technicians, reuse technicians and biomedical technicians all have an important role in providing the best care for you. This eight-part series will look at each job. Our seventh installment will focus on biomedical technicians (Biomed Techs).

Nurses, nephrologists (doctors who specialize in kidneys), facility administrators, dietitians, social workers, patient care technicians, reuse technicians and biomedical technicians all have an important role in providing the best care for you. This eight-part series will look at each job. Our final installment will focus on nephrologists.

Finding out you have kidney disease and need dialysis can be stressful. In addition to worrying about your health, you may also wonder how you will be able to afford treatment. For patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) there are different options available to offset the cost of dialysis.

Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a political person, it is helpful to understand how important political advocacy is for people with chronic kidney disease and the kidney care community. Find out how politicians affect the care you get in your dialysis center and how easy it is to let your local representative know what you need.

Many women with chronic kidney disease who are at end stage renal disease wonder how dialysis will affect their ability to have children. While pregnancy is sometimes not possible and generally not recommended for dialysis patients, some women on dialysis have gotten pregnant and delivered healthy babies. Learn the facts and statistics on pregnancy and kidney dialysis.

From a luxury cruise to a road trip across the states, living it up in Las Vegas or traveling overseas, you can enjoy a fun vacation and still get dialysis treatments away from home. With the right planning, communication with your health care team and a desire to venture out, you can enjoy getting away from it all on vacation.

Dialysis is a treatment to replace the filtering function of the kidneys when they reach end stage renal disease. When kidney function goes below about 15%, kidney dialysis is necessary to clean the blood. Find out more about kidney failure and dialysis.

When you learn you need dialysis to replace the function of your kidneys, you and your doctor will decide which dialysis treatment is best for your health and lifestyle and you will also need to choose a dialysis center. Learn about the different types of dialysis and how to choose a dialysis center that will meet your needs.

Many people with kidney failure who are told they need to start dialysis are unsure of what to expect. It is common to want to know if dialysis hurts or when the treatment will begin to help the chronic kidney disease patient feel better. Learn the answers to these questions and others asked by people before they begin dialysis.

You perform dialysis treatments regularly and follow the advice of your doctor and health care professionals to feel your best, but is there a way to know if dialysis is really working for you? In addition to asking you how you feel, there are several lab tests your doctor will perform to make sure you are receiving adequate dialysis.

Chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis can find it challenging to schedule their life around dialysis. But many people on dialysis find that keeping a job and allotting vacation time are great ways to get out and enjoy life. You do not have to quit work when you are on dialysis. Whichever dialysis modality you choose, you can schedule dialysis around your work. Travel is also doable if you make sure to plan before you head out on the open road, in the air or on the high seas. Learn how you can work and travel on dialysis.

People with end stage renal disease who must begin dialysis to treat kidney failure will experience many lifestyle changes. However, people with chronic kidney disease can still enjoy a good quality of life. By learning about changes happening to the body, medications and nutritional needs, people with kidney disease can know what to expect to help make the lifestyle transition easier.

A dialysis access is necessary for people with kidney failure who choose dialysis as their treatment. For those doing hemodialysis, they will need a temporary catheter in their chest area or permanent vascular access, usually a fistula or graft in the arm, to get blood from the body to the artificial kidney for cleaning. People on peritoneal dialysis will need a catheter access to fill and drain the dialysis fluid from their abdomen. Find out about types of dialysis access and how to care for them.

People on dialysis have unique issues to deal with both physically and emotionally. In addition, family members and caregivers must also embrace life changes once a loved one is diagnosed with end stage renal disease. People with kidney failure and their loved ones should seek out support to help them deal with the changes to their lives and to discover that kidney disease can be treated so everyone can still enjoy an excellent quality of life.

You and your doctor should discuss and decide which access will be best for you. Learning about the different access types enables you to understand the pros and cons of each. You’ll also be able to have a more thorough conversation with your doctor since you are more familiar with your access options.

Dr. Robert Lynn is an award-winning nephrologist for his work in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. He has written an article for DaVita.com about the medicines doctors prescribe for dialysis patients. Dr. Lynn believes it?s important for patients to understand what medicines they?re taking and why.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a form of home dialysis that allows people who need dialysis more freedom with their schedules. PD is a safe and effective way to remove toxins and extra fluid from the body when the kidneys are unable to do so. DaVita nephrologist, Dr. Mark Shapiro, talks about PD as a home dialysis option for those with end stage renal disease. Find out more about peritoneal dialysis to see if it may be the right dialysis choice for you.

Are you doing peritoneal dialysis and wonder if you can switch to hemodialysis? Or are you on hemodialysis and curious if peritoneal dialysis would be right for you? Many people with end stage renal disease (ESRD) have thought about switching treatment programs, whether it was for medical or lifestyle needs. Learn more about switching dialysis treatments and decide whether or not making a change would be right for you.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment for kidney failure patients, which allows dialysis to occur inside the body by infusing fluid into the abdomen. Most patients who choose PD perform their own treatments at home or at their workplace. Find out more about peritoneal dialysis and how it works.

Nocturnal hemodialysis is a dialysis treatment option that people perform at night for approximately eight hours while they sleep. Currently, there are nearly equal numbers of people who perform nocturnal hemodialysis at home and in a center; however, more dialysis centers are now offering nocturnal dialysis as a treatment option.

To help keep a fistula healthy, there are two recommended methods of cannulation; the rope ladder technique and the buttonhole (BH) technique. Currently, the rope ladder technique is commonly used in dialysis centers, while the buttonhole technique is recommended for hemodialysis patients who self-cannulate. Learn about the ladder and buttonhole methods and which may be best for you.

Hemodialysis is a treatment for end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, in which blood is removed from the body, filtered through an artificial kidney and then the cleaned blood is returned to the body. In the United States, hemodialysis is the most common treatment for people who have kidney failure. Learn how hemodialysis works and the advantages and disadvantages of this renal replacement therapy.

Remember 1972? It was a leap year. The Godfather won the Academy Award for best picture. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI. Medicare established the End Stage Renal Disease Program to pay for dialysis treatment for all Americans due to ethical issues. At the time there were 7,000 people on dialysis; today there are over 350,000. In 1972, four people, who now dialyze with DaVita, each had an arteriovenous (AV) fistula placed so they could start hemodialysis; and today all four still have their working AV fistulas.

Every person with end stage renal disease (ESRD) has the right to stop or not start dialysis. Without dialysis or a kidney transplant, once a patient reaches complete kidney failure life can usually be maintained for anywhere from a few days to several weeks. For the patient, the decision not to dialyze should be an informed and voluntary choice. For family and friends of the person with kidney failure, the decision not to have treatment may be difficult to understand. However, with advance planning, patients can spend their last days how and where they choose.

When people find out they need dialysis, they may not be aware that several types of dialysis are available to fit their health and lifestyle needs. If you just found out you need dialysis to treat kidney failure, or if you are on dialysis and would like to explore other modality options, learn more about the dialysis modalities and what each one may offer you.

In-center self care hemodialysis makes it possible for dialysis patients to be actively involved in their care. In center self-care hemodialysis empowers dialysis patients by giving them greater control of their care, increasing self esteem and improving quality of life. It can also serve as a smooth transition to home dialysis. Learn more to find out if in-center self care is right for you.

If you are on hemodialysis, your dialysis center may resterilize its patients’ dialyzers. The dialyzer is a filter, often called the “artificial kidney,” which cleans the patient’s blood. Patients can opt to take part in their clinic’s reuse program by reusing their dialyzers for a number of times determined by their doctor or until the dialyzer is not efficient, whichever comes first. It is a safe, common procedure used in many hemodialysis facilities in the United States. Learn about reuse, how it is done and if it is right for you.

People on hemodialysis are weighed before and after each dialysis treatment. This is to record how much fluid was removed during the hemodialysis treatment. One goal of dialysis is to remove the fluid gained since the last time at dialysis and to get the patient back to their dry weight. Find out how dry weight is determined, how fluid gain between hemodialysis treatments can affect how a person feels during dialysis and in-between treatments and what can be done to help you feel your best.

Your first day of dialysis can be a bit scary if you don’t know exactly what will happen. When you walk into your dialysis center for the first time, it may make you feel more comfortable if you know what to expect from your dialysis treatment and your health care team. Calm your nerves by learning what you can generally expect on your first day of treatment.