PD Awareness

More documents

Recommendations

Info

NephrologistWith PD, you may only have to visityour doctor once a month. Your doctorhelps you make sure that whatever formof dialysis you choose is right foryou medically.Nurse at PD ClinicJust like the nurse that you rely on incenter, your PD nurse is there to help. Youwill have a nurse or team of nurses whoare just a phone call away — 24 hours aday, 7 days a week.DietitianYour dietitian will continue to helpyou with the dietary challenges of kidneydisease, individualizing your PD dietas needed.You’re not alone.The idea of doing dialysis at home might seem scary, but advice and help are always there for you.Before starting PD, you receive complete training. After starting PD, you have a network of 24/7 support.Social WorkerJust as with HD, your social workeris an important source of supportand information who can answer anyquestions you have. Among other things,your social worker will help you plan howto handle PD when you travel.Baxter’s HomeCare Services &Technical ServicesBaxter is always a phone call away.HomeCare Services helps you withsupplies: figuring out what you needand when, ordering them, and arrangingdelivery to alternate locations when youtravel. You can call Technical Servicesat any time of day or night to answerquestions about your cycler.Baxter DriverBaxter’s driver is the friendly face yousee every month or so. Your driver willcarry your PD supplies into your homeand help you determine the best place tostore them.
Can I switch?In 2008, more than 4,400 people switched to PD fromanother form of dialysis. 7 In fact, 28,000 people are onPD right now. 8 Your doctor can tell you whether PD isappropriate for you. You will have to have minor outpatientsurgery to have a catheter placed in your abdomen. It willextend out 3–6 inches and can be taped flat against yourabdomen. And if PD turns out to not be right for you, youhave options and can switch back to HD.should I switch?Why your doctor might not prescribe PD.Several conditions may prevent your doctor from prescribingPD, including previous abdominal surgeries or the presenceof intestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseaseor diverticulitis. Risks of PD include peritonitis or exit-siteinfections. Glucose found in the PD solution may lead tohigh blood sugar in patients with diabetes. Every patientis different, so it is important to talk to your doctor todetermine if there are other reasons that PD may not beright for you.“I was on hemodialysis for five years. It just didn’tagree with me. My arm had been clotted eight or10 times. I went to my doctor and told him that Iwanted to go on peritoneal. It’s something I shouldhave been on a long time ago.”FRANKFather & Volunteer • Kansas City, Kansas
Page 1 and 2: There’sa bigdifferencebetweensimp
Page 3 and 4: How does PD work, and how is it dif
Page 5: How canPD helpme live mylife?PD pre

PD Awareness

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?