Dialysis is a life-saving treatment that happens over a period of time. It’s a long-term treatment that sometimes needs to be performed several times a week or even every day, depending on the disease and its severity. While very helpful, dialysis also takes a lot of time and dedication, including travel time if you have to go to a clinic for every session. It’s obvious that people need plenty of adjustment when it comes to dialysis, but even if it might seem overwhelming at the beginning, it doesn’t have to change every aspect of your life. There are people on dialysis who are happy and active, and here are a few tips that might allow you to live a fulfilled life as well:
Be active in your treatment
While you definitely should trust your health providers, make sure to get involved yourself as well. Learn about your disease and dialysis and check out your options. When you understand what’s going on with you, it’s much easier to avoid fear, stress and depression. Don’t hesitate to talk to your medical doctor and discuss your condition with a social worker or therapist. Get your friends and family educated and involved.
Get adequate help
The function of the kidneys is to work 27/7 to extract unnecessary fluids, as well as bodily waste, from the organism. In case of kidney failure and their inability to perform their duty, the only way to remove fluid and waste from the body is to get dialysis. Therefore, it’s crucial to stay on track with your treatments because if you don’t, your body can fill up with fluid and waste and catch various diseases, often ending in death. When getting your dialysis, make sure to choose a clinic that provides quality treatment in a comfortable setting that makes it as pleasant as possible to return time after time.
Based on the time it takes the machine to remove fluid and waste from your body, your health provider will prescribe the amount of dialysis. Every treatment needs to be fulfilled to keep you strong, free of diseases and out of the hospital.
Return to your previous lifestyle
Dialysis will certainly change your lifestyle, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you once loved to do. If you love to travel, you can easily check out bookdialysis.com and find a clinic abroad that will do your dialysis while you’re on vacation. From Brazil to Greece, you can travel, enjoy various activities and hang out with new people knowing your dialysis treatment is waiting for you. You can also go back to work or maintain regular contact with people. If you do not see yourself as being sick, it will be much better for you mentally and physically in the long run.
Use dialysis time smartly
Dialysis might take a lot of time, but this time doesn’t have to be wasted staring at the wall. While you’re hooked up to a dialysis machine, you can use this time to work on your laptop, answer emails, watch a movie, read a book, etc. If you often feel stressed at that time, you can engage in mindful meditation. Essentially, you can use this time however you see fit best, as long as you don’t waste it completely.
Stick to your new diet
To further improve your quality of life and boost the effectiveness of your treatment, make sure to stick to your new diet. It’s crucial to control your thirst and manage your fluid intake, as well as avoid foods high in phosphorus, salt and potassium. Instead, opt for protein and calories coming from high-quality sources. With help from your dietitian, you can create a meal good meal plan making you healthy, strong and satisfied. And when you’re healthy, strong and satisfied, it’s much easier to cope with dialysis.
Stop depression in its steps
Due to dialysis, you can have less time and energy and might be forced to make certain changes at home and at work. There are probably some things you will need to give up. Therefore, many people on dialysis also struggle with depression. While being sad from time to time is normal, especially at the beginning of your treatment process, it’s important to keep an eye on depression. Being overly sad for over two weeks is a sign of depression, so if you notice great sadness followed by appetite, sleep, energy and mood changes, it’s smart to seek treatment.
As you can see, dialysis is not the end of the world. It certainly is a life-changing thing but it provides you with health, wellbeing and life, so gratefulness is a much smarter response to focus on. With these tips up your sleeve, you’ll surely be able to cope with dialysis and thrive despite it.