Dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment to clean the blood when the kidneys are not able to. It helps your body remove waste and extra fluids in the blood. It does some of the work that the kidneys did when they were healthy. A healthy, working kidney can remove fluid and waste 24 hours a day. Dialysis can only do 10-15% of what a normal kidney does. Your doctor will be the best judge to recommend you dialysis at a time when any other option is not viable.
The table below will help you compare between the types of dialysis available in India
How long can I survive with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) without Dialysis?
It varies. People who decide not to start dialysis at all or to stop dialysis may live from a few weeks to a few months. It depends on their overall health and other chronic health conditions they have. Managing kidney failure without doing dialysis is called medical management. Know more about Medical Management by clinking here.
Is Dialysis a temporary procedure?
If you have acute kidney failure, you may only need dialysis for a short time until your kidneys get better. Acute kidney failure is when the kidneys stop working suddenly for a short period of time (usually 2 days or less). After treatment for acute kidney failure, the kidneys may work normally.
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If you have ESRD, you will need to have dialysis treatments for the rest of your life, unless you are able to get a kidney transplant.
Is dialysis painful?
You may have some discomfort when needles go into your body, but the dialysis treatment itself is painless. Many patients feel tired and weak before and after treatments. Some patients may have a drop in their blood pressure. This can make you feel sick to your stomach, throw up, have a headache, or cramps. Usually, these problems go away as you have treatments more often but some people may still have complications.