Imagine that you have developed chronic kidney disease or CKD. Developing CKD me
ID: 80341 • Letter: I
Question
Imagine that you have developed chronic kidney disease or CKD. Developing CKD means you have some decisions to make about your treatment. Your choices include, but are not limited to:
hemodialysis
peritoneal dialysis
kidney transplantation
Each treatment has advantages and disadvantages. Your choice of treatment will have a big impact on your day-to-day lifestyle, such as being able to keep a job if you are working. You may also choose to forgo treatment. Research these choices and give your point of view as to the best option for you. Include your reasoning for your choice and be sure to include references for any outside resources you use in your post. This is a very personal question. Please share only that which you are comfortable sharing and be kind to each other in your responses. Not everyone will choose the same treatment or reasoning. It is expected that you will be professional and compassionate in your responses.
Explanation / Answer
I am a high school graduate student. Apart from chronic kidney disease I do not suffer from any other serious health complication such as cardiovascular or cancer. Hemodialysis requires would mean spending at least 3 days a week with sessions lasting 4-5 hours. Since I cannot afford to miss my tuitions and extra lectures and want more social time with my family, friends and well wishers, I would prefer opting for peritoneal dialysis.
Peritoneal dialysis would be my preferred choice as it can be done at home with minimal equipment. Since it is a portable device I can carry it along with me and and complete the dialysis procedure as an when I have free time. I could also take the help of a cycler which will complete the process at night.
Certain disadvantages of this procedure are – 1) continuous presence of a catheter in abdomen. This presents a risk of developing peritonitis.
To avoid this, I would prefer switching between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis on alternate weeks/months.
I would also require to manage my protein and nutrient intake as the dialysis fluid may cause reduction in protein levels in the body.