The realization that you have kidney failure can be devastating. You may be feeling overwhelmed by your new diagnosis. After all, this is a serious illness. However, there are in-home dialysis treatment options available to you. One such treatment option is home hemodialysis (HD).
What is Hemodialysis?
Patients with kidney failure frequently use treatment as a treatment option because it is effective. When chronic kidney disease (CKD) reaches stage 5, kidney failure usually occurs.
How Does it Work?
Hemodialysis is typically used to replace the functions of your kidneys, such as clearing excess fluid and wastes from your blood. A dialyzer, or artificial kidney, is used to clean your blood. Before returning to your body, your blood flows through plastic tubing to the dialyzer for cleaning. It’s important to note that the dialyzer only processes a small amount of your blood at a time.
The artificial kidney controls all processes and the flow of blood out of and into your body.
The same procedure is used in home hemodialysis. The main difference with home hemodialysis is that you and your caregiver are trained to perform the treatment without the assistance of a professional.
How Many Hours a Day Do You Have To Do Home Dialysis?
Home dialysis allows you to perform the procedure at your leisure. However, you should have dialysis every day for two to four hours, five to six days a week.
Daily home hemodialysis has many advantages, including the ability to perform shorter treatments instead of longer treatments three times a week. It also helps the body adjust, resulting in fewer symptoms between treatments.
Four Seasons Healthcare Solutions’ recognized experts will train you to ensure you have all the necessary skills and expertise to perform the treatment from the comfort of your own home.
Home vs. In-Center Hemodialysis
You have the option of receiving your hemodialysis treatment at home. If you are unsure about the treatment procedure, you can seek professional help by visiting the nearest dialysis center.
While you stand to benefit from having control over your treatment at home, there are some drawbacks you may encounter.
When you get your dialysis treatment from a dialysis center, you will have the benefit of working with a nurse or technician who will assist you with the treatment. In most cases, in-center dialysis is performed three times per week and takes 3–4 hours or longer. You must schedule an appointment in advance for your own convenience.
You handle the treatment on your own at a time that is convenient for you at home. The advantage of home dialysis is that you have complete control over the procedure. You can fit it into your daily schedule. Furthermore, you can perform shorter treatments rather than longer ones. According to research, the more you know about your condition and the necessary treatment, the more skilled you become with dialysis.
Types of Home Hemodialysis
There are three methods for performing home dialysis, as shown below.
Daily Home Hemodialysis
This dialysis treatment option, as the name implies, entails performing the procedure every day for shorter sessions. Instead of cleaning your blood three times a week for longer periods of time, you can do it every day.
5-7 times per week, daily home hemodialysis is performed. The treatment is only about 2 hours long. You don’t need to remove much blood because the treatment is done every day. You are less likely to experience nausea, headaches, or cramping.
Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis
Our Four Seasons Healthcare Solutions professionals can also teach you how to perform nocturnal home hemodialysis. Nocturnal dialysis is when you get your dialysis while you sleep.
Depending on your doctor’s advice, the treatment is administered every night or six times per week. You and your partner can learn to perform nocturnal dialysis. If you live alone, you can also get the training yourself.
Nocturnal home hemodialysis training is necessary to ensure that you have the necessary skills to perform the treatment without the assistance of a nurse or technician.
Depending on your needs, you can combine nocturnal home dialysis with daily dialysis. Four Seasons Healthcare Solutions Brooklyn home dialysis services can help you choose the best treatment for your specific needs..
Traditional Home Dialysis
Traditional home dialysis is a common treatment for kidney disease patients. The traditional treatment is typically administered three times per week.
You and your partner are trained to perform the treatment safely at home, as with other types of home dialysis. Learning how to deal with problems that may arise during or after dialysis is part of the training.
Patient’s requirements vary. As a result, our professionals at Four Seasons Healthcare Solutions will assist you in selecting the best dialysis for your needs.
Benefits of Home Hemodialysis
There are numerous advantages to home hemodialysis. Trips to dialysis centers can have a significant impact on your life because they place a significant strain on your daily schedule. Your family may also be affected by the inconvenience of driving you to the dialysis center every other day.
Because of the numerous clinical and lifestyle benefits, most patients prefer home dialysis services. Home hemodialysis is both convenient and comfortable for patients. Consider it your best option for receiving the treatment that is right for you.
The following are the advantages of home hemodialysis:
Improved Patient Outcomes
Patients who choose home hemodialysis can receive treatment in the comfort of their own homes. In addition, instead of the usual long hours, the treatment can be completed in a shorter amount of time.
Patients can also benefit from daily home dialysis because the more frequently they receive the treatment, the better they get. In other words, at-home dialysis mimics the function of the kidney. As a result, waste and excess fluid are less likely to accumulate in your system.
According to research, home hemodialysis has helped lower patient mortality rates and has fewer undesirable side effects. The best part is that because patients can perform the treatment on their own, they can enjoy the benefits of home dialysis without compromising their daily lives.
Better Quality of Life
Another significant advantage of home dialysis is the freedom to do whatever you want. If you visit dialysis centers frequently, you may spend the majority of the day receiving treatment. This takes away the quality time you could have spent with family and close friends.
It is more convenient to have dialysis at home. You can schedule the treatment around your schedule.
Your life does not come to a halt when you receive home dialysis treatment because you must attend dialysis as prescribed. You go about your daily life while receiving the quality care you require to improve your health.
Furthermore, transitioning from in-center to home dialysis makes treatment more comfortable and enjoyable. In the long run, this leads to better patient outcomes.
Reduced Traveling Expenses
Travel expenses may appear insignificant, but they can add up quickly if you visit the dialysis center on a daily basis.
Home dialysis can help you save money on monthly travel costs. Getting your treatment at home will save you money on gas. While it may appear insignificant to some patients, the costs add up over time.
If you choose home dialysis, you can also take advantage of Medicare coverage provided by most private insurance plans.
Better Understanding of Your Condition
Patients can be more involved in their treatments with home dialysis. This reduces your concern about being unable to manage the condition. Instead, you’ll be content. You’ll have a more positive outlook on life and better overall health. A positive attitude toward life and your health will improve your overall well-being.
Increased Flexibility
One of the main advantages of home dialysis is that you can spend more time doing what you want. Increased flexibility and control over your health will generally result in an improvement in your condition. Being happy will help you sleep better. One benefit of home dialysis is the flexibility it provides.
Home Hemodialysis Training – What to Expect
You are now aware of the advantages of home dialysis. The next step is to get the necessary training so that you can perform the treatment on your own.
It takes time to learn how to do home hemodialysis without the assistance of your nurse. You must be patient and committed to learning.
Pre-Training
Before starting the home dialysis training program, confirm that you meet the following requirements:
- You must be mentally and physically able to manage your condition or have someone help you.
- You must have the required medication compliance.
- You must follow the home dialysis plan as recommended.
- Your in-center treatments are good, and you don’t have any medical complications.
The Training
As part of the training process, one of our experts will visit your home and evaluate the dialysis room you’ll be using. In order to ensure that the water can be used in the dialysis machine, we will also test it. In some cases, you may need to make changes to get the proper water quality for home dialysis. To meet the required standards, you may, for example, make some wiring and plumbing changes.
We offer dialysis training based on your needs. We customize the training to avoid any inconvenience. Our Brooklyn, NY, training center or our home team can serve you and your caregiver. We want to give you everything you need to manage your kidney disease.
Our experts will walk you through the fundamentals of dialysis at the start of our training program. We will advise you on the best equipment and training program for your medical needs. We will also give you a list of the necessary prescriptions and medications.
Our staff will help you master dialysis treatments on your own. Our Brooklyn, NY, training staff will teach you cannulation, handwashing, treatment monitoring, and emergency procedures.
Our professionals will assist you with cannulation during the first week of training. It’s not a difficult procedure because our nurses will walk you through it step by step. You are free to ask any questions you want during the process. We want to make certain that no stone is left unturned because this will determine how well you handle the treatment. With time, you and your caregiver will become more familiar with dialysis and gradually take over care of you.
Our nurses will work with you until you are confident enough to administer the treatment on your own. This boosts your confidence in the treatment procedure. Dialysis training typically lasts three to five weeks. However, this is usually determined by how quickly you master the process. You can stop training whenever you want. You don’t have to continue the training if you’re comfortable treating yourself at home.
Even after training is completed, you can still contact our dialysis centers. Please contact our experts for assistance. We can check your home whenever you need.
We’re Here To Help!
At Four Seasons, we aim to deliver the best quality of care in line with the basic core values we hold closest, including empathy, family, honesty, ethics, and spirituality.
As you think of doing your hemodialysis at home in Brooklyn, NY, you’re one step away from making a great decision. Our experienced personnel will work with you to personalize your treatment according to your dialysis needs. Get in touch with us today for quality dialysis services you can trust. We’re always a phone call away!
